Hey there,
I’m coming up from Albuquerque (rideshare?), and it’s been a challenge for me to find people to attend the show with. I’m volunteering (in hopes to meet some cool people) and because it’s an interesting way to experience the event. If anyone else is going up solo, maybe you’d like to meet up? Or perhaps some really fun camp wants to invite me to have a frosty beverage or four with them? It’d be great to have some good people to meet up with! TBF is my birthday weekend!!
Welcome to the birthday club! Lots of us June babies start our new year in Telluride, each and every year. :cake
If you arrive early enough, on Monday before the festival starts, we all meet at Smuggler’s Pub for the “It’s Everybody’s Birthday Party”. Not just the June babies either! It’s tons of fun and a great way to spend, for most folks, our first Monday afternoon in Telluride.
We have several folks on the forum that live in Albuquerque. Hang in there, they’re likely to give you a shout out soon enough, and before you know it you’ll have made great friends, right in your own back yard.
Tell us where you’re camping so the specific camps can make those beer invites! :cheers Actually, consider it already done. You’re welcome to hang out just about anywhere in Telluride until Thursday morning, when the official wagons circle in the campgrounds! :horsey
Welcome to the forum! :thumbsup
Auntie Hope :festivarian2 :green
I was planning on crashing in the back of my Subaru… (sorry if this is frowned upon)… the only way I could really afford the event is by volunteering and utilizing Hotel Subie… I was too late to decide on the show to score TP camping tix. Perhaps some folks could recommend a next best campground that still has sites?
This is my 2nd TBF, I went in 2004 when they had Franti and Sam Bush (he did a Bob Marley set - which I thought was awesome!) I’m really looking forward to this. Thank you so much for the invite, and anyone from Albuquerque, please chime in. I’d love to make some new friends around town. I only moved here a few months ago!!
I’ve been in Illium the past two years and found it to be quite satisfactory. It’s not too expensive, it’s easy to find shade among the trees and you can hear the river at night. The only problem is getting to the festival grounds, but as long as you get up early enough, this isn’t a problem.
:wave Hey rabbit person :flower
Sleeping in :quote Hotel Subie :quote is really frowned upon in the land of the box canyon. Proceed with Caution. It is suggested you find a nice hidey hole on national forest land to camp and do the commute, or find the $ to grab a campsite in one of the campgrounds with a shuttle. We want your festival experience to be a righteously good one.
:peace
I figured… in years past I have camped at Alta Lakes 16 miles away, which is stunning! Maybe I’ll do this again this year. Any other recommendations on current available campsites? I camped in TP twice and Alta twice. Regardless, this is why I’m asking these questions. Looking to have a great time AND play by the rules :thumbsup
We and the Town of Telluride are very firm in our policies regarding sleeping in cars. Your cost cutting measures will not pan out if you end up spending a night with the local Marshall’s (police).
Our camping is affordable, and would probably cost you the same as the gas it would take you to drive to and from Alta Lakes for 4-5 consecutive nights/ mornings. Not to mention that you have the bonus of being surrounded by like-minded Festivarians and the festival atmosphere!
We have two “beer friendly” campsites still available. (click the name for more info)
Lawson Hill is available for $55 and about 3 miles out.
Mary E. Illium is a Forrest Service campground that we take over for the week. The $50 camping covers 10 days of camping (the campground opens on Saturday, June 12th).
With either of these campgrounds you’ll take a shuttle to and from your camp to town. Lots of friends are made on these shuttle rides as well.
Please consider these options. The :quote Hotel Subie :quote is not the place to stay for the festival.
:cheers
D.
One problem at the Marshall Dillon Hotel is that you don’t get to choose your roommates. Instead of staying at a Hostel, your reception could be hostle.
also rolling solo and volunteering! 
Driving to and from the festival doesn’t mix well with festivating, either. :cheers
Mary E. Illium sounds awesome. I like that option a lot. Thanks for the beta, can’t wait!! Anyone who wants to hang out, not sure if anyone does some kind of potluck or happy hour, but I would love to join in!! 
i’m thinking illium but are the shuttles a pain? yes/no? i guess at lawson you could bike in!
I’m torn. I’m on a huge roadtrip, Telluride is only one stop. So, I like Illium because I can camp next to my vehicle… right? It might be tricky with my volunteer shifts, if I have to wait a long time for a shuttle I could be late to a shift. You can also arrive several days earlier it looks like…
On the other hand, you have a point, at Lawson you can bike in! I like being able to get to the grounds quicker. I can probably do 4 miles in 20 minutes if I try!
You’d need a vehicle pass to camp near your car at Illium. And keep in mind that at that altitude, biking will be more difficult.
They can be, but it’s very easy to avoid the pain-ness that they can bring. If you get up early enough, you can get to the festival before the music starts without a problem. The worst part is waiting to go back down after the music has ended (if you’re not going to nightgrass). I’ve ehard the horror stories about people missing the sets they really wanted to see, but it’s never happened to me personally.
Once you get to Telluride you’ll have NO CHALLENGE finding people to attend the show with! Just show up when the music starts and you’ll have a hundred people to watch the show with! Go ask someone if you can share a piece of their tarp. I found that was an excellent way to meet new people, everyone is SO NICE.
I attended solo last year and camped in Mary Ilium. It was great. This year, I’m doing it all over again - arriving solo, camping at Illium, looking forward to all the cool new people I’ll meet.
I didn’t find the bus to and from Illium to be too much of a pain, although there were definitely long lines at times. But you get a chance to talk with everyone while waiting around. And the whole bus system they’ve got going is really efficient, the bus drivers are real characters, and I had some really good conversations with interesting folks on the rides in and back. The longest I ever waited was about 20-25 minutes and that was at the busiest time for the buses.
I suppose it’s all about time-management. If you have a volunteer shift you know you have to be at, make sure you give yourself plenty of time to catch a bus. But other than that, I really have to say that the whole festival vibe is really laid back and it’s not at all worth it to worry about stuff like bus lines. Such a minor issue in the grand scheme of wonderful that is TBF.
FlyfishinDave, thanks for the advice on shifts. I am in touch with Cindy, and I am working Customs all 4 days of the fest. It’s the same post I had in 2004, and I feel like I heard most of the music from that spot. It’s a fun area, you’re near all the action, the music is audible, and the energy there is fast paced and exciting (as people enter the beautiful stage area.) It works well for me, I’m glad I’m on board!! But yeah, slingin beers doesn’t sound like too bad either haha
Thanks for the info everyone, I’m feeling pretty good about this especially b/c I think my friend Shelley is now coming with me AND volunteering!! WOO HOO!! Party on! :cheers