Press release from the Asheville Van Life Rally:
Buckle up for the fourth annual Asheville Van Life Rally, a celebration of the van life community to be held Sept. 21-23, 2018, at the JuneBug Retro Resort near Weaverville, NC. This event includes a full weekend of camping for over 200 vehicles, live music, local craft brews, campfires, a kids village, vendors, and a raffle benefiting the Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity. Vehicle owners will spend the weekend sharing their road-trip-ready build-outs and enjoying the community of fellow vanlifers. Camping passes are $85/vehicle (plus taxes and fees) for the entire weekend and include an intimate setting Friday night with vehicle owners, campfires, local brews, and music. On Saturday, Sept. 22, the event opens up to the public from 12 p.m.-10 p.m., and spectators can purchase day passes for $15 (plus taxes and fees) to come enjoy the event during those hours. For more information about ticketing and registration, visit www.ashevillevanlife.com.
The #vanlife movement has been growing rapidly over the past few years, with an increasing number of people wanting to live simply, have the freedom and flexibility of travel and adventure with the availability of remote work. Made up of more than just vans, the community includes renovated school buses, tricked out trucks, and other vehicles with DIY creations answering the call for the wide open road. Many vanlifers are “full-timers,” living year-round in their vehicles while exploring the world. The vanlife community is robust via social media, with most of the connection being strongest on Instagram and Facebook. Even with an impressive online network, many of them report they crave in-person connection and fellowship. The Asheville Van Life Rally has been an annual pilgrimage of sorts for many of these people, offering an opportunity to spend quality time hanging out and sharing stories in the spirit of community.
The Asheville Van Life Rally is in its fourth year. It all started with a 4-hour long “open house” of adventure mobiles in 2015, in conjunction with the 5Point Adventure Film Festival. Asheville Van Life Rally founder and director, Micah Pulleyn, reports the event has more than doubled in size each year, outgrowing its venue with each year’s growth. In 2017, the rally attracted over 3,000 visitors with 100 vehicles exhibiting. This year, with more than 200 vehicles already registered, the rally has already doubled its 2017 vehicle attendance. The Asheville Van Life Rally is now the largest van life gathering on the East coast and is attracting van life community members from all around the world.
Micah Pulleyn, founder and director, says, “The recent explosion of the #vanlife phenomenon is certainly exciting for us. With so many visitors coming in from outside of Asheville joining with our local van community, it’s a joy to meet new people and bring them together. There are no strangers when you’re at a van life rally. Everyone seems to connect at a more authentic level, no matter age, background, vehicle, or lifestyle.”
The Asheville Van Life Rally is co-hosted by the Vanlife Diaries based out of Australia, and Tiny House, Tiny Footprint, based in North America. The Asheville Van Life Rally is generously supported by Mercedes-Benz of Knoxville, YETI, NCLine Adventures, Ujoint Offroad, Blue Ridge Adventure Vehicles, Navitat Canopy Adventures, Gnarcissist, Quigley 4×4, Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine, Skoolie.com, & Skirven & Croft, among many others.
The Wedge Brewery and Zillicoah Beer Company are brewing special beers just for the event with Klean Kanteen providing reusable steel pint cups. Daidala Nomadic Ciders, Maggie B’s Wines, Buchi, and Mason Joe’s Coffee will provide other beverages, as well. Other vendors include Root Down, Sweet Cheesus, and Deli Llammma food trucks, Tin Can Event Co., LEAF Easel Rider, Dr. Bronner’s Magic Foam Experience, NUCLEO Community, and Lodge Cast Iron cooking demos.
This event is a fundraiser for the Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity.
Raffle donations include items from Advanced Elements, Big Agnes, Biolite, Cotopaxi, Klean Kanteen, Lems Shoes, Lodge Cast Iron, Luminaid, Mountain Khakis, Navitat Canopy Adventures, Nemo, One Eleven Watches, REI, Renogy Solar, Rova Magazine, Voited, Yakima, YETI, and more!
To contact the event producer, Micah Pulleyn, call 828.380.9287 or email ashevillevanlife@gmail.com
For information about the event:
· Website: https://www.ashevillevanlife.com/
· Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/4th-annual-asheville-van-life-rally-2018-registration-41565555696
· Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashevillevanlife/?hl=en
· AVLR Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/146098529485206/
· AVL Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ashevillevanlife/
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