Dirtybird & DoLab Explain Friday’s Dirtybird Campout East Shutdown

One week after the festival’s near-disastrous shutdown, Dirtybird Campout East offers an explanation and a discount for dedicated fans.

After what was undoubtedly an incredibly epic festival weekend, people are making their way back to real life and the vibes are just now finally beginning to dissipate. But after all was said and done regarding Dirtybird Campout East 2018, attendees were still left with some lingering questions about what, exactly, happened that shut down the festival on Friday.

Enter Dirtybird and DoLab with the information that we were all wondering about, with an explanation, a heartfelt apology, and an opportunity for fans to provide feedback. In addition, those who came to the inaugural Dirtybird Campout East will be afforded a discounted experience for next year’s event as a thank you for their patience and support.

For those who have speculated since the news of the shutdown happened on Friday morning, it’s official – in the contract with the venue, it was required that Forever Florida obtain all the necessary permits for the event, given their existing relationships with the local entities at play. Unfortunately, the venue failed to obtain a permit for Thursday’s pre-party festivities, resulting in the ultimate shutdown of Dirtybird Campout East on Friday.

In addition to the email to attendees, Dirtybird Campout posted an interview with Head Counselor Claude regarding the events of Friday and the festival as a whole. Within the interview, he talks about the emotional rollercoaster he rode after finding out about that the permit had been pulled and the incredible resilience of the fans assembled at Campout. You can read the full interview at the Campout website.

Photo Credit: Brittany Hallberg

The full text of the email follows:

“As many of y’all now know, producing a new event in a new state at a new venue is hard. There are always going to be a lot of unknowns and tough decisions. This is as true for those of us producing the event as it is for everyone attending, so first off we want to thank you all for being pioneers with us. The first edition of an event is usually pretty special, and the inaugural Dirtybird Campout East was no exception. So thank you for being there and making the first DBC East so special!

While there is much to be thankful for, that doesn’t mean everything was perfect. The event’s music schedule was disrupted by the local authorities, and for that we understand your disappointment and humbly apologize. Music is a big part of the Campout experience and we’re always trying to deliver as much of that dirty bass as possible. However, Dirtybird Campout has always been about more than just music. Dirtybird Campout is special because of the summer camp games and activities that happen along with the music and the community that springs up around them.

In that spirit, we are proud of the tireless efforts of the Grand Artique, the color team leaders, The Great Bingo Revival, the Bunkhouse team and many other DBC crews and teams who busted their butts all weekend to make sure the Campout show did go on and that fun and games were provided for all days of the festival. In addition, the vast majority of artists did ride out the schedule changes and did hit the decks at some point as well as participated in the games and activities.

As to why Friday went down the way it did, the reality is producing a festival of the magnitude of Dirtybird Campout takes the cooperation of many people, groups, and organizations, and since it was a new location, many of these groups were working together for the first time. It takes time to build clear lines of communication and create mutual understanding. In this particular case, our contract with the venue required that they obtain all necessary permits at the municipal, county and state level. Since the venue has the existing relationships with those entities, this arrangement usually makes sense. Unfortunately, the venue neglected to obtain the necessary permits for Thursday’s activities even though we were assured this had been done without issue.

There are certainly lessons to be learned due to this lapse and rest assured we will take safeguards to make sure something like this doesn’t happen again. Already, a closer working relationship with the local authorities has been established, which will be helpful in the future.

We realize these behind the scenes issues are not normally the concern of the fans who simply want to experience a kick-ass Campout. But this is a unique and special community and we wanted you to understand where we’re coming from. Once again, we apologize if not all aspects of Dirtybird Campout East were able to fully meet your expectations. If you will take a moment to provide us detailed feedback on your experience by using the link below we would greatly appreciate your assistance.

And we want to see you back at Campout next year! As a thank you for your support and understanding, when tickets go on sale for the next Dirtybird Campout East we will be offering a specially discounted experience just for the ticket holders of DBC East 2018. Please register for that discount using the link below.

Thank you for your support and understanding! Can’t wait to Campout with you all again!

Much love, Dirtybird & Do LaB

Did you attend the inaugural Dirtybird Campout East 2018? Will you return to the event in 2019? Let us know about your experience in the comments!