What is your cancellation policy?
October tickets are refundable through August 1, minus processing fees.
Where is the festival?
Self-Reliance Festival
at Special Operations Equipment
4631 Highway 70 E
Camden, TN 38320
Lodging
FREE! Camp overnight at Special Operations Equipment. There’s a composting toilet, water, and a handwashing station.
You may arrive and set up camp on Friday after 3 pm.
Please be entirely off the SOE property by 6pm Sunday.
Lodging closest to SOE property
New Johnsonville
5 minutes away
New Johnsonville Harbor Campground
130 Harbor Cir, New Johnsonville, TN 37134
(615) 319-4433
no website
Deerfield Inn (*closest hotel to SOE property*)
1331 Broadway Ave, New Johnsonville, TN 37134
(931) 535-3889
no website
Camden
under 5 miles / 10 minutes
Best Western Home Place Inn
731-584-2222
Nicest hotel in the area
Country Hearth Inn and Suites
731-584-6666
Birdsong Road area
5 miles / 10 minutes
Cedar Ridge RV Park
3400 Birdsong Rd
Camden, TN 38320
Close to SOE
Birdsong Resort | Marina | Campground
255 Marina Road
Camden Kentucky Lake, Tennessee 38320-9699
(731) 584-7880
Close to SOE
20 minutes plus from SOE
Most affordable
34 miles / 40 minutes from SOE
Pike’s Peak Campground
$10-12
127 Perryville Rd, Parsons, TN 38363
(731) 249-0029
East
15 miles / 20 minutes from SOE
Waverly
Imperial Lodge
504 W Main St #1407, Waverly, TN 37185
(813) 304-5113
no website
South
15 miles / 20 minutes from SOE
Days Inn by Wyndham, Holladay
13845 Hwy 641 N, Holladay, TN 38341
(731) 483-2068
West
27 miles / 35 minutes west of SOE
The Heritage Inn
11790 Lexington St, Huntingdon, TN
North
28+ miles / 36+ minutes north of SOE
farthest, but largest city in the immediate area
Paris Landing RV Park
35 Point Pleasant Road, Buchanan, Tennessee
Larry Richardson: 731.363.3020
Faye Richardson: 731.363.3019
a KOA facility?
Paris, TN
Hotels
Super 8 by Wyndham Paris
1309 E Wood St, Paris, TN 38242
Paris Inn & Suites
1297 E Wood St, Paris, TN 38242
Quality Inn
1510 E Wood St, Paris, TN 38242
Knights Inn Paris
409 Tyson Ave, Paris, TN 38242
Other links
RV, camping, and camping cabin parks in the area
Hotels and motels near Camden, Tennessee
Parking
All participant parking is at Big Daddy convenience store.
Place your parking pass on the dashboard. It’s good Saturday and Sunday.
Please leave valuables at home.
Can I park my RV onsite?
No. Please see “Lodging” for a list of campgrounds in the FAQ.
Food and Supplies
Food and some beverages will be available for purchase. Water is in the orange and white Gatorade urns.
We will serve Holler Roast Coffee – for a freewill donation.
There will be GREAT food vendors on site and the gas station at our entrance (Big Daddy’s) serves pretty good fare.
A Note:
Organizers seek food, drink, and snack vendors. What about you: do you make yummy things?
Please sign up to sell food at Self-Reliance Festival by completing the Vendor application. At least one of your tickets will be complimentary, and you’ll make a few bucks.
For questions, email us at eventmanager@selfreliancefestival.com
Can I bring my dog?
The Willises have dogs trained to defend against other dogs and cannot ensure the safety of your canines.
Certified service dogs only are allowed, but respect the Willises wishes and do not bring them close to the area where the defense dogs are kept. The dogs can and will jump the fence to attack other dogs.
What about bringing children?
There is no discount for youngsters.
Children who behave as adults are welcome. If children become unruly – or if adults act like unruly children – they will be ejected from the event.
We now have a Family Pass! This will get 2 adults and ALL children under 18 into SelF Reliance Festival.
October 2024 will also feature the first ever Self Reliance Kids!
Necessities and Luxuries
This is Self Reliance Festival: when you come, please be equipped to take care of yourself.
The event is held just outside a small rural town. Everything takes place in and around a sewing factory. We can’t entirely take over this production facility, so we fit in among the trappings of doing business and the memorable Willis Collection of Wonderful Items.
While we rent some chairs, bring your own chair if you can, water bottles, clothing for Tennessee and the season, and all the things you need for comfort. Example: Mama Sauce needs a knitting project in order to listen carefully to a speech.
Some attendees have found cellphone service spotty; others have no problem at all. There is no internet onsite unless you are a vendor. We will try to set up a device charging station.
Bathrooms and Kitchens
Attendee toilet facilities are outdoors in the form of porta-johns. Please do not ask to and do not use the factory workers’ rest rooms.
The same is true of the kitchen. In order to feed 300 – 600 people, every attendee must stay out of the kitchen, the areas in front of it, and the restrooms – even those visitors accustomed to using these areas. If you want to cook or chill something, bring a stove and cooler.