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Looking to attend a van life gathering or meetup? In this post, you’ll find a list of van life meetups along with a regularly updated list of van life gatherings. Keep in mind that all the vanlife events are based in the United States and Mexico, listed in chronological order.
Unlike RV Shows, there is more focus on the community aspect of the lifestyle at these van life gatherings. While these events are sponsored with vendor areas, attendees will have access to educational workshops, social events, outdoor activities and more.
Van Life Gatherings 2026 Edition
February 5-9 Liftoff! A VanFest Experience
Location: Space Coast Daily Park – Melbourne, Florida
Liftoff! is a VanFest experience in Florida and the first van life gathering of 2026. This five day event in Melbourne, Florida will have quite a range of vans and other types of recreational vehicles on display. Expect live music, food, workshops, van tours and much more!
Website: https://vanfest.ticketspice.com/liftoff2026
March 6-9 Peace, Love & Vans Florida
Location: Withlacoochee River Park – Dade City, Florida
Join one of the most popular vanlife gathering in Florida at Peace Love & Vans at Withlacoochee River Park. Attendees can explore a 1960s-inspired van village featuring hundreds of vans, workshops, food trucks, a tropical-themed Tiki Bar, live music, yoga and so much more! Between events, attendees can enjoy scenic trails, biking, or the nearby river.
Website: https://www.peacelovevans.com/
April 16-19 RendezVan Mt. Bachelor
Location: Mount Bachelor, Oregon
RendezVan is an annual van life gathering at Mt. Bachelor celebrating the community of RVers, campers, van lifers, families, and outdoor enthusiasts, featuring a mix of skiing, riding, and mountain events alongside music, vendors, and activities. The festival is open to all, including day visitors and dogs.
Website: https://www.rendezvan.com/
April 18-19 TinyFest 2026
Location: OC Fair & Event Center – Costa Mesa, California
TinyFest 2026 is a two day festival celebrating tiny homes, ADUs, van life, and simple living. Attendees can explore a wide variety of homes, learn from industry experts, shop the Simple Living Marketplace, and enjoy live music and activities.
Website: https://www.tinyfest.events/
April 25-26 RV Safety & Training Camp
Location: Private property – Culleoka, Tennessee
The weekend training camp will include a mindset lecture, risk mitigation, vehicle defense, and pistol fundamentals with range work, marksmanship, and handling. This class is open to every one of all levels.
The instructors for this class will be Jeff and Ashley Dooley. The class will be held on their private range and a limited number of small RVs can dry camp on property (there are no facilities except for a porta-potti. All campers need to be self-contained). There is also a nice campground 15 minutes for those of you with larger rigs or looking to stay off-site and a couple hotels in the Columbus, TN area if you do not have a camper.
Cost: $500 per person (a limited number of dry camping spots will be available for small RVs. Spots will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis.)
Website: https://personalresponsibilityllc.com
May 30-31 Adventure Van Expo San Juan Capistrano
Location: Rancho Mission Viejo Riding Park – San Juan Capistrano, California
One of the longer running van life gatherings in the U.S. The Adventure Van Expo series will kick off the 2026 season in San Juan Capistrano.
Website: https://adventurevanexpo.com/
June 12-15 Peace, Love & Vans Colorado
Location: Hummingbird Ranch – Colorado
This brand new van life gathering in Colorado is the second Peace Love & Vans event of the year. Put on by the same team from the Florida event, the Colorado version will be hosted at a 350 acre property south of Denver. Attendees can expect Rocky Mountain vibes, workshops, good vibes and more.
Website: https://www.peacelovevans.com/
June 20-21 Adventure Van Expo Oregon
Location: Hood River County Fairgrounds – Oregon
Website: https://adventurevanexpo.com/
July 11-12 Adventure Van Expo Colorado
Location: Winter Park Ski Area – Colorado
Website: https://adventurevanexpo.com/
July 9-18 Mile High Campout
Location: Mile High Campground – Cherokee, North Carolina
The Mile High Campout is an annual gathering of campers at the Mile High Campground in Cherokee, North Carolina. Hosted by Jason and Janna Gatliff who own a Storyteller Overland RV. Campers can join for the entire event or a portion of the event. Call Mile High Campground at 828-269-2945 to reserve a campsite.
“This is a choose your own adventure kind of gathering with lots of great activities within an hours drive of the campground. As in years past we will likely do a couple of group activities such as tubing at Deep Creek near Bryson City or maybe rent a pontoon boat on Fontana Lake. There is also whitewater paddling and rafting near by. This is my favorite campground, bar none, the owner is great and he really takes care of us! The campground is at approximately 5000’ of elevation and the highest temp we saw in 2025 was 74°.
Cost: campsites are $35/night which includes two adults and children through age 12.
Website: https://www.facebook.com/events/984888706958921/
August 15-16 Adventure Van Expo Montana
Location: Gallatin County Fairgrounds – Bozeman, Montana
Website: https://adventurevanexpo.com/
August 20-24 Escape to the Cape – Cancelled
Location: Cape Code Fairgrounds – East Falmouth, Massachusetts
​Escape to the Cape is a van life and nomadic celebration from the team at VanFest. Attendees can expect live music, workshops, vehicle tours, and activities.
Cancelled by the event organizers. “Lately we’ve been doing a lot of introspection about what the future of VanFest should look like but the reality is this: at this point, we are not able to dedicate the time needed to keep VanFest going ourselves.” Visit the official event website for the most up-to-date details.
Website: https://anescapetothecape.com
August 22-23 Adventure Van Expo Washington
Location: Enumclaw Fairgrounds – Washington
Website: https://adventurevanexpo.com/
September 12-13 Adventure Van Expo Tahoe
Location: Palisades Tahoe – Olympic Valley, California
Website: https://adventurevanexpo.com/
September 17-20 Van Wild Colorado
Location: Montrose, Colorado
“VanWILD is a three day immersive experience focusing on bringing together our amazing van community for a weekend of awesome outdoor action centered around USING your van!” Weekend activities include fly fishing, enduro moto rides, mountain biking, river surfing and more.
Website: https://vanwildcolorado.com/
September 24-27 Bourbon & Beyond
Location: Kentucky Expo Center – Louisville, Kentucky
This van life meet up at Bourbon & Beyond is hosted by Kayden Phan. Attendees can camp together in the car + tent area or in the RV camping area with power. For more details about the event check out the Facebook event link below.
Website: https://www.facebook.com/events/1724631811543797/
Van-O-Ween (On Hiatus)
Location: Apache Junction, Arizona
​Another new van life gathering from the team at VanFest. Van-O-Ween will have costume contests, music, raffles, happy hours and more.
Website: https://vanoween.com
TBA Weird Wild West
Location: Bisbee, Arizona
The event organizers have not announced the 2026 Weird Wild West van life meetup. Want a glimpse of what Weird Wild West is all about? Here’s a video recap of our experience:
Cost: TBA
Website: https://www.weirdwildwest.net/
Do I Need a Camper Van to Attend?
Most of these van life gatherings do not require a Class B camper van to attend. Make sure to check the official event page for all the specifics, ticket/camping prices and any limitations or restrictions. We have attended several van life gatherings and meetups in a flatbed truck camper and have seen tent campers and just about every type of tiny dwelling on wheels. That’s one of the things we love about this community, everyone is welcome!
We’re the Russos Van Life Gatherings
Joe and I hosted our first campout at Lake Guntersville State Park in Alabama. If you are interested in joining us for a campout, be sure to sign up for our newsletter and follow us on Instagram for campout announcements.
Hope to see you at one of these van life gatherings!
Do you have a list of van events y’all will be attending?
Hey Claude! You’ll find the list of events we’re attending in our newsletter.
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Hello!
I have enjoyed a wonderful 1999 Dodge van conversion for the last 7 years. But my life is different now and I am looking for its next owner. Do you know of a place to connect with people looking to buy a van in the Seattle or Washington area? I want to make sure it goes to the right person.
Thanks!
Nancy (longtime fan)
Hi Nancy – Going to the events in your area and putting a “For Sale” sign on it would work – plus you get to meet the people in a friendly environment. Otherwise you can post in Facebook Marketplace or on Expedition portal.
I’m interested in a 2024 van gathering in Alabama if you are hosting one! 😉 Wishing there were more events on the east coast North Carolina, Tennessee area.
Hey Robin! We hosted one in Alabama last fall and may host another one this year. Keep an eye on our newsletters for new campout announcements.
I recently purchased a van and will be mostly camping in my “bouge” tent, lol. I will convert slowly but surely. I googled van life gatherings and this great post came up, thanks!
Nice list of events. 2023 has quite a few more to attend. Surely we’ll make a few of these..
Really great resource. Thanks for putting this together. Great to meet you in Chatt at the Adventure Van Expo. Hope to see you at a few events this year. And if you are up near Brown County in the coming months, we’d love to host y’all at the shop!
Thanks Josh! We plan on attending a few of these van life gatherings and look forward to reconnecting.