WhiskeyChick’s Road to Rocklahoma 2026: Camping
I know I said it before but now that tickets and media access are secured it’s official; WE’RE GOING BACK TO Rocklahoma!!! I’ll be on the clock covering the festival’s 20th anniversary in Pryor, Oklahoma with a lot of advance coverage leading up to the Labor Day Weekend event. Right now I’m drowning in packing and preparation lists, so I might as well take y’all along!
*Disclaimer: Nearly every retail link in this post could earn me a tiny commission, but it won’t come near what it costs to do these events so every click helps! Thank you for supporting independent music coverage and keeping me out in the field!
Get Tickets to Rocklahoma 2026 Here
Ok… first off, I’m excited as hell. This year’s Rocklahoma event is monumental as it’s the 20th anniversary of the festival, and it’s back under the full control of its original management and ownership. From a glam-rock pilgrimage to the powerhouse event it’s become, Rocklahoma has seen amazing growth and evolution over the years without losing any of that backyard party vibe.
I credit that community curation entirely to the campground experience. If you’re not camping at Rocklahoma then you’re missing half the party. This year we have been honored with an invitation to join the hosts of Camp Mardi Gras in the VIP campgrounds and it’s a great example of how this festival makes family out of us all. What makes it even more special is the people we’ll share the camp block with… colleagues in my field and amazing music fans. For example:
Christy Gross, Our Resident Mayhem Misfit
While Christy doesn’t technically WORK in the music business, she’s the reason the music business works. I’ve never met a more dedicated metal fan, whether she’s singing the praises of In This Moment’s Maria Brink or breaking her bones trying to get from one stage to the next, she definitely goes all in AND all out in the name of rock & roll. As the anchor hostess of Camp Mardi Gras I had to ask her…
Camp Mardi Gras is returning to Rocklahoma for its 12th year. What keeps you coming back to host something like this, and what do you think the camp has come to mean to the people who return each year?
“Rocklahoma is my 2nd home! I’ve made literally hundreds of friends and new family there. We are so excited to be back for our 12th year! I feel like our camp is more laid back, but still a rockin party. We only have one night to party at ‘home base’ so that we can enjoy all of our friends’ events throughout the week.
We’ve definitely made an impression over the years, and we appreciate all of the support we receive from our sponsors and friends. I hope that everyone who attends our parties feels welcomed, loved, and safe. I can’t wait to see everyone, and hug so many necks!!”
Adam Richmond and Surviving Rocklahoma
Adam Richmond is the creator and host of Surviving Rocklahoma, the fan-driven show covering rock, festivals, campground culture and the Oklahoma scene since 2015. He has now expanded that mission with Route 918 Podcast, a sibling show dedicated to local country, red dirt, roots music and life across the 918, and I’m excited to share that venture with my more country-leaning audience. Broadcasting Wednesdays at noon from Tahlequah, the new show will cover artists, community events, live check-ins and the stories growing out of Green Country. Its festival coverage begins at Born & Raised in September, but Adam is building Route 918 to travel far beyond any single festival.
Rebel and Rebellious Photography
Behind the lens will be Rebel of Rebellious Photography, a road-tested concert photographer with more than 15 years of experience and at least 174 bands photographed in the last five years alone. Her work follows the action from the pit to the campground, capturing fans, artists and backstage energy before the moment disappears. She doesn’t make a festival look polished or posed. She captures the way it actually felt.
There will be more campers sharing the CMG block, and I’m sure I’ll get to know them all by the end of the weekend, especially during the big campground afterparty Friday night. This is one of the things that make Rocklahoma such a wild experience. Campers all over the grounds go above and beyond the Boy Scout code to always be prepared to rock. From portable stages to booming sound systems, light bars to stripper poles, jello shots to jello wrestling, there’s always action going on after dark when you wander the grounds and it seems like campers up the ante every year trying to outdo the previous fest’s fun.
Campground parties and activities are independently organized by festival attendees and are not official Rocklahoma productions. They are part of the culture Rocklahoma allows and encourages within reasonable limits. Review the current camping rules, restrictions and policies at Rocklahoma.com/camping
Camp Mardi Gras also gets a little help from the businesses supporting this year’s setup. While none of these sponsors are contributing directly to my coverage, Ump and I will absolutely benefit from the amenities they’re helping provide, including the camp pool, portable restrooms and hospitality beverages for Friday night’s Masquerade Afterparty. A big thank-you goes to Pryor Liquors and At Your Service Rentals for helping Christy and the CMG crew create a better weekend for everyone sharing the block.
Building a Campsite That Works as Hard as We Do
Rocklahoma is not a sit-still kind of festival. With three stages running throughout the day, every step counts and so does every ounce I carry.
I’m not a professional photographer. I bow down to the folks I see in the pit hauling thousands of dollars’ worth of cameras and long lenses. Meanwhile, every tool I need for social media coverage can fit inside one medium-sized bag.
That is exactly how I like it.
My gear needs to pack small, weigh almost nothing and deploy quickly. I’ll be running from stage to stage, gathering footage, posting updates and trying not to miss the next set while I’m still processing the last one.
Small Tools for a Very Big Festival
My collapsible pocket tripod gives me a stable phone mount without adding a full-size tripod to my load. It is small enough to keep with me throughout the day and quick enough to use when I only have a few minutes between sets.
The motion-tracking camera mount will do most of its work around camp. It can follow me while I unpack gear, build the campsite, demonstrate products or record updates without requiring Ump to become my full-time cameraman.
I’m also bringing a set of wireless lapel microphones for clearer interviews and campground conversations. They are tiny, have great sound, and are much easier to manage than trying to build a miniature production studio in the middle of Camp Mardi Gras.
Together, those three tools give me a portable social media kit that can handle quick updates, interviews and hands-free videos without weighing me down.
A Campground-Sized Guitar Rig
Ump is my plus-one on this adventure, but he is hardly new to Rocklahoma. He has played the festival several times with Motortrain, so there is no chance he will spend four days in the campground without getting the itch to noodle around on a guitar.
Naturally, the Mopar guitar is coming with us.
That particular left-handed Mexican Fender Telecaster, complete with the giant Mopar logo across its body, has become an iconic tool of Ump’s trade. What he does not want to bring is the rare boutique gear he normally pairs with it when there is no official show to play.
Instead, he selected this portable guitar rig for campground use. It includes microphone and guitar inputs, basic audio controls, Bluetooth capability and a reported battery life of up to 65 hours. He is also bringing an amp-emulator pedal to round out the setup.
It is enough equipment for campground jams, casual noodling and whatever musical trouble finds him, without dragging an irreplaceable stage rig into a festival field.
Rest Is Part of the Job
The inflatable tent and queen air bed with a built-in pump are the most obvious pieces of this setup.
On a normal festival day, I can easily log 25,000 steps or more. That is before accounting for the heat, long hours, late nights and the mental load of covering multiple stages in real time.
Rest and recovery are not luxuries when there is still a job to do the next morning.
In previous years we’ve done the RV thing, the car camping thing, the staying off-site and commuting thing, and the classic tent thing. Each has its advantages and disadvantages, but this year we’re going a whole new direction. Since we had already been window-shopping a luxury glamp tent for Baron Hill Summer Camp, we went ahead, bit the bullet and placed our order. Arriving this Wednesday is a 2-room inflatable tent. It may seem like overkill, but when you already host a summer camp for friends and family from the last frost date to the first snowfall, then you need all the extra lodging space you can get and this thing sure has it.
Our tent gives us enough room for an actual sleeping area, our belongings and a small field-office setup. The air bed gets us off the ground and gives our bodies a fighting chance to recover before we start all over again.
The linked inflatable tent is the closest currently available match to ours, not the exact model we purchased.
Dressing for the Camp We Joined
Most of our existing camp equipment is red, white and blue. That is useful, but it does not exactly scream Mardi Gras.
The Mardi Gras décor kit is our inexpensive way to doll up what we already own. We can add enough purple, green and gold to fit into the block without replacing perfectly good canopies, tables and camp gear.
More importantly, making the effort shows our friends that we care about the atmosphere they have spent 12 years creating. Camp Mardi Gras brings a real identity to the Rocklahoma campground. If we are joining their block, we want to show up ready to contribute to the vibe, not simply borrow a place to sleep.
If you’re planning to join us and haven’t bought your tickets yet, do me a solid and use my Rocklahoma Ambassador link. It’ll put a few bucks in our campground fund while sending you directly to official festival tickets. If you’re hunting for a last-minute deal, StubHub is Rocklahoma’s official verified resale partner.
