Host a Theme Camp
Community Spaces at Revival
Theme Camps, also called Portals, are how Revival becomes a community of communities. Bring your real-life crew, club, collective, nonprofit, friend group, or passion project and create a public, welcoming space where people can step in and meet you.
You’re not starting a camp. You’re opening a portal to a world you already belong to
Free Tickets
Approved Portal Camps receive free tickets for camp mates, so your budget can go into building the space.
Program Spotlight
Host workshops, meetups, and pop-up happenings . We’ll list your camps events in the program.
Funding for Big Ideas
Camps may apply for an Art Grant to help bring high-impact, immersive spaces to life.
Theme Camps at Revival
Picture Revival like a lively neighborhood: and Theme Camps serve as its bodegas, art houses, classrooms, and cozy nooks, each brimming with creativity and a welcoming sense of home. In step with 2026’s Tessera theme, which celebrates the small pieces of us that, when turned the right way, click into place and create something larger, these camps invite you to wander from one vibrant space to another. Whether you’re recharging in a mellow lounge, getting inspired by immersive art, or diving into an impromptu workshop, you’ll experience how our shared roots bring us together to learn, explore, and celebrate as one community.
What Are Theme Camps?
A Theme Camp is a group of friends (new or old!) who come together around a shared idea, passion, or offering. Don’t let the word “theme” scare you off: it’s just a fun way of saying your camp brings something unique for everyone to enjoy. Whether you’re hosting nightly jam sessions, building a mindful meditation space, or throwing impromptu dance parties, we can’t wait to see what you dream up!
A Theme Camp is a participant-built portal to your joy with a public area open to everyone. It can be simple or wildly immersive, but it should always feel like an invitation.
These portals are the heart and shiny parts of Revival: the hangouts, the mini-worlds, the weird little wonders . The places that turn strangers into neighbors.
Key Highlights:
Open to Everyone: Your camp’s public area is open to all festival-goers.
Choose Your Own Adventure: Throw scheduled workshops, plan spontaneous shenanigans, or just provide a chill place to hang out.
Full Festival Support: We’ll even schedule Revival-sponsored events in your space if it fits your vibe (with plenty of notice, of course).
Why Host a Theme Camp?
Being part of a Theme Camp is a fantastic way to plug in to Revival, build community, and make new connections:
Community at the Core: You’re creating a space for everyone to experience and enjoy.
Early Access & Perks: Theme Camps can enter the festival grounds early to set up their space—and get a head start on the fun!
Free Tickets & Grant Program : New program updates coming soon
Grant Opportunities: Need some financial support for art, décor, or attendee-focused projects? You can apply for a grant (more below!)
Tessera in Action: Each Theme Camp is a vital piece in Revival’s larger mosaic, turning into place alongside the others to strengthen how our community connects, supports, and comes alive together.
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Types of Theme Camps
We love variety and self-expression! Here are a few types of camps you might consider forming:
Rogue Camps: No scheduled events, just pop-up magic whenever you feel like it.
Open Invite Camps: Camps with a special focus (sober living, LGBTQIA, women’s community) that remain welcoming to all for its events, but allows anyone the camp is geared towards, to stay and camp along side the camp’s organizers.
Wellness Camps: From yoga to herbal tea ceremonies—anything that nurtures mind, body, or spirit.
Immersive Camps: Transform your space with interactive art, performance, or experiential storytelling.
And More!: Family-focused camps, eco-conscious camps, or anything else your imagination can conjure.
Each of these categories is just a starting point. However you choose to shape your camp, we’ll be excited to welcome you to the Pando forest!
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Grants & Funding
To help bring your best ideas to life, Revival offers grant funding from ticket sales. Whether you need extra flair for décor, art supplies for a giant participatory sculpture, or equipment for serving free food to attendees, a grant might be your golden ticket.
What We Fund: Enhancements that improve everyone’s experience—think art installations, communal lounge materials, or supplies to create memorable interactive moments.
Restrictions: We can’t pay for personal tickets, travel costs, or tools (for building the camp i.e saws, drills etc.).
Application & Review: Apply using our Contributor Applications. The Revival Board reviews each submission to ensure it meets the mission of fostering community (and we think your creativity fits right in!).
Why Do We Offer Grants?
Our community is at the core of Revival. By offsetting some of the costs for materials and supplies, we encourage participants to dream big and create experiences that inspire, educate, and engage. We want to make sure finances are not a barrier to your ability to share something truly memorable with fellow attendees.
Grant Highlights
Available Funds: $5,000–$15,000 total grant pool in Year One. (depending on ticket sales)
Grant Range: From micro-grants (under $500) to larger-scale awards (up to $2,500 per project)
Priority: High-impact proposals that benefit the greatest number of participants
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Important Deadline!
May 1st: This is your magic date to be featured in the official festival guide, map, and website. (You can still register after, but you won’t appear in the official listings—sad face!)
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Theme Camps don’t charge for their moments of magic. If you’re offering a workshop, game, ritual, tea, a silly challenge, or a cozy place to land, it’s a gift to the community.
Theme Camps create a public space outside their private camp, a place to eat, play or learn, or relax. Each one is thoughtfully curated and might include interactive art, music-making, puzzles, playful challenges, or a cozy home base to gather, meet new friends, and connect.
Most portals are built by small groups, powered by people showing up and adding to Revival with care.
Selling products or services are reserved for vendor booths. Theme camps are portals are for gifting, sharing, and connection.
Portal Types
Pick a portal style inspired by the world you are building every day, then bring it to life at Revival. What type of portal do you want your theme camp to be?
Gathering Portals
Does your crew host potlucks, run a local meetup, gather around coffee, or live in “we always have a couch open” energy? Create a cozy home base with welcoming lounge vibes.
Workshop Portals
Is your community a makerspace, a DIY skill-share crew, a language club, a permaculture group, or the kind of group that loves teaching what it knows? Host classes, demos, talks, and skill shares.
Art Portals
Are you an art collective, live painters, a craft circle, an installation team, or a pop-up gallery crew? Build installations, interactive art, galleries, and live creation spaces.
Performance Portals
Are you a band or DJ crew, poets and storytellers, a community choir, a burlesque troupe, or circus and flow artists? Bring music, open mic, showcases, and mini-stage moments.
Care Portals
Is your group the mutual aid team, the recovery or peer support circle, the hydration and tea crew, or the quiet corner people who help others land? Offer grounding, rest, hydration, and nervous system support vibes.
Play Portals
Are you board game and TTRPG folks, scavenger hunt makers, improv and comedy circles, puzzle builders, or movement game friends? Run games, quests, movement, and connection activities.
Outreach Portals
Are you a local nonprofit, advocacy org, environmental stewardship group, arts education program, or outreach and fundraising team? Create mission-driven outreach and community building.
Wellness Portals
Are you a yoga and wellness center, meditation group, breathwork facilitators, sound bath collective, or a consent-forward spiritual community? Hold consent-forward ceremony, reflection, and contemplative space.
If you can describe your vibe, you can build a portal.
Theme Camp Requirements
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Your Portal Camp must include a public area open to everyone that can accommodate 15+ people.
Chill hangout or fully immersive build. Either works as long as it’s inviting!
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For every Portal Camp member who receives a free ticket:
2 volunteer shifts are required
1 Shift During The Event (June 18th-21st)
1 Shift during Build (15th-17th) or Strike (21st-22nd)
This helps your team meet other departments and explore Revival beyond your portal (so you’re not stuck in one spot all weekend).
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Approved Camps receive early entry to set up.
Your camp must be ready to welcome guests by 9:00 AM Thursday June 18th .
Teardown must be completed by 5:00 PM Monday June 22nd after the event ends.
Leave No Trace as always! Camps are responsible for removing all trace and leaving their site better than they found it.
All Portal Camps follow Revival’s Code of Consent and Conduct.
Hosting events in your portal
Portal Camps can host their own:
workshops and classes
meetups and discussions
performances and pop-ups
games, activities, and experiences
We’ll list your submitted events in the program so attendees can find you.
Revival may also ask camps to host an independent facilitator who’s looking to share a workshop and make new connections
How to Register
Step 1: Submit the Portal Camp Application
Share your concept, what you’ll offer the community, your portal type(s), and what you’d like to host.
Step 2: Approval + confirmation
If approved, we’ll confirm placement needs, public footprint, and your initial ticket allocation.
Step 3: camp member claims their own free ticket
Once approved, each campmate receiving a free ticket must redeem the camp code to claim their ticket and sign up for their volunteer shifts.
Invite Your Crew
Most Theme Camps happen because one person sends a message.
Use these pitches to rally your people, explain the opportunity, and recruit the help you need. Copy/paste, tweak a line, and hit send.
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Use this when you want to start the thread or frame your portal as a shared home base.
Home base version (friends & chosen family):
What if we made Revival feel like a home base for us this year — and opened it up so others can find us too? We can apply to host a Portal Camp, a public hangout space where people can drop in, meet us, relax, and join whatever we’re doing. It can be simple (shade + seating + a vibe) or more immersive if we want to go big. If we get approved, some of us can receive free tickets, and we can put that money into making the space awesome. Who wants to help build it?Optional add-on line:
Our portal idea: a [Portal Type] with [two simple elements]. -
Use this when you need a clear, organized message that includes expectations and benefits.
Copy + paste:
I’m putting together an application to host a Theme Camp at Revival — a public-facing community space where people can drop in, connect, and experience what our group is about.
Approved Portal Camps can receive free tickets for core team members, and we may also apply for an Art Grant to support materials and build-out.
We can host meetups/workshops/performances that will be listed in the program. What do you think? -
Use this when you’re ready to recruit helpers and assign roles.
Copy + paste:
Calling all builders, decorators, facilitators, and vibe curators: I’m forming a crew to host a Theme Camp at Revival. We’ll create a public community space (think shade, seating, signage, and interactive moments), host a few scheduled happenings, and make it a place people can stumble into and immediately feel welcome. Approved camps can receive free tickets for team members (and we may apply for an Art Grant). If you join the core team, you’ll also do two volunteer shifts: one during the event + one build or strike shift. Interested?
Theme Camp FAQs
Do I need a specific “theme” or can my camp just be a chill hangout?
Either works! Some camps love a unified concept (like an “underwater mermaid oasis” or “hammock heaven”), while others simply provide a laid-back space. All we ask is that your camp fosters a sense of community and has a public area open to everyone that can accommodate at least 15 people.
We’re updating our theme camp policies with a new grants program. Check back soon for these updated FAQs! Here’s some answers to common questions by camp organizers regarding free tickets, grants and requirements for camps!
When do I have to set up and tear down?
You’ll receive early entry to set up and must be ready by Thursday (the first day of the festival). Teardown must be completed by the Monday after the festival ends. Remember to leave no trace!
How about safety, consent, and conduct rules?
All organizers and attendees must follow Revival’s Code of Consent and Conduct. This ensures a respectful, inclusive environment. For full details, please see our main policy page.
What’s the private vs. public space requirement?
Your private camping area (tents, personal kitchens, etc.) can be no more than twice the size of your public space. This helps ensure that each camp remains inviting and open to all attendees.