The van gathering calendar has a shape to it: a heavy run through spring and early summer, a late-summer cluster in the mountains, then a long quiet stretch until Florida warms up in February. We are in the late-summer cluster right now.
Here is what is genuinely still on the calendar for 2026, what has already run, and — just as important — which well-known gatherings are currently in limbo. Van events change plans more than most, so a few of these come with caveats you should read before booking anything.
Image courtesy of Adventure Van Expo
Confirmed and Coming Up
August 15–16 — Adventure Van Expo, Bozeman MT
Gallatin County Fairgrounds. Saturday 10–5, Sunday 10–3. Open-house van tours, a DIY buildout contest, gear vendors, food trucks, and acoustic music. Camping available but must be bought in advance.
August 22–23 — Adventure Van Expo, Enumclaw WA
Enumclaw Fairgrounds, 45224 284th Ave SE. Same format and hours. Campers out by 4 p.m. Sunday.
September 12–13 — Adventure Van Expo, Palisades Tahoe CA
1985 Olympic Valley Road, Olympic Valley. The most scenic stop on the tour, held at a ski resort on the Tahoe shore in the shoulder season. Our full write-up of the remaining tour stops.
September 17–20 — VanWild, Montrose CO
The Camper’s Hub, 18265 US-550. The outlier on this list: $700 per person all-inclusive, covering four nights of camping, daily breakfast and dinner, drinks, and one guided experience per day — trail driving, fly fishing, mountain biking, golf, or yoga. Premium hookup sites are a $350 add-on and sell out early. Our full write-up.
On the 2027 Calendar
February 19–22 — Peace, Love & Vans Florida
Withlacoochee River Park, Dade City, Florida. The fifth annual running at its original location, presented by Vanlife Outfitters. Recent editions have drawn 500-plus vans with workshops, van tours, contests, a tiki bar, food trucks, live music, and roughly $15,000 in raffle prizes. Camping and day-pass tickets both available.
This is the reliable anchor of the winter calendar. If you are in the eastern half of the country and want one gathering on the books, this is the safe pick.
Read This Before You Book: Events in Limbo
Three well-known gatherings are in an uncertain state right now. We are flagging them rather than listing them as upcoming, because in each case the marketing and the ticketing tell different stories.
Escape to the Cape — status unclear
The event website still advertises August 20–24, 2026 at the Cape Cod Fairgrounds in East Falmouth, MA, and VanFest’s main site still lists it as the next event with “Early Bird Tickets On Sale.”
However, the ticket page itself is now password-locked and displays only this: “The Future of VanFest — Please check vanfestusa.com for an update on the future of VanFest.” At least one van life event tracker has listed the 2026 edition as cancelled.
We cannot reconcile those signals from the outside. If you were planning on New England’s biggest van gathering this August, contact the organisers directly before you drive anywhere.
Van-O-Ween — on hiatus
The Halloween-themed desert gathering at Apache Junction Rodeo Grounds in Arizona — costume contests, zombie yoga, fire spinners, spooky potlucks, roughly 300 rigs — has been on hiatus since the 2025 edition was postponed. Also a VanFest event, so its future is tied to the same uncertainty above.
Descend on Bend — site dormant
The Oregon Outback gathering at the Hole-in-the-Ground crater is one of the originals, tracing back to 2014 when fifteen VW Vanagon Westfalia owners met up at the crater, and in recent years drawing over 1,000 people and 750-plus vehicles.
Event aggregators list an August 31, 2026 date, but flag it as to-be-confirmed, and the official site still reads “Descend 2022 — REGISTRATION COMING SOON” with a sponsor list from 2021. Treat any date you see for this one as unverified until the organisers say otherwise.
Weird Wild West — appears concluded
The Bisbee, Arizona vanlife and overlanding gathering by Burnerella ran for three years between 2022 and 2024. No 2026 or 2027 edition has been announced.
Already Run This Year
For reference, if you are building a 2027 plan, these all happened earlier in 2026 and are worth watching for next year’s dates:
- Liftoff! A VanFest Experience — February 5–9, Space Coast Daily Park, Melbourne FL. Ticketing notes 2027 updates are coming via liftoffgathering.com.
- Peace, Love & Vans Florida — March 6–9, Dade City FL
- RendezVan Mt. Bachelor — April 16–19, Mount Bachelor OR
- TinyFest — April 18–19, OC Fair & Event Center, Costa Mesa CA
- Adventure Van Expo — San Juan Capistrano CA (May 30–31), Hood River OR (June 20–21), Winter Park CO (July 11–12)
- Peace, Love & Vans Colorado — June 12–15, Hummingbird Ranch near Rye CO, the inaugural Colorado edition
- Mile High Campout — July 9–18, Cherokee NC
Picking the Right Format
Van gatherings split into three types, and the ticket price tells you which one you are buying.
Expos (Adventure Van Expo) are day events built around touring finished vans and shopping vendors. Cheapest, most useful if you are still deciding what to build or buy.
Festivals (Peace Love & Vans, Escape to the Cape, Van-O-Ween) are multi-day camping events with music, workshops, potlucks, and a few hundred rigs. Mid-priced. The community is the product.
All-inclusive gatherings (VanWild) handle meals and book guided activities. Most expensive by a wide margin, smallest, and aimed at people who already own their rig and want to use it.
If you are still researching a build, start with an expo. Paying $700 to fly-fish is a poor substitute for walking through forty layouts with a notebook.
A Note on Verifying Dates
More than any other corner of the small-living world, van gatherings shift. Venues fall through, organisers take a year off, and websites go stale while the event quietly continues — or keep selling an event that has stopped. Two habits worth adopting:
- Check the ticketing page, not just the marketing page. If tickets are locked, sold out, or missing while the homepage still says “on sale,” something has changed.
- Check the organiser’s social feed for recent activity. A site that has not been touched in two years is the clearest signal you will get.
Useful trackers that keep an eye on this: We’re the Russos’ gatherings list and Vanlife Outfitters.
Related Stories
- Adventure Van Expo: Three Stops Left on the 2026 Tour
- VanWild Colorado: An All-Inclusive Van Gathering in Montrose
- Every Tiny House Festival and Workshop Left in 2026
Are we missing a gathering you have been to? Drop it in the comments and we will add it to the list.
This post may contain affiliate links and/or sponsored content.
Alex
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