Camp Punksylvania sells out of camping passes at Circle Drive-In in Dickson City as hype builds
The first Camp Punksylvania in Northeastern Pennsylvania is shaping up to be one of the biggest music festivals in the area. While it won’t be held until the end of the summer at the Circle Drive-In Theatre in Dickson City, camping passes have already sold out.
Single day tickets and weekend passes are still available at camppunksylvania.com, and other lodging options can be found nearby. The lineup from Friday, Sept. 9 through Sunday, Sept. 11 includes Guttermouth, The Casualties, Get Dead, Mephiskapheles, The Bar Stool Preachers, Chaser, Some Kind of Nightmare, Froggy, Our Darkest Days, Jukebox Romantics, Fat Chance, Racist Kramer, Backyard Superheroes, Working Class Stiffs, Ugli, Doc Rotten, Hipshot, Olde Tigers, Dissidente, The Whiskey Bats, Bern and the Bastards, Middle Aged Queers, The Mostly Dead, Cardboard Homestead, The What Nows, Sorry Mom, Pink Snot, One Sided, and more to be announced.
The event will also feature afterparties, bonfires, food, late-night movies, games, vendors, booze, “and a shit-ton more.” In March, the organizers, Riot Squad Media, spoke to NEPA Scene about the origins of the festival.
“After the news of no more Camp Anarchy in Ohio, we wanted to make sure we had a way to stay connected with the people we met at the festival in previous years. We decided to have a backyard get-together in Central Pennsylvania with a couple of bands around a bonfire. Eventually, others caught wind of this mini reunion, so we decided to make it something more accessible for people to enjoy. COVID hit at the peak of our planning and put a halt to just about everything. For us, this was absolutely a blessing in disguise at the time. Quite frankly, we had no idea what we were doing. We took this time to rethink and turn Camp into something more serious than a backyard party,” they recalled.
“After some venue changes and other various obstacles, the very first Camp Punksylvania finally took place in September of 2021 at Four Quarters in Artemas, Pennsylvania. With 23 bands on the lineup spread over three days [including Voodoo Glow Skulls, The Queers, Blanks 77, and Public Serpents], Camp Punksylvania saw just over 300 weekend campers, as well as about 100 single-day ticket holders each day. Being an all-ages event, Camp Punksylvania hosted attendees from all over the East Coast, parts of the Midwest and West Coast, Canada, and more, ranging from 12 years old to 75 years old. One of the main goals of Camp Punksylvania was to bring people together, and we did just that in 2021. Guests flocked to the stage for performances, explored the grounds, made new friends, and participated in fun events such as a crazy conga line, group campfire sing-a-longs, morning coffee, and so much more. This year, we are kicking it up a notch!”
Additionally, they explained the decision to relocate to the Scranton area and settle in at the Circle Drive-In (1911 Scranton/Carbondale Hwy., Dickson City).
“After a wildly successful and fun first year, we decided it would be best to find somewhere to call home. Over the years, we have attended several events (shout out to Scranton Punk Collective!) at the Circle Drive-In such as flea markets, film fests, and more. The Electric City has a bustling scene and so much to do. Instantly feeling accepted by the local community, punk scene, and owners of the Circle Drive-In, this just felt like a no-brainer to us. We are so honored to be working with such wonderful people to plant our seeds in Scranton and make this the official home of Camp Punksylvania for many years to come.”
“I’m very excited to be able to host Camp Punksylvania again this year at our new venue, the Circle Drive-In. Our group has been working so hard in making this year even more amazing than last year. Although I can’t say too much yet, this is only the beginning,” said Terry Smith, co-founder and director of production operations at Riot Squad.
“One of our main goals other than providing a great time for our guests is to get them listening to things they may have never heard before. We really wanted to make sure we delivered on this year’s lineup. There is so much great music being made by wonderful people, and we are so excited to showcase some of it,” added Laura Rose, co-founder and director of operations and public relations.
“If we can get you to come out for Guttermouth and you fall in love with Froggy and Working Class Stiffs, our job is done.”
