Megacamps: Town-Planning for Festival Tents and RVs

Building a Temporary City: Why Campgrounds Matter

Large festivals often sprout instant cities of campers. From sprawling fields in the English countryside to desert encampments in Nevada, these megacamps can rival real towns in size and complexity. For example, Glastonbury Festival in the UK becomes the seventh-largest city in the country when 210,000 people descend on Worthy Farm (apnews.com). That campsite population isn’t just an afterthought – it’s half the festival experience. A well-planned campground means happier attendees, smoother operations, and a safer, more memorable festival. On the flip side, neglecting campground planning can lead to chaos or even danger (think of infamous failures like Woodstock ’99’s resource shortages that helped trigger unrest (time.com)).

To the next generation of festival producers: approach your festival’s campground like urban planning. Treat it as a miniature city with distinct neighborhoods, utilities, services, and rules. Below, we share veteran insights on zoning campsites, providing water and sanitation, ensuring safety with lighting and staff, creating community hubs, managing RVs vs tents, and mitigating risks. These hard-earned lessons come from years of producing festivals of all genres around the world. Whether you’re hosting 5,000 campers or 150,000, the principles of good “town-planning” for tents and RVs will elevate your event.

Zoning the Camp: Party, Family & Quiet Areas

One size does not fit all when it comes to camping styles. Successful festival campgrounds are zoned into areas catering to different attendee needs:

• Party Zones: Sections where the night never truly ends – ideal for hardcore revelers who bring sound systems or jam on guitars till dawn. Position party zones away from family and quiet areas but perhaps near late-night venues or one corner of the site, so their noise doesn’t spill everywhere. Some festivals even set up a small stage or DJ booth in the party campground to focus the revelry there.
• Family Camping: Dedicated areas for attendees with children or those who simply prefer a calmer environment. These zones should be slightly removed from the main hustle, offering a quieter haven. For instance, Glastonbury Festival provides two fenced-off family camping fields (Wicket Ground and Cockmill Meadow) exclusively for parents with kids (www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk). By restricting these areas to families (often checking for children in the group before entry), organisers ensure a more relaxed atmosphere. Services like baby-changing facilities or a nearby Kidz Zone can further support families.
• Quiet Rows: Even beyond family needs, many festivals now designate “quiet camping” sections open to any adults who want rest over revelry. Download Festival (UK), for example, offers a Quiet Camping area for those seeking sleep, separate from its rowdier general campground. This concept acknowledges that not every festival-goer wants a 3 a.m. drum circle outside their tent.

Clear signage and communication of these zones are crucial. Mark each campground section clearly on your festival map and use colour-coded flags or banner signs on-site (e.g. “Blue Zone – Quiet Camping (Midnight–8 am Quiet Hours)”). Upon entry, staff can ask campers what style of area they prefer and direct them accordingly. Also publicise the options on your website and during ticket checkout (“Choose Family Camping or General Camping”) so people know what to expect.

Enforce Quiet Hours

Even in party areas, some limits help maintain order. Establish quiet hours (commonly starting around midnight or 1 am until early morning) during which loud music is discouraged or forbidden outside designated party zones. Clearly broadcast these rules in advance and on printed camp guides. For example, a family-friendly event might enforce quiet hours from 11 pm to 8 am in all general campgrounds (www.bigfamfestival.com), while permitting a bit of after-hours noise only in a distant party section. Having set hours helps manage expectations: attendees ready to rage all night will gravitate to the party zone, while those in quiet zones can trust they’ll get some sleep. Crucially, follow through by tasking security or volunteer stewards to gently remind noisy camps when it’s past curfew.

Tip: Consider a “Lone Wolves” or solo-traveler camp area as well. Some festivals (like Download’s “Lone Wolf” campsite) group solo attendees or first-timers together so they can make friends and not feel isolated. It’s another form of zoning that boosts the camper experience by fostering community.

Infrastructure & Utilities: Water, Showers, Greywater, and Sanitation

A festival camp without adequate water or toilets is a disaster waiting to happen. Providing robust infrastructure for water, showers, waste, and sanitation is absolutely fundamental – these are the utilities of your temporary city.

Water Supply: Ensure there are abundant fresh water points for campers to refill bottles and hydration packs. In hot climates or multi-day events, water demand is huge. Underestimate it at your peril – running out of water can quickly turn a joyful crowd into an angry mob. Learn from Woodstock ’99’s mistakes, where extreme heat and overpriced scarce water fueled unrest (time.com). Instead, follow examples like Roskilde Festival (Denmark) and Bonnaroo (USA), which provide free water refill stations throughout their campgrounds. If your site lacks tap water hookups, truck in large potable water tanks and clearly signpost their locations. For the largest events, investing in plumbing infrastructure can pay off. Wacken Open Air in Germany famously installed underground pipelines to distribute water across the fields (alongside an innovative beer pipeline) to efficiently hydrate tens of thousands of metalheads (www.bbc.co.uk). By laying pipes, they not only delivered drinking water but also eliminated the need for heavy water trucks churning up the grounds daily – a sustainability win.

Showers: Few things make attendees happier than a decent shower after a sweaty day. Offering shower facilities in camp can greatly enhance comfort, but they require planning. Gauge the number needed by your attendance and climate; if it’s a summer festival with 50,000 campers, expect long lines unless you deploy many units. Some festivals opt for free cold-water showers and separate paid hot showers (as Coachella does with its free vs. VIP showers). If resources are limited, be upfront that showers are minimal (Glastonbury, for example, has infamously “few showers” even for 200k attendees (apnews.com), and many festival-goers accept a bit of grime as part of the adventure). Whatever your approach, place shower blocks at multiple points so one area isn’t overrun. Service them regularly – a dirty, clogged shower area can become unusable. Provide graywater collection or drainage to manage the runoff; don’t let soapy water just flood the campground. Large events will contract vacuum trucks or build temporary sumps to haul away greywater. Smaller festivals might use portable containment bladders. Make sure campers know not to dump dishwater or other waste haphazardly – set up designated rinsing stations or barrels where water can be disposed, and then empty these frequently.

Sanitation (Toilets & Waste): Provide more bathrooms than you think you need. This golden rule cannot be overstated. Long lines at the loo lead to frustration and “creative” bad behavior (like people peeing in bushes or worse). As a baseline, aim for at least 1 toilet per 75 campers for 24-hour use, and adjust based on cleaning frequency. Distribute toilets evenly across the campgrounds and near high-traffic spots (entrances, food areas). And don’t neglect maintenance: schedule frequent pump-outs or swaps for portable toilets, and have cleaning crews restock toilet paper and hand sanitiser. Many festivals assign overnight cleaning shifts so that by morning, the toilets are usable again. Plan for effluent disposal as carefully as you do for water supply. In some cases, those same Wacken pipelines carried away sewage in addition to bringing water (www.bbc.co.uk) – a sophisticated solution to handle high volume. If plumbing isn’t possible, coordinate a fleet of waste trucks and consider holding tanks to prevent overflow.

Beyond toilets, manage solid waste and litter proactively. Equip camping areas with plenty of trash and recycling bins (using distinct colors for sorting), and provide bin bags to campers at check-in. A great idea borrowed from European festivals: offer a refund for a filled trash bag (or require a small trash deposit redeemable upon returning garbage). This encourages campers to bag their waste and keeps the campground cleaner. Some festivals like Boom and Shambhala have “leave no trace” ethos and heavily promote pack-out of trash, but providing infrastructure helps reinforce the message. After the event, involve community volunteers or hire crews to sweep the camp for leftover debris – leaving a trash-strewn field not only annoys local landowners but also tarnishes your festival’s reputation.

Lighting, Lanes, and Overnight Safety

When the sun goes down on a festival campground, an entirely new set of challenges arises. Good lighting and lane planning can prevent accidents and ease navigation for both campers and emergency services.

Illuminate Key Pathways: Pitch darkness in a packed campsite is a recipe for injuries and disorientation. At minimum, light the main lanes and intersections of your camping area. This can be achieved with generator-powered floodlight towers, strings of LED festoon lights on poles, or solar-powered lamp posts. Many festivals place tall identifiable markers (like inflatable beacons or LED towers) that serve a dual purpose: lighting and helping attendees orient themselves (“our tent is two rows past the big glow tower”). Ensure lighting for any facilities like toilets, showers, info points, and along the routes to the arena entrances. Keep lights at a moderate intensity and ideally directed downward or shielded, so they illuminate the ground without blinding campers in their tents.

Marked Emergency Lanes: In your site layout, designate access lanes that must be kept clear of tents and vehicles. These lanes should connect all areas of the campground to exits and public roads, enabling ambulances, fire trucks, or security vehicles to reach an incident quickly. Use fencing, traffic cones, or chalk paint on the grass to mark these no-camp corridors. Staff should enforce that no one sets up in these lanes during the busy arrival day. It’s wise to print a reminder on the camping maps or post signs: “Emergency access lane – no tents beyond this point.” In a crisis, these clear lanes can save lives by cutting response times dramatically.

Overnight Stewards and Security: A festival’s responsibility to its campers doesn’t stop at lights and loos – 24/7 supervision is needed to handle issues that arise at 3 am. Plan for overnight staffing in the campgrounds: both professional security patrols and volunteer “camp hosts” or stewards. Security teams can enforce rules (like quiet hours or open flame bans), respond to altercations or trespassers, and act as a deterrent to theft. Meanwhile, friendly volunteer stewards can assist lost attendees, provide information, and alert medical teams if they spot someone in distress. Many events create a base for campground operations – a visible tent or caravan where staff are stationed all night, so campers know where to find help. For example, Bonnaroo historically divided its massive camp into sectors each with a volunteer headquarters (often called a “Pod”) staffed round the clock. Glastonbury, to manage its vast site, has stationary watchtowers and patrols in each camping field. Equip overnight staff with radios and high-visibility vests, and consider giving them flashlights or headlamps if parts of the site aren’t well-lit.

Lighting and staffing go hand-in-hand to improve safety. A well-lit, well-patrolled campground deters petty crime and misbehavior. It also helps campers feel secure – they can walk back to their tent at 2 am and see where they’re going, and they know festival personnel are never far if an emergency happens.

“Neighborhoods” in Camp: Markets, First Aid & Community Spaces

Great festival campgrounds have more than just tents – they have amenities and gathering points that turn a field of strangers into a community. Think of your campsite like a patchwork of neighborhoods, each needing a little “town square.” Here are key features to incorporate:

• Camping Markets & Food Stalls: Providing on-site vendors in the campground greatly enhances convenience (and can boost your revenue). Many large festivals set up a general store selling camping supplies, toiletries, cold drinks, and late-night snacks to campers. This helps those who forgot an item or run out of something essential – rather than leaving site, they can buy it right there. At Tomorrowland’s famous DreamVille camping, “The Marketplace” is a central hub with food stalls, a bakery, BBQ stations, and even clothing outlets, mirroring a small village market. You don’t need something that elaborate at every event, but a few local food trucks for breakfast and a coffee cart brewing early morning espresso can feel like a lifesaver to tired festival-goers. Plan the market locations such that no camper is too far from a bite to eat or basic supplies. Distribute vendors across big campsite areas or have one concentrated village – just avoid clumping everything at one end only.
• Medical Posts & Welfare Tents: Time is critical in medical emergencies. Having first aid posts within or adjacent to campgrounds can make the difference in quick treatment. For very large sites, position multiple medical tents so that any incident in camping is only a short distance from help. For instance, a mega-fest might have a medic station every few hundred meters or one per campground sector. Train your staff and clearly signpost these locations (“Medical ? 100m”). In addition to first aid, consider a welfare or sanctuary tent in the campground – a quiet staffed space where attendees can go if they’re feeling overwhelmed, need to rest somewhere safe, or seek help for mental health or substance issues. Festivals like Boomtown and Shambala have dedicated welfare spaces run by professionals to support attendees in distress. Integrating these into camping areas underscores that you care about your audience’s well-being around the clock.
• Info Points & Lost & Found: Just like a town hall or visitor center, an information booth in the main campground can be incredibly useful. Here, campers might ask questions (“Where’s the nearest shower?”), report lost items or children, or get directions. Equip your info point with maps, program schedules, and a communication line to main operations. Some festivals pair info points with the security base or make them part of the general store – what matters is having an accessible human touchpoint in camp. If your festival is large enough, a dedicated lost & found tent may be worth placing near campground entrances so lost phones, keys, and personal items from camping areas can be turned in and reclaimed easily (rather than only at the main stage area).
• Community Spaces & Activities: To truly make “camps half the festival,” give campers reasons to enjoy the camping area beyond just sleeping. Successful examples include pop-up campground stages or sound camps for after-hours entertainment, yoga or fitness classes in the morning, art installations among the tents, or communal bonfire pits (where safe and permitted). Bonnaroo historically hosts a “Thursday night barn party” in one camping zone to kick off the weekend. Coachella’s campground offers activities like dodgeball games, silent disco, and crafts workshops at its Camp Oasis, fostering camaraderie among campers. When planning these, be mindful of noise and timing (schedule loud activities to end by a reasonable hour or keep them confined to the party-designated area). Also involve the attendees themselves – you can encourage theme camps or allow camper-led workshops. This not only entertains but builds a sense of community where people look out for each other. And as the organiser, it shows you value the camping experience fully.

All these elements – markets, medical and info posts, and communal activities – should be integrated into your site plan much like a city planner would zone for commercial, healthcare, and recreational areas. The end goal is a camping “neighborhood” that feels lively and supportive, not just a sea of tents. Remember, if someone forgets their sunscreen or needs a midnight snack or loses their wallet, your mini-city can provide, and that makes for very happy campers.

Tents vs. RVs: Accommodating Different Camping Setups

Large festivals often host a mix of tent campers arriving on foot or by car and attendees bringing RVs/campervans. These two groups have distinct needs, so factor that into your campground planning and policies.

Dedicated RV Zones: It’s common practice to allocate a separate area for RVs and campervans, and for good reason. RVs are vehicles – they’re larger, heavier, and sometimes come with generators or engine noise. Parking them all together in an “RV campground” prevents them from intermixing with tent crowds where the vehicle traffic and noise could cause issues. It also simplifies logistics: you can design the RV area like a parking lot with marked plots, making efficient use of space and ensuring fire lanes between rows. Keep the RV section accessible from the main entry road, as many will arrive early to snag good spots. Some festivals even offer RV hookups for power or a water fill station; if yours does, definitely cluster RVs in one place to centralise that infrastructure.

Power and Generators: One key difference – RV campers might bring generators for electricity or run their engines to recharge batteries. This raises two concerns: noise and carbon monoxide safety. To manage noise, enforce quiet hours for generator operation (e.g. no loud generators running overnight). Encourage use of inverter generators (quieter) or provide a separate “24-hour generator area” away from quiet zones if some absolutely must run AC units at night. Safety-wise, be very clear about proper generator use: require that generators be placed outside, at a safe distance from any tent or enclosed area, with exhaust pointing away from living spaces. Tragically, there have been instances of campers dying from carbon monoxide poisoning due to improper generator use (apnews.com). In 2021, three young men at a Michigan festival lost their lives because their portable generator’s fumes built up in their camping area (apnews.com). As an organiser, you should include generator safety guidelines in your pre-festival communications and maybe even do spot checks in the RV lot. Some events ban cheap camping generators outright and instead offer a paid electrical hookup – consider what’s feasible for your situation. If generators are allowed, fuel storage is another factor (specify that extra fuel must be in proper containers and kept away from ignition sources).

Space and Layout: Tents can be packed fairly densely, but RVs need space to maneuver. Design generous turning radiuses at the ends of RV rows and have staff directing parking so no one gets blocked in. A common approach is to mark out individual RV bays (using flags or painted stakes in the ground). Also decide if you allow slide-outs and awnings (most do) and factor that into the bay width. The standard approach is to allow an RV plus a small adjacent tent for companions, within a defined plot size (e.g. 20’x50’). Maintain at least 10 feet (about 3 meters) of clear space between each RV unit for fire safety – RVs are essentially vehicles with fuel on board and can pose fire risks if too tightly spaced.

Vehicle Movement: For both car campers and RVs, it’s wise to restrict vehicle movement once parked. Typically, festivals implement a “no re-entry with vehicles” policy – meaning once you’ve parked your car or RV in the campground, it stays put until you depart for good. This reduces the chance of accidents with pedestrians and keeps the site secure (no unknown vehicles cruising in and out). If attendees need to leave early in an emergency, have them contact staff who can escort a vehicle out safely. Reinforce this rule at check-in and through signage (“No vehicle movement in campsite from Friday 10 am to Monday 8 am”). Many events also forbid driving within the campground for supply runs; instead, provide handcarts or let campers know to bring wagons if they have a lot of gear to move from car to tent.

Separate or Mixed Camping Tickets: Consider how you sell and allot camping spots. Does an admission ticket automatically grant a camping spot, or do you sell camping passes (and RV passes separately)? At major festivals like Bonnaroo or Electric Forest, every vehicle needs a camping pass, and RVs often require an upcharged RV pass (with or without power hookups). Tier your offerings – e.g., standard tent camping, quiet camping, RV camping, glamping tents – and use your ticketing platform to manage capacity in each. The Ticket Fairy platform, for instance, allows festival producers to create add-on ticket types for different camping options, which can help you track how many people plan to bring RVs vs. tents. This data is invaluable – if 500 RV passes sell, you’d better prepare space and resources for 500 RVs of varying sizes!

Finally, don’t forget ADA Accessible Camping. Both tent and RV areas should include or be near accessible camping spots for attendees with disabilities. These should be on flat ground, close to entrances and amenities, and have accessible toilets/showers. Provide an option during ticketing for individuals to request ADA camping so you can reserve sufficient space. Many festivals include one companion vehicle or tent with each ADA spot. Make sure to coordinate with your accessibility team to get this right – an inclusive campground is a key part of a festival’s success.

Risk Management: Safety Plans for Campgrounds

A festival campground, like any city, faces risks – from medical emergencies to fires to severe weather. Proactive risk management and contingency planning are essential to keep campers safe.

Fire Safety: Tents and vehicles in close quarters present fire hazards. Implement strict rules about open flames in the campsite. Most festivals ban campfires and charcoal grills; enforce this with signage and patrols. If you allow cooking stoves, limit them to gas/propane camp stoves and communicate safe usage (never inside tents!). Locate fire extinguishers at regular intervals (for example, attach extinguishers to light towers or info kiosks) and ensure all security staff know how to use them. If your site is prone to extremely dry conditions, go further: consider designated smoking areas and equip volunteer “fire watches” to spot any small blaze before it spreads. A real-life example: at the Maha Kumbh festival in India, a cylinder explosion caused a tent fire, but it was quickly contained by prepared firefighters (apnews.com). Your preparedness can make all the difference in such scenarios.

Weather Preparedness: Mother Nature can turn a perfect festival into a mud pit or worse in hours. Prepare your campground for the most likely weather threats. For rain: have a drainage plan – install ditches or portable pumps in low-lying camp areas, use wood chips or straw on paths to reduce mud, and vendor trucks on standby with gravel or matting for roads if things get boggy. Glastonbury 2005 is infamous for massive flooding after heavy rain (time.com), stranding tents in lakes of water. After that, Glastonbury’s organisers invested heavily in drainage and it paid off in later rainy years. Learn from them: identify flood-prone zones (and maybe keep those as day parking, not camping). For heat: set up shade tents or cooling stations where people can escape the sun, and remind campers via signage to drink water and use sunscreen. For high winds: ensure your structures (tents, fencing, lighting rigs) are securely staked or weighted – sudden gusts can and will send things flying. In desert or dusty environments (like Burning Man or Coachella), having dust masks or bandanas available for campers is a thoughtful touch.

Most importantly, have an emergency action plan specifically for the campgrounds. This includes: procedures for alerting campers if they need to evacuate or seek shelter (e.g. using bullhorns, text alerts, or PA systems); identified shelter areas (sturdy buildings or even attendees’ own cars for lightning storms); and coordination protocols with local emergency services. If a severe thunderstorm hits overnight, how will you get the message out to thousands of sleeping people to take cover? These are the tough scenarios to war-game in advance. Many festivals create a weather text alert system or app push notification – encourage campers to keep phones charged (charging stations in the camp help with this) and to subscribe to alerts.

Health & Medical Response: We touched on having medical tents in the campground, but also consider roving medical teams at night. Equip some medics with golf carts or gators to drive into the campsite with first aid gear. Time is crucial for overdoses, allergic reactions, or dehydration cases. Make sure your medical contractor or volunteers have maps of the camps with grid markers so if someone calls in an emergency (“camp area C, row 10”), they can navigate quickly. It’s wise to assign each camping zone a code or name and put towers or flags with those codes (A, B, C… or fun nicknames) so that campers and staff can pinpoint locations easily. For instance, Firefly Festival (USA) labeled sections of its campground with street names and landmarks, which helped when dispatching help to “Blue Route, near Tent Lane 3” for example.

Also prepare for nighttime security incidents. Sadly, large camps can be targets for theft or unwanted encounters. Having security patrols in plainclothes in addition to uniform can help catch thieves who might sneak in. Educate campers on securing valuables: many experienced festival-goers don’t leave anything valuable in their tent (they’ll use car lockboxes or the festival’s lockers/lock-ups). In fact, Glastonbury provides free 24-hour property lock-ups around the site, where attendees can store their important items safely (www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk). As an organiser, offering such a service (even if you charge a small fee or deposit) can dramatically reduce theft and give peace of mind. It’s much harder for opportunistic thieves to operate if campers aren’t keeping wallets and passports in the tent. Even simple measures like encouraging the “buddy system” (camp with friends and watch out for each other) and the earlier tip of greeting neighbors to build a community can improve security – people are more likely to notice and question an unfamiliar face lurking between tents if they know who should be in their area.

Local Community and Neighbor Relations: Finally, part of risk management is managing your impact on the surrounding community. Large campgrounds can produce spillover noise and traffic. Work with local authorities to set acceptable noise levels at the periphery and perhaps place your quiet camping on the outermost edges (so minimal sound reaches outside neighborhoods). Communicate transparently with nearby residents about your event’s timeline and what to expect (many big festivals provide a hotline for locals to call if an issue arises, like noise past curfew or trespassers). Another great practice is engaging the local community in positive ways: hire local groups or charities to assist with campground management (for example, some festivals donate to local scout troops who help with post-event clean-up, turning it into a fundraising opportunity). By showing you care about the host community – including prompt clean-up of the site and surrounding roads – you reduce the risk of complaints or losing your venue in future years. A harmonious relationship with local stakeholders is an often-overlooked aspect of festival campground planning.

Key Takeaways for Festival Campgrounds

• Treat the campground like a city: Plan distinct zones (party, family, quiet) so every attendee finds a suitable home base. Clearly mark these areas and set quiet hours (e.g. midnight to morning) for noise control.
• Invest in infrastructure: Provide ample water stations, showers, and toilets – more than you think you need. Have a solid plan for sewage and greywater disposal (even if that means trucks or temporary pipelines (www.bbc.co.uk)). Don’t skimp on sanitation; it’s critical for attendee health and happiness.
• Safety first, day and night: Light up main paths and post clear signage so campers can navigate safely after dark. Maintain emergency access lanes through the sea of tents. Staff the campgrounds 24/7 with security and volunteer stewards to enforce rules, assist guests, and respond to incidents.
• Create community hubs: Incorporate markets, food stalls, first aid posts, info booths, and other amenities into the camping area. Think of each section as a neighborhood with a “center” where campers can get supplies, help, and camaraderie. This makes the campsite experience richer and more self-sufficient (and keeps people on-site, spending money at your vendors!).
• Manage tent vs. RV needs: Separate RV camping areas, provide adequate space and possibly hookups, and enforce generator quiet hours and safety. Control vehicle movement in camp for everyone’s safety. Use your ticketing system to manage capacity and special requests (like ADA spots) in advance.
• Plan for the worst: Have contingency plans for fires, severe weather, medical emergencies, and security issues in the campground. Communicate safety info to campers (where to go, who to call) in maps or welcome packs. A prepared festival organiser will have evacuation routes, shelter plans, and on-call services ready – hoping never to use them, but ready nonetheless.
• Campsite experience = festival reputation: Remember that half the festival magic happens in the campground. Attendees will remember the sunrises, the campground friendships, the late-night noodle stand, and yes, the state of the showers and toilets. A well-organised, clean, and vibrant campground will leave people glowing in reviews; a miserable one can undermine an otherwise great event. Put as much care into your camping plans as your main stages – the payoff is loyal, happy festival-goers who can’t wait to return.

With thoughtful planning and an empathetic approach to campers’ needs, your festival’s megacamp can become a beloved community and an integral part of the event’s identity. From a producer’s perspective, a smoothly run campground also means fewer problems for your team and more time for everyone to enjoy the festival itself. So embrace the town-planner mindset – design your tent and RV city with wisdom – and watch your festival thrive both inside and outside the arena.