Schedule

 

Please be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the page, below the schedule table for details about the activities and the food trucks that will be available each day. Changes and additions to the schedule are likely at this early stage of planning!

General Information

Campers be sure to arrive between 10:30 am and 6:30 pm on Friday. Gates to the park close at 6:30 pm and not re-open until 9:00 am on Saturday. Gates close at 6:30 pm on Saturday and Sunday. We highly recommend campers arrive on Friday or early Saturday. Please check out our FAQs for more information.

Day pass ticket holders are welcome to join us between the hours of 10:00 am to 5:00 pm on Saturday and Sunday.

We recommend bringing your own chair/blanket and refreshments to each location.

One of our goals as organizers of this event is to minimize waste. So, please bring your own cups, dishware and silverware for the festivities. There will be food and drinks for sale but you’re welcome to bring your own.

If you ever have any questions, please visit the Vanlife Outfitters Pavilion – there will be at least one team member there from 11:00 am until 8:00 pm on Friday and from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm on Saturday and Sunday.

Leafy Lounge and Village Green are hangout spots that are open each day.  Some special events will be hosted at these locations which are detailed below.

Click here to download the site map for the event (PDF).

Daily Schedule

What When Where Go on… tell me more…
Friday, February 16th, 2024 (Camping Ticket Holders Only)
Arrival & Welcome 10:30am – 6:30pm Groovy Grove Campground You made it! Welcome! Please don’t arrive earlier than 10:30am on Friday and be sure to have arrived by the time the gates close at 6:30pm on Friday or Saturday or you’ll have to wait outside the park, which would suck.
Kickoff with Campfire and Smores 5:30pm – 10:00pm Leafy Lounge & Village Green Join us for drinks, socialization and s’more!
Live Music: TBD 7:30pm – 9:00pm Swingin’ Stage We’ll kick off a weekend of great live music performances.
Saturday, February 17th, 2024
Good Vibes Morning Coffee 8:00am – 10:00am Vanlife Outfitters Pavilion Bring your favorite morning beverage or sample the offerings from the food truck, Glazed & Confused and join the community at the Vasnlife Outfitters Pavilion and Village Green.
Yoga: Instructor Joyce Jeziorski 9:00am – 10:00am Talking Tree Join us for some yoga and salute the sun! A gentle flow through accessible postures with light breath work. All levels are welcome🙏☀️- bring a yoga mat or towel.
Day pass ticket holder entry begins at 10:00am.
Victron Energy Trailer Tours & Expert Electrical System Advice 10:00am – 5:00pm Victron Energy Trailer Come by the Victron Energy training trailer to tour example power systems and get your questions on their products or electrial systems in general answered by experts from Victron Energy and Vanlife Outfitters. Note, we’ll also be leading a workshop at the Victron Trailer from 11am to noon. Blue power!
Guided Tour/Hike of Withlacoochie Park 10:00am – noon Welcome Tent Join the cool cats for a fun exploration of the beautiful nature park that is the venue for the event.
Workshop: Urban Camping 101 10:00am – 11:00am Talking Tree Join Scott Watson from the YouTube channel “Go Small Live Large” as he teaches you his tips and tricks for urban camping as a fourth-year full-time traveler.
OpenVan Tours 11:00am – 4:00pm Groovy Grove, Birds of a Feather, and Big Rig Park  Campgrounds Check out the creativity and diversity of our community and meet fellow vanlifers by touring their vans. Participating rigs will have an “OpenVan” sign posted on their passenger-side cab door! Campers in the Groovy Grove, Birds of a Feather and Big Rig Park campgrounds may participate.
DIY Van Contest – First Round Judging 11:00am – 1:00pm Groovy Grove Campground Van owners in the Groovy Grove campground can opt into a DIY Build contest where industry professionals will judge each participating van and award a Best in Row winner for each row. The campground will be organized into streets with two rows per street which means there will be two winners per street. On Sunday, all attendees will be to tour and vote for their favorite Best In Row winners and the rig with the most “people’s choice” votes will win Best in Show.

If you’d like to be part of the DIY Van contest be sure to be at your van during this time window so that the judges can stop by and check out your rig! More details on how the contest works are below.
Workshop: Understanding Mobile Electrical Systems 11:00am – noon Victron Energy Trailer This 45-min workshop with an additional 15min Q&A session will be presented by an expert in vanlife or van building.
Workshop: TBD 1:00pm – 2:00pm Talking Tree This 45-min workshop with an additional 15min Q&A session will be presented by an expert in vanlife or van building.
Workshop: TBD 3:00pm – 4:00pm Talking Tree This 45-min workshop with an additional 15min Q&A session will be presented by an expert in vanlife or van building.
Saturday Raffle &
DIY Contest Best In Row Winners Annouced		 4:00pm – 5:00pm Swingin’ Stage There will be awesome prizes in our raffle on both Saturday and Sunday. Raffle tickets can be purchased at the Vanlife Outfitters Pavilion. We’ll announce the winners at 4pm from the Swingin’ Stage. Right after the raffle, we’ll announce the  DIY Van Contest finalists (Best in Row winners). More details on the raffle at the bottom of this page.
Day pass ticket holders must leave by 5pm.
Happy Hour 5:30pm – 7:00pm Village Green Join us for drinks, socialization and sunset at the Village Green. Happy hour beverages and snacks will be complimentary thanks to our sponsor, Victron Energy but you’re welcome to bring your own food or drink.
Evening Chill at the Lounge 7:00pm – 9:00pm Leafy Lounge Come and chill out with all the cool cats in the Leafy Lounge which is tucked inside a forest of trees. We’ll set the vibe with campfires and mood lighting. Expect lively conversation and plenty of opportunities to meet and mingle with other vanlifers.
Star Gazing 7:00pm – 9:00pm Connected Camp Campground Join our friends from the St. Petersburg Astronomy club who will be sharing their telescopes, knowledge and passion of the skies. Turns out Withlacoochee River Part is a particularly groovy place to star gaze.
Live Music: TBD 7:00pm – 9:00pm Swingin’ Stage Join us at the Swingin’ Stage for some awesome live music under the stars.
Late Night at the Lounge 9:00pm – midnight Leafy Lounge Calling all night owls to the Leafy Lounge! We’ll keep the campfires going so the late-nighters can gather at the lounge and enjoy music and conversation before retiring to camp.
Sunday, February 18th, 2024
Good Vibes Morning Coffee 8:00am – 10:00am Bring your favorite morning beverage or sample the offerings from the food truck, Glazed & Confused and join the community at the Vanlife Outfitter Pavilion and Village Green.
Yoga: Instructor TBD 9:00am – 10:00am Talking Tree Join TBD and salute the sun! A gentle flow through accessible postures with light breath work. All levels are welcome🙏☀️- bring a yoga mat or towel.
Workshop: TBD 10:00am – 11:00am Talking Tree This 45-min workshop with an additional 15min Q&A session will be presented by an expert in vanlife or van building.
Day pass ticket holder entry begins at 10:00am.
Victron Energy Trailer Tours & Expert Electrical System Advice 10:00am – 5:00pm Victron Energy Trailer Come by the Victron Energy training trailer to tour example power systems and get your questions on their products or electrial systems in general answered by experts from Victron Energy and Vanlife Outfitters. Note, we’ll also be leading a workshop at the Victron Trailer from 11am to noon. Blue power!
Workshop: Understanding Mobile Electrical Systems 11:00am – noon Victron Energy Trailer This 45-min workshop with an additional 15min Q&A session will be presented by an expert in vanlife or van building.
OpenVan Tours and People’s Choice Voting for DIY Van Build Contest 11:00am – 4:00pm Groovy Grove, Birds of a Feather and Big Rig Park campgrounds Check out the creativity and diversity of our community and meet fellow vanlifers by touring their vans. Participating rigs will have an “OpenVan” sign posted on their passenger side cab door! More details about the OpenVan Tour at the bottom of the page. This is also your chance to check out all of the Best in Row vans that the judges picked on Saturday and use your “golden ticket” to vote for your favorite rig. Best in Row vans will be marked with a flag/sticker as you walk through the Groovy Grove campground. The van with the most “people’s choice” votes will win Best in Show! Voting happens at the Vanlife Outfitters Pavilion and ends at 2:00pm. More details on these activities at the bottom of the page. Note: if you’re a Best in Row winner, be sure to be with your van from 11:00am to 2:00pm (or have someone who can be) so that attendees can tour it.
Workshop: TBD 1:00pm – 2:00pm Talking Tree This 45-min workshop with an additional 15min Q&A session will be presented by an expert in vanlife or van building.
DIY Van Build Contest Winner Announced 2:30pm – 3:00pm Swingin’ Stage Come on down to the Swinin’ Stage for the announcement of the DIY Van Build Contest Best in Show winner!
Workshop: TBD 3:00pm – 4:00pm Talking Tree This 45-min workshop with an additional 15min Q&A session will be presented by an expert in vanlife or van building.
Sunday Raffle 4:00pm – 5:00pm Swingin’ Stage There will be awesome prizes in our raffle on both Saturday and Sunday. Raffle tickets can be purchased at the Vanlife Outfitters Pavilion. We’ll announce the winners at 4pm from the Swingin’ Stage. More details on the raffle at the bottom of this page.
Day pass ticket holders must leave by 5pm.
Happy Hour 5:00pm – 6:00pm Village Green Join us for drinks, socialization and sunset at the Village Green. Happy hour beverages and snacks will be complimentary thanks to our sponsors but you’re welcome to bring your own food or drink.
Trivia Night 6:00pm – 7:00pm Swinin’ Stage Let’s get trival! Come down to the Swingin’ Stage for trivia night. You can either form your own team or ask to be assigned to a team randomly. This is sure to be a fun hour!
Evening Chill at the Lounge 7:00pm – 9:00pm Leafy Lounge Come and chill out with all the cool cats in the Leafy Lounge which is tucked inside a forest of trees. We’ll set the vibe with campfires and mood lighting. Expect lively conversation and plenty of opportunities to meet and mingle with other vanlifers.
Live Music: TBD 7:00pm – 9:00pm Swingin’ Stage Join us at the Swingin’ Stage for some awesome live music under the stars.
Late Night at the Lounge 9:00pm – midnight Leafy Lounge Calling all night owls to the Leafy Lounge! We’ll keep the campfires going so the late-nighters can gather at the lounge and enjoy music and conversation before retiring to camp.
Monday, February 19th, 2024
Good Morning Coffee 8:00am – 10:00am Vanlife Outfitters Pavilion Bring your favorite morning beverage and join the community at the Pavilion and Village Green. Sorry, no food trucks are available.
Fare Thee Wells 10:00am – 11:00am All vans must be gone by 11am Please help us clean up the area so we are invited next year!

OpenVan Tours and DIY Van Build Contest

We are consistently amazed at the creativity and innovation we see in DIY van builds, so we wanted to showcase this talent in the OpenVan tour and a DIY Van Build contest. In our first year (2023), this was one of the favorite activities during the gathering!

On Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 4pm participating attendees will open their vans for tours. This will be an awesome opportunity to see a huge range of layouts and get inspiration!

When you arrive, if you’re camped in the Groovy Grove, Birds of a Feather or Big Rig Park campgrounds, you’ll be provided an OpenVan tour sign that you can place on your passenger-side front cab door with the provided magnet (or tape) to let everyone know that you’re opening up your van for tours.

Campers in the Groovy Grove may also enter the DIY Van Build contest by putting an “x” into the opt-in box and completing the bottom portion of the OpenVan tour sign. You must be part of the OpenVan tour to participate in the DIY Van Build contest and have your OpenVan sign hung up (see above).

DIY Van Build Contest Judging

The first round of judging is between 11am and 1pm on Saturday. If you want to enter the DIY Van Build contest, you’ll need to hang out at your rig during those hours! Be advised that judges can only spend a maximum of 10 minutes evaluating each van so we encourage you to be ready to show off any unique features of your build in that time! Judges will all be experienced, professional van builders or industry experts and will have a special badge so you know who they are! Each van will be rated on overall quality, style/aesthetic, use of space/layout, uniqueness/creativity, and systems design (plumbing, electrical, etc.). The Groovy Grove campground will be organized into streets where there is one “row” of vans on each side of the street. Please stay at your van until judging is completed. Judges will award a “Best in Row” winner for row in the Groovy Grove campground and provide you a “Best in Row” sticker and a flag to mount on your van to let attendees know your van was chosen. In addition, Best in Row winners will be announced from the Swingin’ Stage at 4pm on Saturday.

On Sunday, from 11am to 2:00pm, as part of Sunday’s OpenVan Tour, attendees will be able to tour the Best In Row vans and use their “golden ticket” (provided when checking in at the welcome tent) to vote for their favorite van in the “people choice” judging window. Voting happens at the Vanlife Outfitters Pavilion. The van with the most votes will win the Best in Show award and will be announced at 2:30pm at the Swingin’ Stage. If you’re a Best in Row winner (final contestant) we kindly ask you to be with your van (or have someone else there) from 11:00am to 2:00pm on Sunday so that attendees can tour your van for the people’s choice (second round) voting.

DIY Van Build Contest Prizes

Best in Row winners will receive a free ticket to next year’s Vantopia gathering, a Best in Row sticker and Best in Row flag. The Best in Show winner will receive a free ticket to next year’s event, 2x Flat-Jack air levelers, a $200 gift card to Vanlife Outfitters, a free event t-shirt, and a Best in Show sticker.

Raffles

Every camping ticket holder will receive one raffle ticket upon entry. Both campers and day pass ticket holders can purchase additional raffle tickets at the Vanlife Outfitters Pavilion at a cost of $1 per ticket or 7x tickets for $5.

There will be a raffle on both Saturday and Sunday at 4:00pm. Raffle prizes for the day be on display at the Vanlife Outfitters Pavilion. There will be an entry box next to each raffle prize. Simply drop your raffle ticket(s) into the box corresponding to the prize you want to win. In some cases, there will be many of the same prizes, in which case, there will be multiple winners. You must be present to win.

In our first year (2023), we had over $5,000 worth of awesome raffle prizes and we expect this coming year to be even more epic!

Food trucks

We’ll have a variety of food trucks each day. We have made it our goal to support locally owned businesses as much as possible during the Florida Vanlife Gathering. We have also made a conscious effort to support minority-owned businesses whenever possible. Below is a listing of the food trucks that will be attending the Florida Vanlife Gathering. They are all based in Dade City or in the area directly surrounding Dade City, FL. They are also mostly minority-owned businesses. This list may change at any time.

Friday:

  • Food Truck TBD – noon to 8:00pm
  • Food Truck TBD – noon to 8:00pm
  • Food Truck TBD – noon to 8:00pm

Saturday:

  • Glazed & Confuzed Mini Donuts – 8:00am to noon
  • Food Truck TBD – 11:00am to 8:00pm
  • Food Truck TBD – 11:00am to 8:00pm
  • Food Truck TBD – 11:00am to 8:00pm

Sunday

  • Glazed & Confuzed Mini Donuts – 8:00am to noon
  • Food Truck TBD – 11:00am to 8:00pm
  • Food Truck TBD – 11:00am to 8:00pm
  • Food Truck TBD – 11:00am to 8:00pm