Camping On At Vermont’s Frendly Gathering

There’s no better way to experience a music festival than to camp, so for this year’s Frendly Gathering, we threw together a solid crew of people hell bent on a good time and set up our first ever Burton Camp On Village. With hand-built platforms, a fully stocked open bar, catered meals and lawn games galore, we aren’t going to claim we were really roughing it, but one of the great things about camping is that there’s a style for everyone. And with weather ranging from unpredictable to straight-up downpour, we kept the good times going with a little bit more creativity than usual.

But before we dive in, let’s first mention that Frendly Gathering held this year at Sugarbush’s Mount Ellen in Waitsfield, VT is a home-grown music festival borne out of the snowboarding scene. Founders Jack Mitrani and Danny Davis grew up snowboarding in a crew that went by the name “Frends” – because the way they put it, “there’s no ‘I’ in frends.” What started as an annual get together among the crew has turned into a legit music festival that brings in thousands of people each year to jam to live music and chill together.

Day 1:

As our guests arrived, we rounded everyone up and headed to Warren Falls, a scenic waterfall nearby that normally begs for cliff jumping & swimming. But with four days of straight rain leading up to this moment, the falls were raging and it was better for the ‘gram than a swim. So we all threw on our mud boots and headed back to the festival for the evening’s headliners: Turkuaz, Moon Hooch and of course, Twiddle. We ended the evening around our campfire, swapping stories and enjoying a break in the rainfall.

Day 2:

When in Vermont, you’re never far from a good hike, so we took a crew up to a portion of the Long Trail for a hike with sweeping views of Vermont’s Green Mountains. We hung out on the summit long enough to crack a few beers, but with more weather rolling in we bee-lined it back to the Gathering. The night’s entertainment was nothing short of legendary, with Charles Bradley  and his Extraordinaires, Monophonics, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong and others took us for a wild ride.  

You know we love making the best of a weekend of camping no matter what the weather does (in this case, a few flood warnings worth of rain). But when you’re with the right crew, dressed for any weather, and surrounded by live music, it’s hard to go wrong. That’s what #NoBadTrips is all about.