Mad Camp 2025 happened! WOW! get on mail list for 2026!!!
Mad Camp 2023 and 2024 were absolute amazing smash successes!!! So YES let’s do it again everyone! July 16-20 2026! Get on mail list! DONATE!
Hello everyone living with visionary altered and extreme states of consciousness who has escaped from, is on the run from, is trying to flee, in hiding from, or dreams of transforming, psychiatry!
Join the email list click HERE!
Mad Camp 2026 is ON! July 16-20
Mad Camp 2023 AND Mad Camp 2024 already happened! WOW did they happen!!!!!!
Mad Camp on Mad In America – Blog post!
Mad Camper writes about their experience here!
Another Mad Camp blog post here!
Check out the audio interviews about Mad Camp 2024 by Jessica Gallinger on Madness Radio!
Check out the promo audio on Madness Radio!
Mad Camp 2023 was a huge success! 2024 also amazing! And wow 2025 also!!! SOOOO – Get ready for 2026 wowwwww!
Here’s what some people had to say about past Mad Camps:
It’s been a long time since I’ve been around so many people in a safe environment to talk about our experiences and I found it so healing. In fact, I can safely say that this is the first five-day period I’ve had in a long time that included this level of learning, good conversations, healing, fun, and laughter with people. I am amazed at how connected I felt to the people I met. I really felt like I developed new friendships and people who feel like family.
I’m ready to meet all of my mad folk again to play, dance, cry, laugh and connect deeply or lightly.
I am so excited to return to the world changing, mind bending, love bomb that is MadCamp
I attended last year and it was amazing and I need more mad community in my life! I have a history with madness that I am still making meaning out of and I’d love to connect with other folks
Last year was a much needed, incredible healing space. Excited to be in such a space again.
This camp came like out of one of my dreams, basically…
I loved it last year and want to come back
Mad Camp last year was amazing. I am excited to continue connecting with the community and learning from other psych survivors and mad people.
I’m a returning mad camper and can’t wait to reunite with returning campers and meet new ones! Mad camp is the place to be! Such amazing connections to make and friendships to form
Last year was great
I am a Mad Camper. Because Mad Campers are the most awesome people on the planet!!!!
Feeling the call to be with community, in a 100% Peer setting. Been having some challenging times and appreciate spaces where I can emote and navigate my emotions authentically and unapologetically. That is a hallmark of healing.
I think I’m a little more comfortable now with the name of “Mad Camp” for this wonderful summer camp for those who have had experience with psych meds or identify as different. Maybe it’s because I’m a little more comfortable admitting I’m kind of mad.
I just got back from a deeply humbled, emotionally charged, & intense Camp out in Lake County area on a beautiful mountain. Mad Camp is for folks harmed & injured by the psychiatric industrial complex. I’ve been polly drugged more of my life alive on this planet than I have not been. Benzos really wrecked me. I’ve shared my story with some of you. This was like a real life One Flew Over the Coocoos nest adventure. It was an honor to share this weekend with these amazing ppl. Non of us wanted it to end. It was an emotional departure. We made so many friendships & connections.
BASICS ON MAD CAMP:
We are the Mad Camp crew, survivors of psych diagnosis and extreme states who live outside psychiatry and have been activists and advocates for abolishing the mental health system and replacing it with love.
We are very excited to organize Mad Camp 2026!!!! After three Mad Camps that were a success!
We hereby invite planet earth’s survivors/evaders/transformers of psychiatry who are living with altered/visionary/extreme states of consciousness:
Join us for a 5 day summer camp slumber party at the beautiful Four Springs Retreat Center in Middletown, California July 16-20.!!! The retreat is two hours north of San Francisco (On public transit from the San Francisco/Oakland airport and accessible from the Bay Area transit line, though it takes a while… we try to organize ridesharing…)
(Check our Frequent Questions page for more details!)
Now announcing the barn-raising to make this happen, including asking for donations for and scholarship money. Please join us to make this a reality!
We want to feel stronger connection with you – the amazing incredible people of the mad movement, and we want to enliven our community solidarity with each other. Since the early days of the movement summer camps have been an antidote to burnout and key to weaving friendships and sharing our vision. We are called to reignite this spirit through MAD CAMP!
And we ask everyone – including allies and family members and supporters of the mad movement – please help make this happen! We need you to donate to our scholarship fund!
Mad Camp 2026 will be: Yoga!, fun, friendship, community, healing, replenishment, fun, sunshine, electrolytes, dancing, music, listening time, mutual aid, remembrance, art-making, more fun, swimming, hiking, hanging out, open mics, delicious food, frisbees, poetry, meditation, scavenger hunts, nap times, ecstatic dance, storytelling, healing offerings, starry sky gazing, jenga / board games, sun lounging, campfire hang outs, swimming pool, disco/80s happy hour, hanging out, get to know each other gatherings, optional day-long breathwork session, optional it’s-all-groovy community spirit ceremony, optional raging against the psychiatric machine (but encouraged), and optional scheming for activism (also encouraged).
You are also totally welcome to hide in your tent the whole time! No judgment! This is the MAD MOVEMENT!
We are at the very very very early stages of this – the few people discussing this so far all share a lot of excitement and are eager to join together to help. So we want to take the first step and announce this and set the universe in motion to make it happen!
We are thinking – no alcohol or substances (medical cannabis ok). Allergy aware, no-scents. Healthy and plentiful food. (Disabled access, language, and other needs contact us). Participation encouraged – if you want to share an offering or service or something let us know! Check out Frequently Asked Questions page for details on how things are shaping up!
All organizing is volunteer. All funds raised go to costs and scholarships. All finances transparent. 5 day event all-inclusive tickets probably in the $600-900 range (not including your travel). We are trying to keep costs very low, with accommodations, food and events included. If you have any ideas on how to save money let us know but with the food covered this is what the price is looking like – we are setting up tiered pricing, add-ons for cabins, some scholarships etc. (we are working on it!). Fundraising is crowdsource only: not accepting foundation, grant, or public funds. We raised more than $10k scholarships for two Mad Camps- and we funded ALL of the scholarship requests for two years in a row.
So start saving now people and save that date!
All donations are tax deductible!
Space is limited! Accepting applications for 40 or so person capacity soon – stay tuned – selection will be by group balance plus lottery. Start saving money for your ticket and travel costs now! Cross-country, international, intergalactic, and interdimensional travelers welcome! Consider combining with a CA visit, lots of festivals and things to do in late July. Volunteers welcome (please contact us to volunteer) – we don’t guarantee scholarships, work-trade tickets, or anything like that in return for volunteering.
THANK YOU for your generosity. We expect to not be perfect and humbly ask forgiveness! We have lots of questions too, we are figuring it out. We are doing our best to make this awesome – please offer feedback any time. Our hearts are really warmed by this vision of reigniting the core of our movement with community and connection.
Lots of love,
The Mad Camp Crew
Contact: madcamp20HQ (at) g (mail) (d0t) com
Mad Camp Summer California 