Festival Review: Zap Outdoorz [ Volunteer, Year 2 ]

 Find out more about more about Zap Outdoorz here

For the second year in a row, Luce and I volunteered at Zap Outdoorz, The DMV's up and coming electronic and punk festival located at Camp Tall Timbers in West Virginia. Last year (2023) was the first year the festival ran. Luce found out about the festival from artist Dreamcastmoe, a DC native musician, who advertised his performance at the festival on Instagram. I had never been to a music festival, but had worked as a sleep away camp counselor for many years, so a festival at a summer camp seemed liked a great place to start. I knew that other friends had gotten free tickets to festivals through volunteering, so we reached out to see if we could do the same. 

We soon came to find out that the festival was organized by a bunch of 20-somethings in a friend group, which allowed for very natural communication with the organizers. At the festival we worked as "community monitors," and for our shift we basically just hung out at the pool all day. Everyone was so incredibly nice and welcoming, which made the community feel like such a safe place. People said hi and wanted to get to know their neighbors. Overall, the festival through all its first-year kinks, was so fun that Luce and I decided to volunteer again, and this year, invite friends. I definitely learned a lot about festivals in general from the first year, and felt much more prepared going into Zap 2024, especially when it came to sustaining energy throughout the weekend (but that's for a different post).

Zap (formerly Zapateo) Poster 2023

This year we worked "check-in" the first night of the festival from 8-11pm. I really enjoyed working this shift because we got to see and talk with everyone who was arriving to camp, and get to know the security staff. It was also nice because once we finished our shift, we didn't have any other volunteer commitments for the rest of the weekend. Originally, I had three other friends who were going to be volunteers this year, but unfortunately, they all ended up getting COVID (they all lived together), the day before we left - so neither Luce or I had any other friends attending the festival that would have had shift commitments. When we return for Zap 2025, I would be more than happy working the exact same shift again. 

The festival is loosely divided into three days / nights. 

Friday : Check - in, getting situated, DJ sets at night 

Saturday : Pool Day! Punk Showcase, DJ sets at night 

Sunday : Lake Day (the best day), DJ sets at night 

 Monday : Pack up and leave - hopefully go straight to a diner

After an exciting first day of arriving to camp, participating in volunteer trainings, and completing our shift commitments, I was exhausted. The first night was definitely the earliest night I went to bed, which was the right decision, because the next day, a lightening storm hit. 

On Saturday, the day started off great, we went to breakfast, talked about what we were most looking forward to for the weekend, and gathered our belongings to enjoy music by the pool for the afternoon. Full disclosure, the constant music by the pool, can be a bit overstimulating, especially if you do not have earplugs, sunglasses, and a place you can take a break in the shade. But we had all of that and were able to really enjoy the afternoon until about 4pm when a giant storm rolled in, taking most people by surprise. Thankfully, Luce, my other friend, and I, were able to get shelter in the cafeteria, right before the storm hit, but we were separated from the majority of our friends, which was a little scary. The storm lasted for about 1-2 hours, and it was INTENSE. It looked like a mild hurricane. After the rain calmed down, we went back to the campsite and it was a complete mess. We had about 7 friends who had to leave either that evening, or the next morning, because their sleeping bags, clothes, and tents were completely drenched. Thankfully, Luce had just bought a new tent with a protective rain fly, and all of our stuff was dry! In the end, it was just Luce, my friend who had sheltered in the cafeteria with us, and myself, who made it through the entire weekend. 

That same evening of the storm, and after having to say goodbye to everyone, we watched the Punk Showcase, a definite highlight from the weekend, this year, and last. Although, I am still recovering from a concussion, and unfortunately, cannot mosh until the New Year, the performance we saw from SOUL GLO was truly incredible. Originally from Philly, Soul Glo is one of a kind Punk. I highly recommend attending a concert or checking out their album, "Diaspora Problems," even if you are not a big Punk listener. It is incredibly refreshing to see different representations and musical elements incorporated into the Punk Scene, which is exactly what Soul Glo does effortlessly. 

On Sunday, the last day of the festival, there was definitely some disappointment, because the DJ sets at the lake were moved indoors due to muddy conditions from the storm on Saturday. I had such funny memories from last year floating around in a life jacket while vibing to good music, and this year, one of my favorite DMV DJ's Jacq Jill was supposed to perform at the lake, so I was especially bummed. We checked out their indoor set, and it was still a good time, but it was hard to be indoors while the sun was out. That Sunday, I saw more people utilizing the camp amenities, such as the basketball and volleyball courts, than I had any of the other days. I think people were getting a bit restless during the afternoon. 

Although the day turned out a little different than anticipated, the sets we heard at night, were the best I heard from the entire weekend! I really liked DC Native, Dee Clark who used all Vinyl mixes during her set and danced the whole time. 

 

A surprise for me during the weekend, was a performance I really loved by DC band Clear Channel. I believe they were originally supposed to perform on Saturday during the Punk Showcase, but were rescheduled to Sunday evening due to the weather. The main vocalist during the performance, Awad Bilal, was so joyous, it was impossible not to smile and have fun. My favorite song was called, "Hot Fruit." It was upbeat, sing-along, and silly.  It was a nice break from some of the intensity from the weekend. I would love to see them in concert again.  

Thanks for reading! Even with the unpredictability of weather, I am excited to attend Zap 2025!

- Emma