Hi
Anyone stay here before and can tell me what its like?
Is it generally pretty quiet?
How is taking shuttle to/from etc…etc…
Many Thanks!
We have done Town Park for several years, but missed out on tickets this year, so we pulled the trigger on Mary Illium hoping for some quieter times? Town Park is incredible, but last year we had a negative experience with some disrespectful neighbors playing speaker music until dawn. Picking is okay, but amplified music at 3 am, not the most respectful. Anyway, hoping to hear people chime in on the vibe at Illium. Looking forward to another year!
Illium is a great campground. quiet depends on who your neighbors are. Heard amped music more in Illium, than TP. Bus can be fun, but over-all generally sucks.due to the inconvenience of going back and forth (you can not go back to camp at Illlium without missing over an hour of music. If you are looking for less of a jam, party scenario Illium is quite a few notches below TP, colder, and more wild. We loved our Illium experience and did a ton of cycling, and even skipped half a day of fest to chill, but after doing TP I couldn’t go back. But mostly because of the friends and people I want to see and hangout with, if all those folks were in Illium I’d be there.
You should let Planet Bluegrass know about it and where you were camped.
I don’t believe any amplified music should be allowed in Town Park.
Acoustic or nothing is my motto. :flower
Hello, long time Mary E. camper here. :wave So far in the last ten years Mary E has become my “home” campground. Have met some of the best people out there. It’s the only campground that you can spread out and have a little room.
Any spot that is a flat spot is open to camp on. There are allot of flat spots.
The planet is supplying more buses now, so your wait time has been greatly reduced.
It is usually pretty quiet after hours,usually. I personally have never had any problems with amped up music. Acoustic or nothin!!! :flower
…Dress warm…
Bring more blankets and warm cloths that you think you will need. Trust me. 
There are allot of great people out there, get out and meet your neighbors. :cheers
Camp “Sunny side up” will be returning this year. So there will be a solar power station for charging phones or what ever. :thumbsup
Last year, we had neighbors that for the first time played amped, recorded music after dark ever. we let them know.
As far as camping at Mary E, is camping in your car permitted provided you have a vehicle pass? I don’t mind the tent thing but I have a great setup in the back of my pickup with a camper?
And going along with that, is camping in you car at Lawson Hill permitted with a vehicle pass? I seem to remember them being more enforcing there but not sure.
Yes, you can camp in your vehicle if you have a vehicle pass for your truck/car/van.
Thanks for the great information. This’ll be our first year.
If we don’t get a Mary E vehicle pass, how does the camp setup work? Do we drop off our belongings and then leave our cars in a nearby parking lot? Are our cars still accessible if he leave camping supplies in them?
Also how long would you estimate the shuttles take each way? 30 min?
Any other Mary E specific tips you have would be great! Thanks so much.
Welcome to your first year! Hope you will end up like the rest of us, and will be doing this pretty much the rest of your life. :cheers
The campground will be your first stop. After you check in at the welcome tent, you go find a spot to set up. Any level spot is open for camping. Some places are marked, most are not. After you drop off all your stuff that is when you park your car along the road. You will be shown where to park. It’s a long walk to your car so drop everything off.
Meet your neighbors, we are all friendly. :wave
The shuttle buses start running on Wed morning. There can be a little wait time for the bus. 5 - 10 min. It takes 17 - 20 minutes for a full bus load to make it to town. So you need to adjust your timing. It’s not that bad when you get the timing figured out. Besides it can be a fun ride to the festival grounds. You meet the best people on the bus ride.
Dress warm!
Hola folks! We (family of 5, ages 4-45) are noobs to this festival and are super excited. We bought 4 day passes, but not any camping yet. I see the car passes for Mary E are sold out already, though the camping itself is still available. Will this be an issue? Would it be better to try Lawson Hill which apparently has near by parking?
Also, is there a picking scene out at this campground? I have to admit that I was a little bummed the festival camping was already sold out when we got our tickets, as I have heard so many good things about the late nights here.
Most folks at all the campgrounds unload their gear and park a distance away. Mary E is actual woods along the river, while Lawson is a ball field next to the brewery and some shops still outside of town. Neither will compare to the jams and such that happen in TP and Warner, but plenty of late night jamming occurs at Illium. Can’t speak for Lawson as I’ve never stayed there, but from what I hear jams happen everywhere. One of the benefits of Illium is your camping pass like Town Park is from the Saturday before the festival through the whole week, which gives you 9 nights of camping. Up until wednesday you can enter Town Park and participate in the shenanigans.
Question about tickets for camping. I assume I only need to buy a ticket for adults/kids over 12? Since kids under 12 dont need a ticket for the festival, I would guess they dont need a camping ticket. Anyone with some insight? :cheers
Correct. Kids 12 and under are free with paying adult. :thumbsup