General Questions
Where can I purchase tickets?
General Admission tickets can be purchased here, along with car parking passes. Each car needs a parking pass. There will also be designated car camping (No need to purchase a separate car parking pass). Those can be purchased along with General Admission tickets here. A limited number of RV camping spots are available (they have electricity hookups, but no septic or water.) Those can also be purchased along with General Admission tickets here. There are 80 reduced price tickets available in 2024. You can apply for them by emailing info@theeverafterscampout.com.
Arrival + departure times?
We will welcome people to the land beginning at 4pm on Thursday, May 2nd. All attendees will need to depart by 12pm on Sunday, May 5th after breakfast.
Musical programming?
Music programming will take place across three spaces: the pool stage that will run primarily during the day, the indoor lodge stage that will run at night, and a smaller indoor yurt stage that will also run at night. Music programming will kick off at 6pm on Thursday. There will be programming on at least one stage on Friday and Saturday from 12pm until 6am (with breaks for meal times.)
Refunds?
All sales are final. You are welcome to transfer your ticket to someone else. More information about ticket transfers coming soon.
What should I bring?
Tent, sleeping bag and pad
Headlamp, charger or fresh batteries
More socks and underwear than you expect
Warm jacket, rain jacket, hat, gloves
Comfortable shoes (x2) & shower sandals
OTC and/or prescription medications
Toiletries & towel
Personal first aid kit
Reusable water bottle
Cooler (ice available for $5)
What shouldn’t I bring?
Camping stoves or anything involving fire, pets, culturally appropriative outfits or accessories, uncute looks.
Parking?
Parking is limited and we encourage you to carpool. You can purchase a parking pass when purchasing your ticket. When you first arrive you will be able to unload bags, tents etc. near the main lodge and then will need to park your car a short walk away.
Is there WiFi or phone service?
Phone service depends on the carrier, but don’t count on it. There is free WiFi near the main lodge (but it's a lot of people and a rural area so don’t count on that either). We think that dance floors are better off without phones and that Saratoga could give Menjo’s a run for it as an arboreal megaplex.
Location and Weather
Where is Ever Afters located?
Saratoga Springs is a 260 acre private retreat space in Lake County, California located in a beautiful valley full of oak trees and mineral springs. There are communal indoor spaces, a pool and hot soaking tub, as well as plenty of quiet paths to explore. Saratoga Springs is about a 2.5 hours drive from San Francisco. The closest airports are SFO and OAK.
What’s the weather like?
It’s May in Northern California so it might be cold or warm or HOT, maybe multiple times in one day. Bring plenty of layers and warm clothes! Saratoga has plenty of communal indoor space that can be heated, and two of the dance floors will be inside. Programming will be scheduled so that in the event of rain we will be able to move everything inside.
Here's some historical weather data from May 2022 and 2023.
What about swimming?
There is both a swimming pool and a hot tub. Bring a towel! The pool is not heated, but the hot tub...is.
Food and Drink
What food is and isn’t provided?
Our kitchen crew has been hard at preparing for campout. We want everyone to be well-fed and fueled up throughout campout.
Tickets include a meal plan. Meals start with dinner Thursday and include lunch and dinner on Friday & Saturday, and breakfast on Sunday morning. On Friday and Saturday morning there will be a light self serve breakfast. Meals will be primarily vegetarian, with vegan and gluten free options. Coffee and tea are available throughout the day.
If you have food allergies or dietary restrictions, reach out to info@theeverafterscampout.com and let us know, so we can work to have options available for you.
Beyond the meal plan, there will be options to purchase food:
On Friday and Saturday afternoons there will be a “pay what you can” burger stand with veggie and meat burgers.
Our snack coordinator, Lea Camille, will offer tasty snacks for grazing between meals and late nights.
Will alcoholic beverages or other beverages be available for purchase?
It is BYOB. You are welcome to bring your own favorite non-alcoholic or alcoholic beverages. Glass is not permitted at the Pool Stage.
Am I allowed to cook or use a camping stove?
There are no open flames or heating elements allowed - you cannot cook on your own. The Ever Afters Campout and Saratoga Springs Retreat Center has zero tolerance for fire, cookstoves, or other combustibles.
Water availability?
Water will be free and available at in the main lodge and at all three stages. We encourage you to bring a reusable water bottle (or two!) to refill. Wellness and hydration go hand-in-hand.
Camping and Lodging
What’s the camping like?
There is ample room for tent camping across several different areas of the land. There is plenty of access to potable running water, as well as toilets (both indoor plumbing and PortaPotties), and showers. Most camping areas are within 150 feet of a building, so you won’t be exactly deep in the woods. There is some access to electricity and outlets, but not at campsites.
Smoking, cooking, other fire?
The Ever Afters and Saratoga Springs Retreat Center has zero tolerance for fire, cookstoves, or other combustibles. Smoking, and vaping will be restricted to designated areas. There is a very strict policy and anyone who ignores requests by Staff to move their smoking to a designated area will be asked to leave the campout. Saratoga Springs is in an extreme fire risk area.
Indoor lodging for purchase?
We elected to make indoor lodging available for purchase in order to keep ticket prices low and to provide fair compensation to artists. More information to come on the purchase of these indoor lodging options.
Car camping and RVs?
This camping option is available for people who want to sleep in their car/truck/van/trailer. Car camping will be available for $75, and a limited number of RV hook-ups will be available for $200. If you decide you want to car camp after you buy your ticket, you can come back and buy a car camping or RV ticket later.
Indoor lodging availability for BIPOC, transwomen, and artists traveling?
Two bunk rooms in the main lodge/dining building will be available free of cost to attendees on a first come, first served basis. Bunk rooms are intended to support attendance for community members who may not have camping equipment, are unable to travel with gear or who prefer indoor lodging. Please note that these are not private rooms. We will not be assigning top and bottom bunks.
Bunk room 1: Available for attendees who are trans women (8 available)
Bunk room 3: Available for BIPOC attendees (8 available)
We understand that this is an imperfect approach to creating space and addressing accessibility. In particular, that people have multiple identities and choosing a single one is doesn't affirm the experience of holding complex and intersectional identities. Bunk rooms are up a flight of stairs and there is no elevator available. You can reach out to us at info@theeverafterscampout.com with any questions, concerns or feedback or accessibility requests. Please complete this form after purchasing a ticket to The Ever Afters Campout. Submission of this form is not a guarantee that space is available. You will receive a confirmation email once we have had a chance to process your request.
Wellness and Harm Reduction
How can I prepare for campout?
We hope that attendees will take some extra time to tune in before they head campout. We’re excited for the weekend and think it’s important for everyone to try to show up with a full tank. Try to notch some quality rest, stay hydrated and, when possible, use self-care to manage stress. COVID-19 is still present in our communities. To support the wellness of our community, we ask that everyone take time to test before heading to campout.
Where and what wellness services are available?
Members of our wellness team will be visible and available throughout the event to provide resources and check-ins to support the experience of attendees. The wellness area will be based in a cabin adjacent to the Heart Lodge, the main music stage. Staff are designated with lanyards. At the event, there will be signage to indicate the location There There and other key resources. All attendees will receive a map upon arrival.
The There There Wellness Hub will be your go-to for first-aid, hydration or a bit of quiet to help reset your experience. Want to volunteer with There There? Questions? info@theeverafterscampout.com.
Accessibility
What is the accessibility of the space?
The venue is partially wheelchair accessible. The poolside stage, the lodge stage, the main lodge ground floor, and most of the lower grounds are accessible by wheelchair. The yurt has limited accessibility and is up a trail that is steep, unpaved and has 6-10 stairs to its entryway. There are ADA compliant bathrooms, but not inside the cabins, which lack handrails.
If you have any questions about accessibility please email us at the earliest opportunity to ensure we can work with you to create an accommodation.
Do you offer any discounts or financial assistance for tickets?
In 2024 we’ve added PayPal’s Pay-in-4 feature to our checkout process, which allows anyone to split the cost of their tickets into 4 bi-weekly payments.
Accessibility is fundamental to how we have structured The Ever Afters Campout and is something we intend to continue to grow in future years. It is important to us to support access to the queer space we are building. And, we understand that this intention alone is not sufficient to make attendance possible. We have two resources to promote accessibility.
There are 80 reduced cost tickets available. All tickets include a meal plan. Our intention is to prioritize these tickets for BIPOC, disabled, trans and gender nonconforming people. If you would like to access a reduced cost ticket, please email info@theeverafterscampout.com to request a unique discount code.
There are two indoor lodging options that are available free of cost for attendees. The two bunk rooms are intended to support attendance for BIPOC and transwomen, along with artists traveling to the event who may not have camping equipment, are unable to travel with gear or who prefer indoor lodging. After you purchase an event ticket, you can request a bunk here.
Following the Campout, we will publish a statement of costs to promote financial transparency. Any funds generated above the costs of production will be invested in accessibility activities for year three. Questions? Please reach out to us at info@theeverafterscampout.com.