In March Camp Yellowjackets was hosted by Fair Market in Austin Texas during the opening of Film and Movie Weekend at SXSW 2023.

Imbued with the air of an abandoned encampment crossed with the summer camps we both loved and dreaded, Camp Yellowjackets was a deeply immersive experience with sights, smells, tastes, and terrors.

SXSW Activation - Camp Yellowjackets (Showtime)

Upon entering, we were greeted at a registration desk where we received a friendship bracelet and directions on how to find our way around. There promised to be lots to see and do.

SXSW Activation - Camp Yellowjackets (Showtime)
SXSW Activation - Camp Yellowjackets (Showtime)
SXSW Activation - Camp Yellowjackets (Showtime)
SXSW Activation - Camp Yellowjackets (Showtime)

Camp Yellowjackets wants you to be prepared for what could be a very long stay, so there are lessons on foraging and mushroom hunting.

SXSW Activation - Camp Yellowjackets (Showtime)
SXSW Activation - Camp Yellowjackets (Showtime)
SXSW Activation - Camp Yellowjackets (Showtime)

Once you can tell your roots from your mushrooms (don't worry, Misty definitely knows!), we move on to Target Practice, because PROTEIN MATTERS!

Here, Campers were invited to test their skill at axe-throwing, and were given three tries with a plastic axe to hit any number of targets - signs, bullseyes, and stuffed forest creatures.

SXSW Activation - Camp Yellowjackets (Showtime)
SXSW Activation - Camp Yellowjackets (Showtime)
SXSW Activation - Camp Yellowjackets (Showtime)

Apparently, I'm better at foraging.

SXSW Activation - Camp Yellowjackets (Showtime)

Next, it's on to meat processing! When abandoned in the wilderness, no one can let a single scrap go to waste! Hides are needed for clothing, and meat must be preserved to be manageable for cookable chunks.

SXSW Activation - Camp Yellowjackets (Showtime)
SXSW Activation - Camp Yellowjackets (Showtime)
SXSW Activation - Camp Yellowjackets (Showtime)
SXSW Activation - Camp Yellowjackets (Showtime)

Tea?

Don't worry - Misty had nothing to do with it.

SXSW Activation - Camp Yellowjackets (Showtime)

After a hard day of work, it's time to rest in the cozy cabin with a little reading material and a good friend.

SXSW Activation - Camp Yellowjackets (Showtime)
SXSW Activation - Camp Yellowjackets (Showtime)
SXSW Activation - Camp Yellowjackets (Showtime)

Go ahead - you're a State Champ, let your hair down. You've earned it!

SXSW Activation - Camp Yellowjackets (Showtime)

Don't forget to say your prayers and give thanks to the brave Campers who came before you, paving the way for a memorable stay.

SXSW Activation - Camp Yellowjackets (Showtime)
SXSW Activation - Camp Yellowjackets (Showtime)

I took a little walk around the Shrine in the falling snow and suffocating silence. It was serenely terrifying.

SXSW Activation - Camp Yellowjackets (Showtime)

Let's also give thanks to the God of the Woods

SXSW Activation - Camp Yellowjackets (Showtime)
SXSW Activation - Camp Yellowjackets (Showtime)
SXSW Activation - Camp Yellowjackets (Showtime)

All of our thanks.

SXSW Activation - Camp Yellowjackets (Showtime)

hopes all campers learned lots and enjoyed their extended stay. I know I did!

Season 2 of Yellowjackets airs a new episode every Friday night on Showtime. It stars Melanie Lynskey, Tawny Cypress, Christina Ricci, Juliette Lewis, Lauren Ambrose, Simone Kessell, Sophie Nelisse, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Samantha Hanratty, Sophie Thatcher, Liv Hewson, Courtney Eaton, Kevin Alves, Steven Krueger, and Warren Kole.

SXSW Activation - Camp Yellowjackets (Showtime)
SXSW Activation - Camp Yellowjackets (Showtime)
Articles by
MontiLee Stormer
Movie Reelist Contributor: MontiLee Stormer
MontiLee Stormer is a writer of horror, dark and urban fantasy. She’s also is a troublemaker, concocting acts of mayhem and despair for her own selfish pleasure. An avid movie watcher, she prefers horror but will see just about anything if you're buying. Poltergeist (1982) is her favorite movie and she actively hates The Shining (1980) due to its racism, misogyny, the butchering of the source material. She could host a TEDtalk on this single subject. Writing about herself in the third person is just a bonus.

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