Prepare your FOMO: This intimate, Delta Spirit-curated festival on a ranch during SXSW sounds incredible

Those following our coverage of SXSW last year might remember we headed along to Willie Nelson’s festival Luck Reunion, which is held on his ranch about an hour out of Austin. Well this year, Matthew Logan Vasquez of Delta Spirit is curating an incredibly intimate experience which seems inspired by Nelson’s, dubbed the “Revival Experience at Camp Lucy”.

Set to be held on Wednesday, 13th March 2019, during the main leg of SXSW, the event will take over a ranch-style resort called Camp Lucy, just outside of downtown Austin in Dripping Springs, Texas. The line-up is pretty incredible, with the legendary Patty Griffin set to hit the stage alongside Nathaniel Rateliff (solo), Shakey Graves, Texas supergroup Glorietta, Wild Child, Charley Crockett, Matthew Vasquez Logan himself and more. The full lineup is further along in this article.

The festival will have a total capacity – including the artists themselves – of just 500, with the promise for guests to be able to engage with the artists directly, some of whom will be lodging at the event that night themselves. The event will achieve this by removing fencing and other boundaries that are normally in place at festivals. There’ll also be free food and drink (including alcohol and a mother flipping banquet!), camp-style activities for both day and overnight visitors… and even live recordings in the on site Chapel.

Here’s a look at everything that’s promised to happen at the event:

  • The event will include daytime and overnight activities, with options to lodge at the festival alongside the artists overnight at Camp Lucy.
  • Pass-holders will be provided with free shuttle transportation from downtown Austin to Camp Lucy. On-Site parking will also be available for no charge.
  • Food will be provided on arrival, compliments of Camp Lucy’s award-winning restaurant Tillie’s and Executive Chef Rob McMahon, who will act as culinary curators for the entire event, offering a variety of Texas-inspired cuisine and comfort food.
  • Not unlike Willie’s event, complimentary beverages will be offered to all attendees throughout the event, including throughout the night, as well as into the following morning for overnight guests. Offerings on site will include a variety of alcoholic beverages sourced locally from Austin and across Central Texas, including Desert Door Sotol, Dripping Springs Vodka, Dulce Vida Spirits, Still Austin Whiskey Co. and Treaty Oak Distilling, among others; as well as various non-alcoholic refreshments, including Chameleon Cold-Brew, GT’s Kombucha, Richards Rainwater, and more.
  • Throughout the afternoon and into the night, guests will be treated to a variety of performances on the outdoor performance stage, which will be situated on several secluded acres in the picturesque Hill Country ranch and just above the famed Onion Creek. The full performance schedule will be announced closer to the event date.
  • In conjunction with main stage performances, extremely intimate live recording sessions will take place throughout the afternoon nearby inside Ian’s Chapel, a restored 19th century French Colonial Chapel (pictured below). During the recording sessions, attendees will have the opportunity to witness exclusive performances of potentially new and unrecorded material from participating artists. Overnight guests will have priority seating at each of the closed-door “Revival Sessions,” which will be filmed live by the Cinderblock.tv team.

  • For those looking to take a break from the music, Revival’s designated activity concierge, Backwoods Adventures, will offer a variety of outdoor activities throughout the afternoon in addition to Camp Lucy’s traditional on-site offerings, including archery, fishing, hiking, and more. Camp Lucy’s outdoor pool, which will feature Revival artist-curated playlists, will also be made available for guests during the festivities. Artists and fans alike are encouraged to participate in these various activities outside of the music performances.
  • Later in the evening, a complimentary banquet-style dinner from Tillie’s and Executive Chef Rob McMahon will be provided to all ticket-buyers. The fine-dining restaurant at Camp Lucy will remain open throughout the afternoon and evening for guests who wish to dine privately. The decadent restaurant space, which opened last October, offers seasonal New American fare and over 100 types of wine.
  • There will be several other events and activities to keep the party going long into the night, including an after-party featuring a late night family jam led by The Texas Gentleman and special guests inside the nearby Great Hall, a massive, dramatic timber-framed venue space nestled above the flowing Onion Creek and near the main stage performance area. In addition to fireside s’mores under the Texas night sky, a variety of special late-night snacks will be served to all attendees at the intimate on-site gathering.
  • Shuttle service to/from Austin will run through the night for those wishing to stick around after the main stage performances.
  • The following morning, guests who opted to stay overnight in one of Camp Lucy’s world-class cottages or guest rooms will be treated to a variety of invigorating activities to jump-start their day before heading back to Austin on the complimentary charter shuttles around noon. Morning activities include yoga and personal training, shots of B-12 and other reviving vitamins, IV hydration treatments administered by NuuVo Health, and more. Nuuvo Health will act as Revival’s on-site wellness concierge, offering a variety of treatments throughout the event for guests, including on Thursday morning for those who wish to lodge overnight.

And here’s your look at the full lineup:

Nathaniel Rateliff
Shakey Graves
Patty Griffin
Glorietta
Wild Child
Matthew Logan Vasquez
Charley Crockett
The Texas Gentlemen
Nicole Atkins
Noah Gundersen
Carson McHone
Jason Robert Blum
Vinyl Ranch

Experience Passes are on sale now, starting at US$497. This event is adults-only, 21+ and the site will only cater for 500 people, so tickets are incredibly limited.

All Experience Pass ticket-holders will receive the following benefits: general admission to grounds and all main stage performances; complimentary beverages through the entirety of the event; complimentary food, including small bites from arrival to 5 p.m., banquet-style dinner from 6-8 p.m. and gourmet desserts, all of which will be provided by Tillie’s and Chef Rob McMahon; complimentary shuttle pick-up and drop-off from Austin; access to Camp Lucy’s various on-site activities like fishing, archery, and hiking; limited access to “Revival Sessions” in on-site chapel; entrance to the official after-party featuring a late night family jam led by The Texas Gentleman and special guests; and a variety of late night snacks..

For those looking to elevate their experience on site, Camp Lucy is also offering an extremely limited amount of lodging packages featuring top-of-the-line amenities that will make for a relaxing and luxurious stay. With only 25 rooms available, ranging in price from $697 for individual rooms to $9,995 for the sole Lucy Cottage, these lucky guests will have the option to escape to the well-appointed comforts of their room to enjoy the modern conveniences after a day of discovering Revival activities and performances. Overnight lodging options include individual guest rooms, or, for those seeking a more private escape, one of the Camp’s beautifully crafted cottages with multiple rooms for larger groups.

For tickets and more details about the event, head to revivalexp.com.

Larry Heath

Founding Editor and Publisher of the AU review. Currently based in Toronto, Canada. You can follow him on Twitter @larry_heath or on Instagram @larryheath.