Attention, Bass Campers! The time is almost here for us to report to camp and ignite Reno in EDM perfection. Bass Camp is returning to its beloved home at Wingfield Park NEXT WEEK, spanning July 27th and 28th. This year’s installment features a stellar lineup of world-renowned deejays alongside tomorrow’s headliners, directly reflecting the vibrant electronic music scene fostered by the Bass Camp Community.
Truthfully, we love this fest because it is way more than just a ‘music’ festival.
Bass Camp has created an immersive experience that gives an array of food and drink options, interactive art installations, art cars, and local vendors offering the best clothes, crafts, and arts for all. The beautiful venue at Wingfield Park has grass landscaping surrounded by the refreshing Truckee River — an insanely awesome way to cool down without missing a beat! Speaking of art cars, we are especially excited to see the return of the “Giving Tree” art car, which will host a silent disco featuring two dedicated channels to accommodate both Bass heads and House partiers.
We at, Top Shelf, had the opportunity to connect with Bass Camp Festival’s founder Paul Reder ahead of the seventh annual. Check out what he has to say about all the benefits of Wingfield Park, Bass Camp’s community, and how it all got started.
Why Reno? What sets it apart from the rest?
- PR: The City of Reno has been a great partner and supporter of the arts in all genres. They have been loyal sponsors of Bass Camp events throughout the years, including their marketing arm, the Reno-Sparks Convention Authority (RSCVA). It’s wonderful to have the community embrace the electronic music culture and encourage events like ours.
- The park that Bass Camp lives in now is all grass, beautifully landscaped, and surrounded by the Truckee River. The water flows around both sides of the park, making an island out of our venue, and the only way onto the island is through two bridges. We use one bridge for our General Admission entrance and another for our VIP Entrance. It is truly an exceptional experience to see the river from all sides of the festival. Bring your towels and swimsuits, then listen to your favorite artist while cooling off in the water. It’s a vibe!
- The other thing we love about Reno is the infrastructure surrounding the festival grounds. Everything is within walking distance. Grab your hotel at one of the many casinos or boutique hotels and walk to the event each day. There are so many great restaurants, bars, nightclubs, and, of course, all our after-parties are very walkable from Bass Camp. Reno is an all-night town: venues, casinos, and bars can stay open with no last-call, so if guests want to keep the party going, it’s an option not many cities have to offer.
- Finally, Reno is very close to Lake Tahoe; you can be in the Sierras in minutes and on the north shore of Lake Tahoe about 30 minutes from the festival grounds. Hiking, boating, and sightseeing are all within reach during your Bass Camp experience.
So, what inspired you to start Bass Camp? And how has it evolved?
- I’ve always been a fan of electronic music, even before it was popular or mainstream. I was a DJ in college and always enjoyed the scene growing up. I worked my way up the corporate ladder as the primary talent buyer for Caesars Entertainment, Inc.; I introduced electronic music shows to the Caesars brand in 1996 with DJ/Producer Paul Oakenfold selling out the Circus Maximus Showroom. It was a first for the company and a first for Paul Oakenfold to play a casino.
- Now, deejays in casinos are a primary source of entertainment in Las Vegas and other gaming cities. I followed up that success by booking other headline deejays such as Tiësto, Porter Robinson, and others over the years. I left Caesars as Vice President of Entertainment for corporate in 2003, then started to promote my own electronic music events and tours. I worked with Paul Oakenfold on several other casino dates around the country, then, in 2013, made the move to start an all-day, all-night 12-hour electronic music festival called Bass Camp in Lake Tahoe. We’ve been going strong as promoters and festival producers ever since.
Last year, Bass Camp debuted a new home and second fest day. What factors were behind these major moves?
- The festival had been looking for a new home for several years. Trying to convert a Lake Tahoe casino parking lot to reflect our vision was as stretch; we brought in real fresh sod grass to make a park-like atmosphere, big share structures to protect against the summer sun, and several stages in a tight area. It was expensive and wasn’t fooling anyone… we were still in a casino parking lot.
- Although Lake Tahoe has been my home for 35 years and I wanted nothing more than to try and keep the festival on the South Shore, there just wasn’t a perfect location to move it that would give us the vibe we were looking for, until we saw Wingfield Park on the Truckee River. It spans several city blocks, is broken up into two sections, all grass, and is surrounded by beautiful trees and natural shade structures. The best part is that it’s in the Truckee River that surrounds all sides of the park, making it a truly unique, natural setting that everyone enjoys. Everyone was raving about the move to the park!
- The decision to go two days was fan-driven. We love getting feedback from festival-goers and making a trip from across the country (or even a drive up from LA) is better served when an event can span more than one day. Last year, we expanded the offerings to three-days of programming in multiple venues around the city; that is something we will be exploring again in the future.
Let’s talk the insane collab sets for 2024 — Gigantic Nghtmre (Big Gigantic + Nightmare) and Kill Safari (Bro Safari + Kill the Noise)…
- We wanted to present some unique experiences for the fans this year and, initially, we tried to book the vocalists to sing live with several deejays this year, but timing and routing got in the way. The amazing agents we have worked with throughout the years offered up these rare dates with Gigantic NGHTMRE and Kill Safari, who do very limited dates together. The timing for Gigantic NGHTMRE was great with the release of their Remixes EP that came out this month. We’ve worked with both Kill The Noise and Bro Safari separately, but seeing them together onstage will be a treat for music fans.
What is your dream lineup for Bass Camp — any artist, alive or not?
- Oh boy, good question. There are so many amazing options. I would say a good mix of all genres. Let’s go with Illenium Day One, who has family ties to Reno-Tahoe, and John Summit Day Two, who is on fire right now, and he would bring vocalist Hayla with him to sing live onstage. I’ve worked with Kaskade many times, especially on his rise to fame, so he’s on that list. I’d have to bring Paul Oakenfold and Tiësto on the lineup, since that’s where it all started. On the Bass side, I’d love to have incredible female producers, like Alison Wonderland and REZZ. On the House Music side, I’d love the live vocals and energy of Kaleena Zanders, Nora En Pure, and the duo SOFI TUKKER. The lineup wouldn’t be complete without some live sets from Big Gigantic (who are on this year’s Bass Camp), Big Wild, Rüfüs Du Sol, and if we could bring them back for one more live set after their finale tour, ODESZA.
What memorable moments or interactions with fans have stood out to you over the years?
- The most memorable moment comes from Year One of Bass Camp in 2013, when social media was in its infancy. We just started an Instagram account for our first festival called @basscampfest. When the festival was over, kids were already flocking to it, calling themselves #basscampers, #basscampkids, and making posts like “this one time at Bass Camp”, a play from that American Pie movie quote. We knew we had to continue the Bass Camp brand and produce more events each year from the fan reaction of Year One. I would say second to that first year was when Krewella brought their full band to Bass Camp and MTV followed with a documentary on that experience. It was fun having MTV film during the festival and watching it air on the network.
And Bass Camp goes beyond the festival, right?
- Bass Camp produces roughly 20-30 events under the company umbrella each year. We recently started a new event called “The Biggest Little Block Party In The World” this past May under the Reno Arch on Virginia Street in downtown Reno. Seeing 4,000-5,000 people in the middle of the city’s most recognizable block dancing and vibing at that event was amazing. That will be a legacy event that we produce annually.
- We have a new event called Tacos & Tequila Festival on August 17th at J Resort’s Glow Plaza in Reno with BBNO$, Wuki, and Good Times Ahead. We have another annual event, “Believe In Reno”, that takes place outdoors in the City Plaza next to the Burning Man art installations, “Believe Sign” and “Space Whale”. Past artists there have included Gorgon City, TroyBoi, Nora En Pure, and others. We are also getting ready to announce a massive New Year’s Eve two-day festival, December 30th-31st, at the new Tahoe Blue Event Center, which will also be a legacy annual event not to be missed.
If you haven’t secured your passes yet, there is still time! You can head on over to the Bass Camp website to get your entry to your favorite artists’ favorite festival now. Don’t miss it!
Bass Camp VI recap video:
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