The sun is finally here which means one thing: festival season is upon us! One of the best parts about owning a campervan is the community that comes with it. The next few months are packed with opportunities to relax at vanlife festivals and make lots of happy memories.
At Love Campers, we understand the vibrant spirit of the vanlife community. Our stunning handbuilt conversions aren’t just functional, they are customised by their owners to reflect their unique taste and personality. As you plan your escapes this year you can feel confident that your van is built to the highest professional standards, making camping at festivals a breeze.
The vanlife community are a friendly bunch. So, if you aren’t yet the proud owner of your own van, you’re welcome to join any one of these festivals either with a day ticket or a camping pitch. It can be a great way to see the community in action and have a peek at some of the imaginative ways people use their vans.
With so many events to choose from we’ve narrowed it down to ten of our favourites. Stay tuned for part two of this blog where we run down the perfect events for VW fanatics.
Our top picks for events this year
1. Vanlife Festival (Shrewsbury, 31 May-2 June 2024)
The relaxed and friendly vibe of this festival made it a sell out event in 2023. Attendees can enjoy buckets of entertainment from holistic workshops, music and family friendly activities. A must while you’re here is to wander through the ‘Field of Inspiring Dreams’. You’ll find handcrafted vehicles are on display ready to help you realise your own vanlife dreams. We’ve worked on many unusual and vintage campervans ourselves – from the classic Split Screen VW Campers to retro ambulances and can safely say it’s exciting to see what creativity they inspire. With the date fast approaching there’s still time to plan your trip!
2. Mighty Dub Fest (Northumberland, 14-16 June 2024)
This is an award-winning family festival which celebrates all things campervans. Everyone is welcome – whether you own a VW or not! With a jam-packed programme you’ll be spoilt for choice, whether it’s flaunting your van at Show & Shine, relaxing at a sound bath in the wellness tent or dancing your socks off at the silent disco.
3. Camperlife @ Stratford (Stratford-upon-Avon, 15-16 June 2024)
If you love camping and the outdoor life, this is the event for you. With the theme Carnival Time and music from a Steel Pan Band you can expect a party mood. Meet some of your favourite influencers from the camping and vanlife world in the Social Media Meet-up Zone. At the Self-Build Swap Shop you can bring any items, cut-offs or spare parts and exchange them for parts you need – a great way to reduce waste and help your peers!
4. VanLifeFest (North Yorkshire, 21-23 June 2024)
The tagline for this event sums it up perfectly, “where family, music, and camper love converge”. Live music and family entertainment such as archery, climbing walls and a circus means no one will be sat twiddling their thumbs. We’re most excited by the Trade Village, a place for you to explore campervan accessories, outdoor gear and artisan crafts, and their Coffee Club, a new space for speakers from the vanlife community to share their adventures, do demonstrations and swap stories.
5. Camper Jam (Shropshire, 5-7 July 2024)
As specialist VW campervan converters, Camper Jam, one of the most recognised festivals celebrating the VW community, is always on our radar. Geek out over the special display vehicles, where you’ll find everything from the earliest Splitties to the very latest T6.1. You can also browse vehicles for sale – there’s nothing wrong with a little window shopping! Themed fancy dress on both Friday and Saturday means you have an excuse to be a bit silly and have fun!
6. Urban Van Festival (East Sussex, 19-21 July 2024)
A warm welcome awaits you at Urban Van Festival as you’re surrounded by the beautiful South Downs (although being based in East Sussex, we may be a little biased!). Meet and make friends over the course of the weekend with live music and entertainment, an artisan market and wellness area where you can enjoy reiki, sound baths and family yoga. Did you know that our conversions can take as little as three weeks to do? If you time it right, you could be picking up your new camper from us en route to Urban Van Festival!
7. VanLove Festival (York, 19-21 July 2024)
This is the festival for anyone who loves the freedom of life on the road. VanLove Fest is a great way to connect with the vanlife community, whether you’re an owner or just interested. Live music highlights include Ellie Sax bringing the party on Friday and Kevin & Perry on the decks for Saturday’s Movie Heroes themed night. On Sunday you’ll wrap up the festival with the iconic Survivors Convoy, where you’ll parade down Elvington Airfield runway alongside your peers. Get ready to make some epic memories!
8. Bug Jam (Northamptonshire, 26-28 July 2024)
Held at the Santa Pod Raceway, this weekend is for the petrolheads among us, mixing VW and campervan culture with drag racing, stunt displays and so much more. Alongside the track and live action arena, there’s a packed lineup of music, comedy and kids entertainment. Make sure to mark the Human Powered Race in your diary, a chance for adults and kids to race with no engines allowed – prizes up for grabs!
9. Vanlife Eats (Basingstoke, 23-25 August 2024)
This event is brought to you by Sophie and Mark of Vanlife Eats and celebrates all things food and campervans. Live cooking demos from celebrity chefs and your favourite YouTubers will show you what’s possible in a tiny cooking space all while having fun. Themed banquets on every day of the festival are an opportunity to sit down with your fellow vanlifers and soak up the community atmosphere.
10. Camper Calling (Warwickshire, 23-25 August 2024)
This year marks the eighth edition of Camper Calling, the family-friendly festival for music lovers. Highlights from the lineup include Jessie J, Groove Armada and Sophie Ellis-Bextor. And when you’re not dancing to the music, there’s plenty to keep families entertained from creative art and craft workshops and kids activities, to water sports on the lake like kayaking and stand up paddleboarding. Bringing a campervan to a festival like this definitely elevates the experience. With a Love Campers van you can camp off-grid while enjoying the luxury of our bespoke designs.
We’re excited to hear where you’ll be taking your Love Campers conversions this summer. Whether you’re new to the vanlife community or you’ve simply not yet experienced one of these meet-ups, we couldn’t think of a better way to spend a weekend than at vanlife festivals with live music, family and more campervans than you can shake a stick at. See you there!
Feeling inspired to own your own campervan conversion?
We are highly experienced converters of artisan campervans, based in East Sussex. If you sign up to our build-to-order queue we’ll work with you to build the campervan interior of your dreams.
If you’re interested in a conversion please do not hesitate to contact us so we can chat about your requirements. We’d love to hear from you. Fill out this short enquiry form to get started or call us on 01273 101407.