The lineup may be what gets you to buy tickets, but in Colorado, at least, a festival’s campground vibe is an experience all its own. At these four destination events, the mood among the tents and RVs not only matches the music—it enhances it.

Read More: Colorado’s 9 Best Bluegrass Festivals

Jump Ahead:

1. Country Jam Colorado

  • Dates: June 26–28
  • Must-have gear: Beer-pong table
  • Bonus gear: Stars and stripes (in whatever decorative expression available)
  • Prestige gear: Mobile aboveground pool
  • Prices: $262 to $409 for a spot (sizes vary) in the Standard Campground; $512 for a 20-by-40-foot spot in the Premier Campground; the VIP Campground is sold out.

What do you get when you put 100,000 good ol’ boys and girls in the middle of nowhere? Country Jam Colorado—three days of honkytonking revelry in Mack, 25 miles outside of Grand Junction. Festivalgoers will tell you the top draws are the A-list performers, such as this year’s headliner, Luke Bryan, but the campgrounds are attractions unto themselves—raucous Redneck Rivieras moved inland.

2. Rhythms on the Rio

Rhythms on the Rio. Photo by Scott Seifert Photography, courtesy of Rhythms on the Rio
  • Dates: July 31–August 3
  • Must-have gear: Swimsuit
  • Bonus gear: Tube (the river boasts a human-made wave feature near festival grounds)
  • Prestige gear: Volkswagen van-turned-camper
  • Prices: $15 camping pass for youth, $30 for adults; $120 for 20-to-30-foot vehicles, $140 for 30-to-40-foot vehicles, $160 for 40-to-50-foot vehicles; $500 for group camping (50-foot-by-50-foot campsite)

As you might imagine from a festival that boasts headliners such as Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country (“country, rock, and psychedelia”), Del Norte’s Rhythms on the Rio stirs the spirit of the ’60s—an aura that radiates to its campsite communes along the banks of the Rio Grande.

3. Caveman Music Festival

  • Dates: August 28–31
  • Must-have gear: Hiking boots
  • Bonus gear: Stand-up paddleboard (rent though the resort’s marina, $25 per hour, or bring your own)
  • Prestige gear: Luxury pontoon boat with a water slide (for a booze cruise on the mile-long lake; from $450 for three hours)
  • Prices: $200 for a primitive tent site; $600 for a primitive RV site; $499 for an unfurnished glamping tent; $3,508 for a furnished glamping tent with four VIP passes (includes festival tickets)

In the cloistered valley of Monument Lake Resort in Weston, the diverse Americana tunes (from Toadies to Jamestown Revival) at four-year-old Caveman Music Festival reverberate throughout the 368-acre property, meaning you can take a hike, cast your line, or retire to your home base without missing your favorite song.

4. Campout for the Cause

  • Dates: September 19–20
  • Must-have gear: Yoga mat
  • Bonus gear: Instrument (for Camp Coletrain, an on-site music workshop)
  • Prestige gear: Fishing pole (the gold-medal waters of the Arkansas River border the property)
  • Prices: $58 for car camping; $58 for walk-in camping; $146 for RVs

On pause since 2019, Campout for the Cause will re-emerge this year at the Hutchinson Ranch in Salida, where an intimate 2,000-max festivalgoers will experience yoga classes, wellness workshops, and the soulful banjo-plucking of bluegrass bands like Elephant Revival and Moontricks—then sleep in tents with views of the Sawatch Range.