Wasteland Weekend
WASTELAND WEEKEND: THE EASY WAY
A beginner’s guide to doing Wasteland Weekend the EASY way! (With info for veterans too)
This includes a lot of helpful Wasteland links in one place!
There are a lot of misconceptions out there from people thinking about going to Wasteland for their first time. Questions we hear all the time are things like:
How do I get a ticket?
Go to our TICKETS page. Tickets are still for sale!
That page also has information about how the tickets work, transferring a ticket to someone else, etc.
Are there any requirements this year due to Covid?
All that info is HERE
Do I need to have a cool car?
Nope. Any vehicle will do. And the dirt road out to the event site isn’t too bad if you take it slow, so even something like a Pius can make it out there no problem. (The only place where you need a fully-themed car is if you want to drive into the themed Wasteland City area or participate in the car cruise).
Don’t I need a cool campsite?
Not at all.
Do I need to have a tribe with me?
No, you can just go by yourself if you choose to.
Themed camps and cars are great, but you don’t need one, You don’t need a tribe, either. Those are things people do who want to take their Wasteland experience to the next level. But Wasteland can be a hell of a lot of fun with a just few friends or all on your own with nothing more than a place to sleep (a tent, an RV, the nearby HOTEL, or joining an existing tribe that is recruiting new members (Wasteland Tribe Recruiting Facebook Group), some basic supplies for camping out a few days (though there are also FOOD VENDORS on site, and something Wasteland-y to wear.
Is this event way out in the middle of nowhere?
Yes and no. The site is about 2 hours North of Los Angeles, and you can’t see any signs of civilization when you look out from Wasteland Valley where the event is held. But actually, you’re only about a 20 minute drive from modern conveniences like a hotel, groceries, drug store, gas station, and fast food.
Can I volunteer?
Yes! And volunteers get a complimentary ticket to the event!
EDIT – VOLUNTEER POSITIONS FOR 2022 ARE NOW FULL
https://www.wastelandweekend.com/volunteer-program/
What about an outfit? Don’t I need some kind of post-apocalyptic costume?
Well, THAT part is definitely true. But it’s also the simplest part. We’ll get into that.
But first, let’s get the most basic stuff out of the way:
WHEN AND WHERE
It’s written all over our website, but we’ll just tell you – Wasteland Weekend 2021 takes place September 28th – October 2nd in Edwards, CA.
For where that is and how to get there (and how to get in), just select MAPS under the Command Center tab, then check out event entry etiquette under the FAQ/RULES tab. As far as the map of the event itself, that’s the EVENT LAYOUT.
(The link above is for last year’s event layout, but 2022 will be very similar and the 2022 map will be posted at that link very soon).
WHAT TO WEAR
Let’s talk about that. For first timers or those that don’t want to put in a ton of time, effort, expense, or creativity into a costume, you can always go with what we call “wasteland basic.” Our THEME DOCUMENT goes into a ton of detail on what is or isn’t acceptable to wear, and you’re welcome to read it if you have the time, but for the sake of this short guide, we’ll just say a few things:
Wear earth tones. Skip the blue jeans and wear some brown or black pants/shorts/skirt instead. Cut/rip holes in your clothes. Make it dirty! Brown and black paint rubbed on with your hands, brushed on, or spattered can work well. You don’t need to win the costume contest, you just need to not ruin the sense of immersion by looking like you’re wearing regular, modern, clean clothes.
There are tons of great, simple tutorials for creating and distressing Wasteland / post-apocalyptic clothing all over the internet, and you can also find a wealth of information in our Facebook Groups. And we even have a free “Wasteland Body Shop” on site (next to the Command Center) were you can get your outfit distressed and get your hair styled!
There are numerous unofficial sites and pages out there on the web, but here are some of our official Facebook groups:
OFFICIAL WW FACEBOOK GROUPS
https://www.facebook.com/groups/wastelandbootcamp
https://www.facebook.com/groups/WastelanderCentral
https://www.facebook.com/groups/291851204741479
Here are a bunch of photos of peoples’ “wasteland basic” outfits to give you ideas:
RULES AND SAFETY AND THINGS:
Since we are a FAKE post-apocalyptic, Hollywood-style Mad Max party and not the REAL apocalypse, we DO have a bunch of rules. But we think they’re pretty reasonable and won’t impact your ability to have a mind-blowing great time in an immersive make-believe world.
You can read up on our RULES HERE and HERE.
Some of the safety stuff is covered under those rules links, but basically, if you are at the event and have a current medical or security emergency, please go to the medical or security tents (next to each other on the West Side of the event, at the base of the twin hills).
The medical tent has a tall pole with a lit red medical cross symbol at night. Or you can find any staff member or volunteer with a radio/walkie-talkie and have them call medical or security for you.
Medical staffers where shirts with this logo:
Security staffers where shirts with this logo:
Finally, we have emergency stations placed around the event (look for the blue light high up on a pole) that have instructions as well as a radio for calling for help.
And the direct link for reporting serious incidents to our security team (when NOT at the event) is right HERE at the bottom of the page:
WHAT TO DO:
Wasteland has a TON of activities going on both day and night, including both official and user-generated entertainment (including amazing spaces, performances, and activities created by the tribes of Wasteland City.
Find out more HERE (that link also has the OFFICIAL ENTERTAINMENT SCHEDULE that you can download).
IS THERE MORE TO KNOW?
Absolutely! A hell of a lot more. But we want to keep this short and as a place for you to come back to if you’ve forgotten where to find something. So for now, get started prepping for the party at the end of the world, and explore our website and browse our social media when you have more time.
(And don’t forget to stop by the Wasteland Trading Post – aka our official merchandise booth – next to the Command Center for your souvenir of the wastes to take home with you.)
The Wasteland awaits!
GET TICKETS: WWW.WASTELANDWEEKEND.COM/TICKETS
And lastly, plenty of VIDEOS and MORE VIDEOS to get you in the mood…
