My old man said… Words and pics: Jo Robbins Chilling in a field, surrounded by beautiful countryside and beautiful vans. Sounds alright, right? That was VanJam3, held by Vanditos at Fir Tree Farm Campsite in Warmington, near Banbury. Every visitor got a goody bag containing a VanJam 3 sticker and the all-important bank of Vanditos drink credit to exchange for your choice of eight ales, lagers and ciders in the main marquee. If these weren’t your drink of choice, there was also a bar serving both alcoholic and nonalcoholic cocktails. Being that the venue was a camp site, it won’t shock you to hear that most visitors stayed for the weekend. There were a few day trippers too, but mainly there was a
‘I will never forget the bits I can remember…’ brilliant variety of vans. Naturally, their owners were happy to offer advice on how they had created their interiors or fitted their exhausts, sending many away full of new ideas for their own project. Fire pits sprung up round the site to take the evening chill off and toast marshmallows prior to the evening fun, with a selection of movies and a Hawaiian themed party on the Saturday night. Plenty of outfits on show here, from hula skirts to what looked like a lobster. Come trophy presentation time on the Sunday, as always with Vanditos it didn’t
follow normal categories. A couple of the most unusual were for ‘tidiest rear end’ and ‘great wing,’ as well of course as best paint and judges’ favourite among others. The aim of the event was simply to get everyone together so they could admire the vans and eat, drink and be merry. And judging by the feedback we got, I’m pretty sure we pulled it off: ‘Thanks for an awesome weekend. I will never forget the bits I can remember.’ ‘What a great chilled-out weekend. One of the best get-togethers I’ve been to in a long time. Will definitely be back next year. Thank you for making me feel welcome.’ ‘What a cracking weekend had by all. Thank you very much to Clive, Angela and
all the Vanditos. It was a proper ol’skool weekend and we’re already talking about next year.’ ‘Thanks for a great time at the VanJam. Pleasure to meet such a friendly bunch. The lobster suit was a highlight for me.’ Aha! So it WAS a lobster… VanJam4 dates will happen on 2-4 June 2023, with tickets going on sale early in the new year. Vanditos are on Facebook at VanditosUK, or visit them at www.vanditos. co.uk CC
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