February 7–8, 2026
A Cold but Memorable Weekend
This was my third year at VanFest, and every year has gotten better. This year, however, was cold. Rain before the event also forced it to move to a drier section of the grounds.
The new location changed some of the familiar flow, but it also made it easy to walk the rows of vans and Skoolies that had traveled from around the country to be there.
Exploring the Vanlife Community
What I enjoy most about VanFest is the vanlife community itself. It feels like a group of friends and extended family who meet up at events all over the country.
People are open about sharing their experiences, their builds, and the lessons they have learned on the road. I always come away with new ideas for my own van just by looking at different setups and talking with their owners.
Winning a Victron Solar Charger
Vendor raffles were held throughout the event, and I contributed certificates for AMSOIL products. During one of the drawings, I won a Victron MPPT solar charge controller from the vendor next to me, the first time I had won one of the raffle prizes at VanFest.
After talking with several people at the show, I decided portable solar panels would be the best fit for my needs starting out. I purchased a setup and installed it shortly after the event.
Seminars, Skoolies & New Connections
During the warmer daytime hours, the event was open to spectators to visit and included seminars for people curious about vanlife, mobile internet, travel products, and the many different approaches to building a home on wheels.
The Skoolie community was also well represented. I met the organizers of Skoolie Swarm, who invited me to host a seminar at one of their events about AMSOIL diesel products. At VanFest the year before, I had met one of their members with a dual-bypass filtration system, which started a great discussion about bypass filtration, synthetic oil, and AMSOIL.
Music, Firepits & Caribbean Moonshine
Evenings included live bands, although the cold had everyone gathered around firepits throughout the grounds. The Orlando-based Caribbean Moonshine Company was there again selling their rum and serving some of their signature mixed drinks that helped people warm up.
Vans, Skoolies & Inspiration
Ford Transits and Mercedes-Benz Sprinters were well represented, along with Skoolies and other creative mobile living setups. My focus this year was on vans closer in size and layout to mine, especially how people used their available space.
Because of that, there are fewer interior photos of the larger Transit and Sprinter builds in this gallery. There were plenty of ideas, people, and vehicles that made VanFest another worthwhile trip.
