20 - 23 JULY 2023 | LEIGHTON BUZZARD, UK
AILO RIBAS — APRIL LIN 林森 — AUTOJEKTOR
BAMBI JORDAN PHILLIPS — CLAYE BOWLER
COLE DANIEL — HANNAH BAER
JAMIE CREWE — JENG AU — JORDAN/MARTIN HELL
KASRA JALILIPOUR — LOU LOU SAINSBURY
LÉANN HERLIHY — MARIA MAUTINO — MEAT STRAP FT. BIOGAL
MS SAATI — NAT LI LIN STEINHOUSE — PUER DEORUM
QUEER AS FUNGHI — ROSA MAROUANE — SARAHSSON
SAVVA RACIOK — TATENDA SHAMISO
TOMARA GARROD — KAAN NECATI
THANK YOU FOR BEING PART OF CAMP TRANS 2023!
Performances
Lou Lou Sainsbury
Meat Strap ft. Biogal
Puer Deorum
Sarahsson
Ms Saati (DJ)
Writers
Hannah Baer
Jordan/ Martin Hell
Kasra Jalilipour
Kaan Necati
Workshops
Ailo Ribas
DIY breast form and packer workshop
Claye Bowler
Plaster casting workshop
Autojektor
Camera-less filmmaking workshop
Tomara Garrod
History and creative writing workshop
April Lin 林森
Access rider workshop
Tatenda Shamiso
Theatre workshop
Queer as Funghi
Eco-cruising and foraging walks
Maria Mautino
Quilt-making workshop
Jeng Au
Hankie embroidery workshop
Movement & Body
Bambi Jordan Phillips
Voguing workshop
Nat Li Lin Steinhouse
Acupressure workshop
Savva Raciok
Self-defence class
Cole Daniel
Massage drop-ins
Installation & Filmscreening
Jamie Crewe
Léann Herlihy
Rosa Marouane
Schedule
Map
Tickets
TICKETS AVAILABLE ON OUTSAVVY ONLY
First release on 8 April 12pm GMT. Second release in May. Third release in June.
Volunteer applications open 30 April.
Resale
Ticket resale will open on Outsavvy once the event has sold out.
Budgeting
When buying a ticket, be mindful you may have to borrow or buy a tent and transport to the site. We will try to arrange donations of tents and transportation funds but we can not currently guarantee to provide these. All meals are provided at the festival. You will be unable to purchase alcohol on site.
Transparency
The ticket sales goes to cover catering, venue costs, facilities and paying artists fairly. We are non-profit. The standard admission is at-cost, and subsidised tickets are funded by pay-it-forward and donations.
Cis Tickets
Currently we are not selling tickets for cis allies, though cis allies are welcome to buy pay-it-forward tickets to allow trans people to attend.
If you are a trans person who wants to bring a cis partner/ friend or are worried about attending on your own, please contact us directly at camptransfest@gmail.com.
We will be running socials in London in the months before camp so that attendees will have the chance to meet and make friends in advance. Cis carers/ PAs will also be granted entry.
Facilities
There will be one domestic shower, a toilet with one-step access, and an accessible toilet without step access.
There is a shed with running water and electricity to charge phones etc.
There are no tents set up on the campground so please bring your own tents.
The garden is huge and lighting is limited so bring a torch.
Catering
Catering will be provided by chefs Malachy Nuin, Amber Connell, and Barbie.
Please, fill out the allergen/access form after purchasing a Camp Trans ticket.
Menu
Breakfast
Fruit, Banana bread, Cereal & Mylk, Granola & Yogurt, Vegan Hash, Pastries
Coffee and Tea
Lunch
Gluten-free bread/bagels
Vegan mayo, Humous, Sliced cheese (non-vegan) and vegan ham, Coleslaw, and Chickpea salad. Pasta/Potatoes/Quinoa Salad. Dahl.
Dinner
Thursday: BBQ / Campfire. Burgers, Hotdogs, Salads, Cole Slaw, Vegan Kebabs / Skewers, Vegan Mac&Cheese
Friday: Jerk Jackfruit stew. Served with Rice & Beans, Mango Salad.
Saturday: Nachos with Chili. Served with Quinoa Salad, Green Pea Guac, Corn Cob
Allergens/ dietary requirements
The menu is vegan with dairy options. (There will be dairy milk and cheese, and non-vegan pastries.) The menu is nut-free for allergen reasons. There will be gluten-free alternatives present at each meal (such as gluten-free pasta, toast and bread). The food will bear allergen labels - with a breakdown of ingredients on a whiteboard. For people with sensory issues, there will be plain potatoes / gluten-free pasta / plain rice.
Please state any allergens/ dietary requirements/sensory issues when purchasing the ticket by filling out the allergen/ access form.
Sponsorships
Please reach out to us if you would like to donate/ sponsor equipment or products for catering at camptransfest@gmail.com.
Code of Conduct
Camp Trans is an event for trans people, by trans people. All forms of aggression or abuse will not be tolerated, including but not limited to racism, colourism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, biphobia, wh*rephobia, fatphobia, ableism and classism. Please ask, and don’t assume the pronouns of attendees. We will have a welfare/safety staff on site.
Entry
Camp Trans is an 18+ event. All attendees of Camp Trans must bring a form of photo ID along with their ticket to gain entry. We understand that ID’s may show a previous name, attendees are welcome to cover any information that they do not want organisers to know (we just need to see date of birth and the photo). If you do not have a form of photo ID, please speak to the organisers. We strongly advise that all attendees take a covid test before arriving at Camp Trans.
You will not be searched on arrival at Camp Trans, but please note that the following items are not permitted at Camp;
Weapons
Fireworks
Medical Emergencies
By buying a ticket to Camp Trans, you consent to the welfare team or wider staff contacting an ambulance should we believe you need emergency medical assistance.
Please do inform the welfare team if you have any medical conditions that they will need to be aware of.
Alcohol & Drug Policy
We ask that the festival be a sober space, except at the party on Saturday night or privately within tents/away from the main camp. This is out of consideration for sober people, and those in recovery. There will be sober only areas at times where drinking is permitted.
We have no alcohol permit to sell alcohol. Alcohol will not be provided, and you cannot purchase alcohol at the event. There is a Co-op shop 0.9 miles away from Camp should you wish to buy drinks or snacks.
Please do not drink out of glass cups or glass bottles - we encourage you to bring your own reusable plastic drinking bottles/cups. Please also remember to drink water and stay hydrated.
Please do not swim unless you are sober. The lake will be out of bounds during the party on Saturday night.
We will not take any disciplinary action if drugs or alcohol are consumed at camp, and we encourage you to practise harm reduction around your substance use. Please feel welcome to check in with Welfare if you’d like any advice about this. Please be mindful about your conduct around others if under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
If you need medical, emotional or any other support under the influence, you can safely disclose this to our team. We just ask that all attendees be mindful of sober members of the community and limit consumption outside of designated times and areas. Our welfare worker, Dani, is trained and happy to support you with anything that comes up around substance use at any point during the festival.
Sex & Nudity Policy
Camp Trans is a sex-positive event but is not a sex-on-premises venue or a sex-focused event. Nudity is permitted and encouraged! Attendees are reminded to gain explicit consent before engaging in sexual acts with other attendees and are asked to be mindful of others around them, not to engage in such acts within eye-shot or ear-shot of other non-consenting attendees. Nudity is not an indicator of consent. Condoms and lube will be available at the welfare tent should you need them and our Welfare officer, Dani will be available should you need someone to talk to. If you feel someone is behaving inappropriately towards you or someone else, please report this to the welfare staff as soon as possible.
First Aid and Lifeguards
A first aid kit is to be found in the welfare tent. Lifeguards and First Aiders will be present. There will be a schedule at the camp of when the lake will have lifeguards present. They will be visible to others through T-shirts.
No swimming when under the influence of alcohol. No entering the lake between 8 pm and 6 am.
Pets
Pets are allowed and remain the responsibility of the pet owner. Rushmere House gardens are not entirely closed and pet owners bring their pets at their own risk. Pets owners are responsible for any damage caused by pets and we ask that pet owners ensure that pets do not disrupt neighbours, including farms. Dog owners are responsible for their dogs at all times, dogs should be monitored while around other dogs and other attendees. We advise that dogs should be leashed unless properly trained with good recall.
Privacy Policy
Please be aware that not all attendees of Camp Trans will be ‘out’ and activities at Camp Trans should be kept confidential. Please do not take photos or videos of other attendees without their explicit consent.
The address of Camp Trans is confidential and is only given to attendees. Please ensure to not ‘doxx’ the location of the event on social media to protect the event and attendees.
Fire Safety
Attendees at Camp Trans are not permitted to start their own fires. The bonfire will be available to enjoy nightly under the supervision of Camp Trans staff and volunteers.
Rubbish
Please be sure to pick up your own rubbish and dispose of it in the bins provided.
Breaches of Code of Conduct
The code of conduct is in place to ensure the safety and ‘good-time’ of everyone at Camp Trans. Breaches of the code of conduct will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. Serious breaches may result in you being asked to leave the site.
All attendees are expected to read the terms of the code of conduct. Ignorance of the rules will not be accepted as justification for breaches.
Welfare & Safety
The welfare tent is a space for you to consider your feelings and needs, and maybe offer yourself a pause/reset. Please feel welcome to come to the welfare area with anything that’s on your mind, whether a celebration, something that feels tricky, or the need for a moment of calm. They are there to hold a space for you to sit with them on your own, or together with them.
The welfare area will be a quiet, relatively unstructured space. Please check the schedule to see when set ‘drop in’ times will happen, and which workshops are expected to have a specific welfare presence. Beyond that, Dani will be available around the campsite, but the welfare space is always yours! We are hoping to have lots of cushions, blankets, stim gadgets, water and some very light snacks (biscuit-type things).
Accessibility
Camp Trans is a relatively small festival. The weekend comprises a combination of performances and interactive workshops. There is a lake in which attendees can swim in, a campfire and many opportunities for socialising with the Camp Trans community. Attendees are expected to organise their own tents and sleeping arrangements. Main mealtimes are catered.
This is the second year of the festival and whilst we are excited to have a repeat of the joy of last year, we also aim to continue to grow and change to accommodate the different needs of people in the trans community. We have adapted some elements of the festival this year and are always interested in hearing suggestions of how we can make Camp Trans more accessible. The aim of this description is to be clear about the layout of the camp so that attendees can make an informed decision about whether Camp Trans matches their access needs but if there is something preventing you from attending please let us know as we may be able to organise further adaptations.
We aim to update the access information as we approach the festival date. Some aspects of creating an accessible space may be confirmed closer to the time as booking and budget constraints are made clear.
Access information by Kacey Malony (he/they)
The site
The campsite is accessed via double gates which have a gravel path leading up to a house on a slight incline. Outside the house is where the allocated car parking is. Following the path up to the house, it starts to decline slightly as you head towards the campsite. Here the gravel starts to lessen and becomes a collection of twigs, grass and the occasional stone.
There is a grassy path behind the food prep building that leads up towards a woodland area. This path is grass with lights on either side and trees lining the right-hand side. This path is covered in moss and inclines all the way up. Once you are at the top of this path, there is a treehouse surrounded by a sparse patterning of trees. Opposite this structure are a few trees and a sharp drop that falls behind the food preparation area. This area is on a hill and is the highest point of the camp. If you continue to move forwards, leaving the moss-coated path behind you, there is a campfire site lined with tree stumps. You can continue to move forwards and left and follow the hill down to the Willow Tree stage. This hill is covered in grass, bumpy and has a sharp decline that does not have a natural path. The softness of the ground will depend on recent rainfall.
The accessible camping section is the section of the field closest to the entrance. This area of the field has a small building on the left and a large tree towards the centre back. Behind this, there is a row of hedges which separate the field from the main road. Tents will be pitched with enough room for wind ropes to be pinned out if needed and there is a wheelchair-accessible portable toilet. We will aim to pitch tents so that a clear pathway can be left to move past tents and to get to tent entrances. Moving through the field further there will be further tents, the general camping area. At the far end of the field, there is a gate, enclosing a few alpacas in the neighbouring field and a Wellbeing area containing pillows, blankets and a selection of sensory equipment. The well-being space is a quiet space but will not be silent due to the surroundings.
The lake is oval-shaped and does not have a gate or barrier around it. As you approach the lake the ground may start to feel softer underfoot. The best place to enter the lake is by the alpaca field as the ground lowers and there is a clearing in the reeds. The lake is lifeguarded, and it gets deeper as you get towards the middle. Over the other side of the lake is the Lake stage. There is a small pathway that leads behind the lake, with tree roots underfoot. If you follow this pathway around until the lake is on your right-hand side you will be facing the food prep and information building in the distance, with the Lake stage behind you. Moving towards the information point there is a large collection of firewood to your left.
Opposite the accessible camping section and below the campfire area, there is a building split into 4 sections (a barn with 2 stables attached). The section closest to the entrance of the Camp contains stables. The first stable is the Welfare area and the second is the information point. The next section contains a plumbed toilet and shower. The entrance to the toilet and shower is under a brick overhang. The door pushes inward to reveal a room with the toilet (can’t quite remember if the toilet is through another door or if it is to the left of the small room?). At the back, there is a shower room accessible by a step up into the room and a further small step into the shower on the right. The final entranceway (the barn) takes you into a large room with charging points at the back left, and a tall fridge at the back right. The building is on a section of gravel and this gravel is surrounded by grass.
There are maps available at the information point and signs around camp directing you to the main sections.
Personal assistant and transport
Personal assistant (PA) and companion tickets are available free of charge upon request. Companion/PA Tickets are provided on the expectation that Companion/PA’s are willing and able to assist you throughout your visit, and would be available and able to help you in the event of an evacuation. Please fill out the access form to request a PA ticket.
There is limited parking available, please fill out the access form to request a parking spot.
Getting there
The exact location will be revealed upon ticket purchase.
By car: The site is 13 miles from Junction 11a M1. The camp is accessible by car. There are 10 free parking spots.
By public transport: Leighton Buzzard station is two miles away. (Euston to Leighton Buzzard in 30 minutes). It is possible to either take the bus from the train station (1 hour or a taxi 15 minutes.) It is possible to bike from the station.
There are grocery stores and a pub 1-2 miles away from the campground.
FAQ
When do ticket sales begin?
Tickets will be sold in waves. The first ticket sale will be in April
What is the price of the tickets?
£50-90. We offer pay-it-forward tickets and welcome donations.
Do you have any age restrictions?
This is an 18+ event. There is no upper age limit and we encourage trans/ non-binary adults of all ages to attend Camp Trans.
Can I bring my dog?
Yes, but please inform us beforehand. We have limited capacity for dogs.
Are there parking spaces?
There are 10 parking spaces. Please inform us to reserve a parking spot in advance. We prioritise disabled people getting parking space. The campground is reachable by public transport and bike.
Where is the campsite?
The campsite is in Leighton Buzzard. For safety reasons, we won't disclose the exact location of the campground publicly but will send it out to attendees in advance.
Accessibility
Do you offer free companion/PA tickets?
Yes, we will be offering free companion/PA tickets.
Would my carer/PA need to be trans?
No. We prioritise accessibility in this case. For any access concerns, do not hesitate to reach out by email or DM. Email Camptransfest@gmail.com
Contact
Please contact us for access needs, or any questions about the event: camptransfest@gmail.com