Aftershock fans are already arriving in Sacramento ahead of Thursday’s opening day, and this year, they have a new option for where to sleep between four days of hard rock.<\/p>\n
The annual music festival is Sacramento’s largest entertainment event, with more than 160,000 tickets sold. The influx of visitors is also putting pressure on hotel prices across the city.<\/p>\n
But for the first time, fans can skip the hotel altogether.<\/p>\n
Camp Aftershock has transformed part of Cal Expo into a temporary campground for festival ticket holders, giving out-of-town fans a place to stay just a short shuttle ride from Discovery Park.<\/p>\n
Hundreds of fans are setting up tents and sleeping areas on the state fairgrounds’ decommissioned horse track, turning the space into a temporary community that will be home for the next several days.<\/p>\n
“It’s honestly really nice to have the option for camping,” said Haley Toper, an Aftershock fan from San Diego.<\/p>\n
For some campers, making the temporary accommodations feel like home is part of the experience.<\/p>\n
“I think everyone’s going to be getting to know each other and having fun,” said Kaley Palmeri, also from San Diego.<\/p>\n
Toper said fans are adding personal touches to their campsites, from decorations to pillows brought from home.<\/p>\n
“Just adding little decorations to make those little homey touches,” she said. “Bringing your own pillow from home is a great thing.”<\/p>\n
A cheaper alternative to Sacramento hotels<\/p>\n
For fans traveling from outside the area, the campground can also mean significant savings.<\/p>\n
Rod Young traveled to Sacramento from Alberta, Canada, for Aftershock and said camping was an attractive alternative to paying thousands of dollars for a hotel.<\/p>\n
“It is honestly way better,” Young said. “Can you imagine spending $2,000?”<\/p>\n
Other fans from Nevada said they were also seeing higher hotel rates this year.<\/p>\n
One group said their four-day hotel stay was quoted at more than $3,000.<\/p>\n
“$3,022 and some change,” said Tara Trimble, an Aftershock fan from Nevada.<\/p>\n
Her friend, C.J. Hanna, said their hotel was about $200 cheaper when they attended the festival last year.<\/p>\n
Hotel prices varied depending on the property and availability. A search on Hotels.com showed a room at the Kimpton Sawyer Hotel listed at $848 per night, while a Holiday Inn room was listed at $468 per night. Even a Motel 6 near the festival was listed at $322 per night.<\/p>\n
By comparison, a standard tent campsite at Cal Expo costs $500 for a five-day stay, with up to four people allowed per site.<\/p>\n
VIP campsites, which include water and power, cost just over $700 for five days. Those sites have already sold out.<\/p>\n
More than just a place to sleep<\/p>\n
For many fans, the campground is becoming part of the Aftershock experience itself. Young said he has already met other festivalgoers after arriving at the campsite.<\/p>\n
“Once we got here we met a lot of nice people,” he said.<\/p>\n
Grace Cromarty, who traveled from Alaska, said the campground gives fans another way to enjoy the festival without taking on the cost of a hotel.<\/p>\n
“I feel like it’s a great opportunity for people that don’t have enough money for a hotel and just camp out with their friends and have a good time,” she said.<\/p>\n
Camp Aftershock includes showers and 24-hour security for campers.<\/p>\n
Shuttle buses will also run continuously between Cal Expo and the Aftershock festival grounds at Discovery Park.<\/p>\n
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