Hi, first time academy goer here. I’ve got lots of experience with the on-site camping line for the festival, but am curious if the academy has the same frantic vibe? Is it necessary to get there early Sunday morning to get in line? I’m also curious about how hard it will be to get a spot for my truck. We always camp for the festival behind the stage, so my only knowledge of this front campsite is walking around at night. Seems very tight and crowded in there and unsure how hard it will be to get a F150 in there to sleep in…and then move it Thursday when my group sets up our site in the other campsite. Would a tent be easier for the academy? Thanks for any help/insight! I’m super excited/nervous for my first novice fiddle academy! :flower
For the past few years there has been a lottery-based line up on Sunday morning at the Planet Bluegrass Farm. There is no advantage to getting there early as long as you arrive within the window of time that the lottery numbers are distributed. The staff gets the vehicles in line by number and then we caravan down to the campground around 1pm and folks load-in. It is generally pretty orderly and it isn’t overly frantic. Of course, some folks are trying to secure shaded spots, or a bigger area for a large group, so there is some hustling around. I assume they will do something similar this year and will be providing guidance to us soon. I have always been solo, so I’ve found it to be fairly mellow getting a camp spot. The Academy only uses a portion of the campground and the remainder is used for parking during the Academy- these vehicles have to be moved later in the week (Thursday morning?). My suggestion would be to use a tent and a sun shade and then just park your pick up. Your truck would be easy to access during the Academy and easy to move later in the week.
Thanks for this! I truly appreciate the response. I’ll be running solo also so sounds like getting a spot won’t be a struggle. Getting super excited!