EMF Camp 2026

I was lucky to be able to get tickets to EMF Camp 2026. Despite being larger than ever, it felt like tickets were harder to get hold of this year. Oscar and I went in 2024 but this time we went as a family and Alicia and Ethan joined us. We loved the event, and the people we met, and in our own ways we all came away inspired. Our son’s nursery sent home a painted dishcloth inspired by the Manky Tea Towel museum at EMF.

An otherwise clean dishcloth painted with colourful blobs of paint

sA boy looks off to his right, in his hand a felt tip pen, in front of him an upturned tea-tail on the tea-tail he has been drawing a pattern

The weather was hot, and there were a few moments when we thought Ethan in particular might collapse. The temporary wooden archways rigged up to form a walk-through cloud of cool mist were a lifesaver. Because of the heat we opted to avoid too many talks as the tents were uncomfortably warm in the height of the sun. We spent a lot of time in the family lounge and used the cooler evenings to wander around the site. The kids film at the start of the day and a couple of the evening films were a real hit with the family. Null sector was a hit whenever it was open, heat be damned.

A photo of two screens propped up in a tent on the left an audio workspace with what looks like a synthesizer. On the right, a radar-style plot of the stars. In front of both, two custom boards of electronics, colour-coded dials, and pieces of paper that explain the exhibit

A slow-motion photo captures a spinning globe of LEDs. Behind the globe, searchlights light up the sky. The foreground is lit with a pink glow

You can never see everything and, now that I’m back home, I’m still finding things that I missed. But a few things that stood out were;

The Bleephaus Workshop
The two robotic dogs wandering the site
The arcade tent
The analogue data gathering team
Laser tag (3D printed kits, custom electronics)
Overbrewed (an escape room style coffee shop game)

A makeshift racetrack made out of upturned crates around the racetrack several custom built vehicles race each other in the dusty ground

A photo of a teletype machine two hands type on the keyboard in front of the machine several QR codes provide links to an explanation of the game on the piece of paper that appears from the machine instructions a text-based adventure game

Volunteering

With Alica and the support of other families, I was able to escape long enough to complete two volunteering shifts, one as a vision mixer, the other in the volunteer kitchen.

I was genuinely nervous about the vision mixer role. The training and support was excellent. But I really didn’t want to mess up the recording of a talk. I had visions of apologising to speaker after speaker that I hadn’t pressed the buttons in the right sequence. In the end it turned out to be good fun, and a great way to watch talks at the same time.

I’d wanted to do a bar shift as I’ve never worked in a bar before but I didn’t manage to secure any slots and opted to do a stint in the kitchen instead. I scrubbed, I chopped, and did a laundry run. It was my first time in a large kitchen like this. My biggest worry was finding the right balance between taking the initiative and following instructions to the letter. It was genuinely impressive to see washing, prep, serving, and cooking all happening for multiple meals at once. There was clear coordination behind the chaos. I enjoyed it.

Two boys sit on deck chairs in an otherwise empty looking field. The grass is dry and yellow

A young boy holds his rabbit walking away from a tent by the door of the tent. A person kneels over a pot of instant noodles. Meal preparation in progress

Talks

Talks will be up on YouTube shortly, but for now here are links to a few of the talks I enjoyed.

I have many more that I want to watch. Next time, I’m determined that one of them will be mine.

A photo of a marquee tent filled with a crowd of people looking towards a stage. Either side of the stage two large screens. A person stands on stage. Behind them a background, says EMF

Next Time

If we are lucky enough to get tickets next time, I think we’d try and coordinate with other campers by registering a village. The more people I talk to about the event, the more people want to come. It would be nice to introduce the event to more people.

I submitted a suggestion for speaker slots dedicated to child ticket holders. I’d love to help make this a reality. With Oscar describing EMF as “a giant show and tell”, I’m confident I could encourage and support him to submit a talk. Feedback I’ve had is that he wouldn’t be the only one.

We came by train again this year. The journey from London was 4-5 hours depending on connections. It meant we packed light. Ideally we’d like to bring two additional things with us next time; a tarp for some shade at the campsite, and a cool-box to expand cooking options. Does this mean we need to bring a car? I hope not.

Three figures in spacesuits with brightly lit faceplates stand in a field of tents

a dance floor at night lasers, projections, beams of light and smoke machines provide atmospheric effects

Thanks

“Never before have I been somewhere where so many people clearly felt comfortable being their true selves. If only everywhere else was so accepting. Nicely done #emfcamp - keep up the good work!” – Workshops Will

The event doesn’t start when the gates open and doesn’t end when we get home. It would not be possible, let alone as enjoyable as it is without the sacrifices and efforts of the organising team (orga).

I’d like to extend my thanks beyond orga, to all the volunteers, artists, and creative people who turned up and inspired us; and to the caring individuals who returned lost items, spoke encouragingly to our children, and strived to contribute to the event in any way they could. Thank you.

Other Write Ups

A tired boy sits in a camping chair behind him half-packed camping equipment, the end of an exhausting event