◆ Camp the Weekend
Festival Camping in Ontario: Where to Camp & Do It Right
Tent, RV and everything in between — sleep over at Ontario’s best festivals
Season
May–Sept
Camping
Tent · RV
Where
All Ontario
Book
In advance
Some of Ontario’s best festivals are as much about the campground as the main stage — the late-night singalongs, the neighbours two tents over, the coffee at sunrise. Here’s where to camp across the province, and how to do it comfortably.
⛺ Tent & RV sites 🎟 Camping = separate pass 👪 Family camping options 🔥 Book early — it sells out
💡 Camping passes are almost always sold separately from your festival ticket — and the good sites go first. If a festival’s camping sells out, day passes usually don’t, so you can still go; you’ll just be commuting in each day.

✨ Why Camp at a Festival?

There’s a real difference between driving home tired after the last set and waking up on the grounds the next morning with a coffee and nowhere to be. Camping turns a festival from a night out into a proper weekend — you catch the early acts, you’re not fighting parking-lot traffic at midnight, and you end up meeting the people camped next to you.
It’s also usually the cheaper way to do a multi-day festival. Once you factor in a couple of nights at a nearby hotel plus gas back and forth, an on-site camping pass often works out to less — and you’re steps from the stages instead of a half-hour drive away.
Ontario’s camping festivals run the full range, from a 40,000-person country weekend at Burl’s Creek to a few hundred people around a fire in the Northern woods. The trick is matching the festival — and the type of camping — to the weekend you actually want.

⛺ Find Your Camping Festival

Three ways to browse, depending on how you like to camp. Tap whichever fits your weekend.

⛺ Festivals With Camping

The full directory of Ontario festivals with on-site camping — from big country weekends to small folk gatherings, with tent fields and serviced sites all in one place.
Browse festivals with camping →

🌲 Festivals Near Parks

For when you’d rather sleep in the woods than a festival field. These events sit close to provincial parks and conservation-area campgrounds, so you can camp properly and drive in for the day.
Browse festivals near parks →

🚐 RV-Friendly Festivals

Bringing a trailer or motorhome? These festivals offer serviced sites, hookups and the room to park it — no tent required, and a real bed at the end of the night.
Browse RV-friendly festivals →

⭐ Featured Festivals With Camping

A starting point across genres and regions. Dates and camping details change year to year, so always confirm the current year on the festival’s own page before you book.

Boots and Hearts

Country Family camping
Canada’s largest country music and camping festival, held each August at Burl’s Creek Event Grounds in Oro-Medonte, about an hour north of Toronto. Tens of thousands camp for the weekend, with themed campgrounds, tailgating and late-night parties that are half the reason people come.
Camping: General tent, RV and serviced sites, plus accessible and reserved areas. Camping typically opens the day before the music starts. Note the venue runs cashless, so bring a card.
📍 Directions to Burl’s Creek

Mariposa Folk Festival

Folk & Roots Family-friendly
One of Canada’s longest-running folk festivals, held early July at Tudhope Park in Orillia on the shore of Lake Couchiching. Over a hundred performances across roughly a dozen stages, with a relaxed, multi-generational crowd and a lakeside setting that’s easy to spend a whole weekend in.
Camping: On-site at the Pete Seeger Memorial Campground, with beachfront tent sites among the trees plus RV options. For campers, the fun starts the day before the festival opens. Camping passes sell out early — book well ahead.
📍 Directions to Tudhope Park

River & Sky

Indie & Experimental Camping-first
A small, community-run music and camping festival in late July on the banks of the Sturgeon River at Fisher’s Paradise in West Nipissing — Northern Ontario, roughly between Sudbury and North Bay. Indie, folk and experimental acts, workshops and swimming, at a scale where camping isn’t an add-on, it’s the whole point.
Camping: Riverside tent camping is built into the ticket experience, with a genuinely communal, tucked-in-the-woods feel. A great pick if the crowds and cost of the big festivals aren’t your thing.
📍 Directions to Fisher’s Paradise

Ever After Music Festival

EDM Skews 19+
Ontario’s big fantasy-themed electronic festival, usually held in June with three days of bass, house and mainstage EDM plus elaborate production and costumes. On-site camping is part of the draw for the out-of-town crowd it pulls in from across Canada and the US.
⚠️ Confirm the venue and dates. Ever After has moved locations more than once in recent years, so check the official festival channels for the current site, dates and camping details before you make any plans.
See all festivals with camping →

🏕 Types of Festival Camping

Most festivals sell a few different camping tiers. Knowing the difference saves you money — and a rough night’s sleep.
⛺ General Tent Camping
The default and cheapest option. You pitch your own tent in a shared field, first-come for spots, with no power or water at your site and communal washrooms nearby. Bring everything you need.
🚐 RV & Serviced Sites
A marked spot for a trailer or motorhome, often with electrical hookups and closer access to facilities. Costs more and sells out first, but you get a bed, a fridge and no tent to set up. See RV-friendly festivals →
✨ Premium & Glamping
Pre-set tents, real beds, sometimes private showers and shorter walks to the stages. The priciest tier, but you show up with a bag and skip the setup entirely — popular for a lower-effort weekend.
🌲 Camp at a Nearby Park
Not every festival has on-site camping — but many sit near a provincial park or conservation area where you can. Quieter nights, real trees, a short drive in. See festivals near parks →

🎒 What to Pack: A Festival Camping Checklist

The must-haves first, then the things that make the weekend genuinely comfortable. Ontario summer nights can dip cool even in July, so don’t skip the layers.
The Essentials
⛺ Tent & pegs 🛏 Sleeping bag / air mattress 💧 Refillable water bottle 🧴 Sunscreen 🧥 Rain layer + warm layer 🔋 Power bank 🎧 Earplugs 💵 Cash + card 👟 Closed-toe shoes 🔦 Headlamp / flashlight 🩹 Basic first-aid + meds
Comfort Upgrades
⛱ Pop-up shade tent 🪑 Folding chair 🧊 Cooler 🧻 Wet wipes & TP 🦟 Bug spray 🚩 Tall flag / marker 🔨 Rubber mallet 🗑 Garbage bags 🧼 Quick-dry towel

💡 Camping Tips & Campground Etiquette

🚩 Mark your tent. Every campground looks identical at 1 a.m. A tall flag, a string of lights, or a bright marker on a pole makes finding your spot far easier after dark.
🌅 Arrive early on day one. Setting up in daylight — ideally before the crowds — means better spots, less stress, and a shady patch if you can find one. Late arrivals get the leftovers.
🍶 No glass, and check the alcohol rules. Glass is banned at nearly every festival campground. Many allow some personal alcohol in the camping area but not into the concert bowl — read each festival’s policy before you pack a cooler.
🤝 Be a good neighbour. Keep noise reasonable in the small hours, don’t cut through other people’s sites, and pack out what you bring in. Campground reputations travel fast.
🌡 Plan for both extremes. Ontario summer days can hit 30°C and the same night can drop to single digits. Shade for the afternoon, a warm layer for the night — you’ll want both in the same weekend.

❓ Common Questions

Which Ontario festivals have on-site camping?
Several of Ontario’s biggest festivals let you camp on-site, including Boots and Hearts near Oro-Medonte, the Mariposa Folk Festival in Orillia, River & Sky in West Nipissing, and Ever After. Options range from basic tent sites to serviced RV hookups, and camping passes are usually sold separately from your festival ticket.
Do I need to book festival camping in advance?
Almost always, yes. Camping passes are limited and sold separately from day or weekend tickets, and the popular sites — especially RV and serviced spots — tend to sell out well before general admission. Book as soon as passes go on sale rather than waiting until the week of the event.
What’s the difference between tent camping and RV camping?
General tent camping means you pitch your own tent in a shared field, usually with no power or water at your site and communal washrooms nearby. RV and serviced camping gives you a marked spot for a trailer or motorhome, often with electrical hookups and closer access to facilities, for a higher price. Some festivals also offer premium or glamping options with pre-set tents.
Can I bring my own alcohol to festival camping?
It depends on the festival. Many Ontario events allow a reasonable amount of personal alcohol in the campground but prohibit outside drinks in the concert area, which is licensed. Glass is almost always banned, and some large venues are fully cashless and licensed throughout. Always check the specific festival’s campground policy before you pack a cooler.
Is festival camping family-friendly?
Some festivals are very family-oriented — Mariposa and Boots and Hearts both offer quieter family camping areas and kids’ programming — while others skew toward a louder, adults-only crowd with 19+ zones. If you’re bringing children, look for a designated family campground and check the festival’s age policies before booking.
What should I pack for festival camping?
The essentials are a tent, a sleeping bag or air mattress, a refillable water bottle, sunscreen, a rain layer, a portable phone charger, earplugs, cash for vendors, and sturdy closed-toe shoes. A pop-up shade tent, folding chair, and a cooler make the weekend far more comfortable. Ontario summer nights can get cool, so pack layers even in July.
Festival dates, camping tiers and policies change every year — always confirm the details on the festival’s official website before you book.