This year, we had the biggest edition of El Campo ever!
Close to 400 vans headed to the Domaine du radar to finally have the chance to get together for a long weekend. While many were first-time attendees, we had the chance to catch up with vanlifers and friends we hadn’t seen in almost two years! It was a great feeling to see the vans arrive, the people set up and the party begin. Let’s celebrate our big return with El Campo 2021!
Go big or go home
We won’t hide the fact that organizing El Campo 2021 was not easy this year, but the Go-Van team was 100% determined to revive this unique event after a summer of unplanned pause. You know how we roll: live small, dream big, but go big or go home! We redesigned the site to awelcome nearly 400 vans, dodgefalias, westfalias and skoolies.
Photos: Jonathan Gaudreau
Our traditional “Family” or “Quebec Vanning” areas were back, with the addition this year of a brand new “plateau” section overlooking the site! We could see the vans rubbing shoulders with each other all the way to the top of the hill! A record number of vanlifers of all ages met this year, hopefully creating new connections that will last a lifetime.
The greatest surprise of this fifth edition of El Campo? The weather! After 2 rather gray and windy editions, Mother Nature decided to be a good sport and offer us sunny days and starry nights. From the morning with work-out and yoga sessions to the evening with DJ sets and singers around the fire, we were able to take advantage of the beautiful days to create memorable souvenirs.
Of course, El Campo would not be El Campo without our partners and exhibitors. Once again this year, we have brought together local companies who are part of our community and who, through their expertise and involvement, are always trying to make it better.
Our primary partners, Oshlag and Guru, hosted two sports competitions that had spectators and participants on the edge of their seats. The spikeball tournament was filled with skilled athletes and an exciting horseshoe competition crowned two new horseshoe queens this year for El Campo 2021!
A huge dose of energy
This year’s festival made us realize how much we missed the atmosphere, but more importantly the energy in our gatherings. The thrill just before the first vans arrive, the excitement from meeting new vanlifers and then the sheer joy of seeing everyone laughing and having fun together. The vanlife community is one of connections and sharing between people who want to enjoy every moment to the fullest. This year, we understood again how lucky we are to be part of it and how we want to share our love for vanlife with as many people as possible.
We also lived the dream this year by welcoming Émile Bilodeau on the Mixbus stage for our big show on Saturday night! Seeing everyone jumping and dancing together for hours was clearly the best reward for all the effort we put into organizing this event. After the DJ sets and the succession of limbo contests and dance battles, it was really magical to see people gather around the campfire to end the night in the most beautiful way.
Photos: Simon Tanguay
It is really thanks to you that El Campo has become what it is today. When we think back to our first edition, welcoming only a few dozen vans, and now look at the size of the event in the community today, we feel blessed! Thank you for coming back year after year to party with us, it’s always a unique and unforgettable weekend. See you in 2022?
