New York bound

If you are flying in, the closest airport to the festival is Stewart International Airport (SWF), which is located about an hour drive from the grounds in Newburgh, NY. LaGuardia Airport (LGA), John F. Kennedy (JFK) and Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) are also all within a 2.5 hour drive from the festival. Flying in to Newark will most likely provide you with the least expensive and quickest way of getting to Bethel as flights to Newark are significantly cheaper than flights to Stewart and you won’t have to deal with as much traffic getting out of the city as you would trying to get off the island flying into LaGuardia and JFK.

MLUSA also provides an airport pickup shuttle service for camping Nomads flying in to JFK, LaGuardia, Albany, and Grand Central Station. Rather than renting a car for the weekend, this economical and environmentally friendly option transports people to the camping grounds for $50 each way ($100 round-trip). More information on shuttles can be found here.

Mysteryland bound

If you are driving to MLUSA and planning on camping, the festival provides directions (coming soon) from the north. The directions accommodate Nomads driving from New York City, Scranton, Binghamton, and the I-84, providing the quickest and easiest route.

If you are driving to MLUSA but will not be camping, the festival provides directions (coming soon) from the north (from New York City, Scranton, Binghamton, and the I-84). A Kiss and Ride will also be accessible throughout the weekend, with shuttles available for campers who need to take their gear in to the Holy Grounds.

Where to Stay

Mysteryland’s hotel of choice, The Villa Roma Resort, is located within 10 miles of the festival. The resort provides a shuttle service to the festival throughout the weekend included in the travel package. Other accommodations can also be made within the area and AirBnB is always an option. If going the AirBnB route, search for “Bethel, NY” as the location you wish to stay. The local “Yellow Cab” runs full service throughout the weekend so if no one in your crew is driving you still have a way of getting to the festival.

Offsite camping spots can also be reserved with Landers River Camping however this does NOT include a festival pass for the weekend. The campsite is not within walking distance to Mysteryland but reservations here do include shuttle passes to the festival.

Camping

I strongly recommend you embrace the full Nomad experience by camping on the Holy Grounds. Not only do you get to spend more time on the Woodstock grounds, but camping here allows you to take part in the opening party filled with an extra day of music, and all the festivities that take place after the music ends for the day.

The Holy Ground: Welcome to the sacred grounds of Woodstock ’69 – where legends like Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin played music to a sea of hippies that travelled great distances to experience three days of peace, love and music. ‘Holy Ground’ camping will have you set up within an easy walk from the festival grounds and grants you access to the pre-parties and all sorts of fun daytime activities. The campgrounds are tent-only and Nomads are required to park their car ($35 for a parking pass). While hoofing your stuff in to the grounds for the weekend can be tiring, try and gain strength from the memory of our hippie ancestors who walked for miles just to hear the music. Besides… It’s totally worth it.

Easy Tents: If you are arriving at the festival from a long ways away, Easy Tents is definitely something worth considering. It removes the hassle of having to haul (mostly all) of your camping gear across country with you. Easy Tents are already set up for you upon arrival and include a 2-person airbed and two sleeping bags. If you choose this option you will still be located on The Holy Ground and will be able to partake in the wicked pre-parties, after-dark festivities, and daytime activities. You even get to keep the beautiful tents as a memento of the festival.

Bird’s Nests: New this year, the Bird’s Nests glamping tents come fully furnished with either a 2-person queen bed with linens, 2 twin beds with linens, or 4 individual cots with pillows. Bird’s Nests give glampers the luxury of a private shower facility, lounge area, and bathrooms. Plus they’re super conveniently located.

Camping do’s and don’ts

– Mysteryland is a 19+ event but on-site camping is 21+. If you are under 21, you can camp at Lander’s River off-site.
– Each festival-going camper must have their own valid festival pass.
– There is NO re-entry between the parking lots and the campgrounds. Make as many trips as you need from your car to the camping entrance but do NOT enter The Holy Ground until you have everything you need from your car for the weekend.
– You can bring food and beverage into the campgrounds to sustain yourself for the weekend.
– Limit alcohol to 1 case of beer, 1 box of wine or 1L of liquor per person.
– However, DO NOT bring glass bottles or any type of glass. They will be confiscated upon your search into the campgrounds.
– Leave your weapons, drugs and drug paraphernalia at home.
– Don’t plan on grilling, hosting the neighbourhood BBQ or throwing a bonfire.
– Don’t plan on using anything flammable really (fireworks, candles, explosives…)
– Nothing motorized will get past the front entrance.
– Neither will your bicycle.
– Neither will your drone.
– Flags, flag poles, and totems are allowed but don’t bother with your promotional material.
– Sorry kids, leave you stuffed animals and pacifiers at home.
– Amplified sound systems should be left at home but feel free to bring a portable radio for some campsite jams.
– Showers will be available and are free with a Premium VIP ticket.
– Cellphone charger stations, water refill stations, bars and a fully stocked supermarket in case you forgot anything and everything in your excitement will be available on The Holy Ground.
– Lockers are available for rent in the venue and campground, each equipped with cell phone chargers and available 24/7.
– And definitely bring tarps, blankets, coolers, canopies, lawn chairs, sleeping bags and air mattresses, sunscreen and bugspray, cosmetics and deodorant, and camel bags.
– Good moods and positive vibes only!

Sustenance

The announcement of the food vendors attending Mysteryland is hotly awaited and is even rewarded with its own lineup announcement. The eclectic mix of food, from pizza and bbq, to burritos, coffee and ice cream, is considered by many to be some of the best that N.Y.C. has to offer. With The Smorgasburg Food Fest and Eats ‘n Beats, Nomads will have plenty of local grub to choose from… Expect it to cost you a pretty Birdie though as delicious, craft food at a festival can be pricey. Healthy vegan and gluten free options are available. More deets coming soon.

Wobbly-pops

Mysteryland makes it super easy for its Nomads to stay hydrated throughout the long weekend of dancing. Water refill stations are available throughout The Holy Ground and the festival grounds. Mysteryland also allows camel bags into the event… Just make sure they are empty upon arrival and be prepared for them to be thoroughly searched. Water bottles can also be bought throughout the festival if you forgot to bring your reusable bottle/ hydration pack.

The official beer of Mysteryland is Heineken and, of course it will put you back quite a bit of money at $10 USD for a tall can of regular or light. Craft beer is also available if Heineken is not your thing and a full-service bar can be found in the Label Tent and Speigeltent for those who prefer liquor.

A Little Advice

READ THE INSTRUCTIONS before putting on your wristband. Seriously people, if you mess that up you can kiss your perfect weekend goodbye. Any wristband that has been tampered with is voided. And don’t forget your wristbands at home! Kind of important…

Stop at Wal-Mart before driving into the campgrounds to stock up on ice, plenty of cases of bottled water and a ton of snacks so you can better spend your money once you’re on the grounds. Investing in a cart of some sort for the weekend is also a good idea. Hauling all of your camping gear and supplies from the parking spot to the entrance, to your camping spot is physically exhausting. And who wants to make more than one trip from the car anyways?

Grab maps of the campsite and festival grounds and acquaint yourself with your surroundings. When you’re in an urgent rush to make it to a certain show or when you need to pee at 3 a.m. in the dark you will thank us.

Re-entry in the festival grounds between the campsite is allowed. Re-entry into the festival for Nomads without some sort of Holy Ground camping is NOT allowed. Once you leave to return to your off-site accommodation you will not be allowed back into the festival.

Mysteryland is a cashless festival and runs on the currency of Birdie Bucks (BB). This allows the festival to provide Nomads with faster service as you simply tap your wristband to pay. It’s also fantastic because you don’t have to worry about carrying (and possibly losing) lots of cash. The exchange rate from USD to BB is pretty steep though. $20 USD will buy you 9 BB. Keep this in mind when you are purchasing food and beverages. Cash and credit can be used to top-up your wristband as well as at the Merchandise Booth. Some of the smaller vendors inside the festival only accept cash. I recommend topping up your BB before heading into the festival to avoid the hassle of having to top-up while on the grounds. If you do not use all of your BB, than you can apply for a refund for a fee of $5 that will be deducted from the remaining BB on your wristband.

It is possible to find your friends again if you’ve wandered off solo to check out the Speigeltent while they jam at The Boat. Come up with a meeting spot as soon as you get into the festival grounds (and aren’t too woozy yet so everyone remembers it.) A meeting spot with a set time can reunite you… And might be more reliable than your cell phone with the temperamental service in the festival grounds. Make sure you pick somewhere super unique and low-key though. I suggest things like a funny looking tree, a certain popsicle stand, or the second food vendor from the left. It’s very rare to find your friends at the most popular art installation when hundreds of others are attempting to do the same thing.

Mysteryland USA is in Upstate New York in June. Check the weather and pack accordingly. It has the potential to be hot and sunny, but can also be cold and rainy. The weather in this area at this time can be pretty unpredictable! The inaugural year saw rain and chilly nights making galoshes, raincoats and heavy sweaters for nighttime adventures important festival attire.

While the bugs in Bethel, NY aren’t bad this time of year, Nomads should be wary of ticks. Check one another for tick bites at the end of the night, or at least at the end of the festival.