Out In The Wild Festival is a three-day, three-night queer outdoor festival, and the festival's purpose is to "to create an inclusive environment for folks to be able to take up space and feel more protected from homophobia, transphobia and misogyny," according to the festival website. The inaugural festival will take place Thursday, May 18 through Sunday, May 21 at Smith Rock State Park.
"[Attendees can expect to] relax and feel safe in your queerness. To be in community and look around and know these are people that get you. You're not in a space where you have to be hypervigilant. It's just going to be fun. Like a reprieve from everyday life, where we can just come and be in community and exist," said Teh Sanchez, guide and community program director for Out In The Wild.
Out In The Wild was founded in 2020 by Patrick Dunn with a focus to create comfortable and safe spaces for queer folks in the outdoors. Since its start, Out In The Wild has hosted a variety of outdoor programs — rock climbing, backpacking, hiking, river and lake activities and snow/winter activities. This year, the festival is taking programming to a whole new level.
"The idea with the festival was to create an event that was more accessible to a wider range of people and experience levels that wasn't just focused on rock climbing — a space for folks to come and just camp together, to meet each other, to go on hikes together, to meet other climbers or be able to pay extra for a specific skill clinic," Dunn told the Source Weekly.
Full weekend passes include access to on-site camp activities, yoga sessions, breakfast, parking, access to clinic signups and camping space at a private property right next to Smith Rock State Park. The camping space is equipped with water, bathrooms and a communal cooking area. Local passes will include everything minus the camping space.
Daytime activities will include climbing clinics, guided hikes, skills workshops, community centered workshops and outdoor yoga classes — ranging anywhere from $20 to $125. Participation and activities are available to people of all economic statuses. Attendees can sign up for a two-day adventure, such as "Projecting & Redpointing" with Cat Runner and Ada Jones, or join for a half-day excursion, such as the "Wildflower Wander" with James Gray, D'auntie Carol and Ryan Santos. To sign up for clinics, attendees must have purchased a day/weekend pass prior.
At night, after a long day of adventuring, everyone will get together for community-based activities, games, story slam, professional athlete presentations and, on Saturday, a queer brand/artist vendor market.
