DATES:

The Good, The Bad & The Fugly / Badlands Weekender: 17th -19th October 2025
Mojácar Music Mile: 21st – 25th October 2025

Fade In: Dust, Gunsmoke and Diesel

The opening shot isn’t digital. It’s real. Sunlight knifing through the dust, the dry rumble of tyres on gravel, the scent of diesel wafting somewhere in the heat haze. This isn’t cosplay. This isn’t Comic-Con in camo. This is The Good, The Bad & The Fugly aka Badlanders Weekend—an unholy alliance of campers, overlanders, bikers and desert rats, all converging on the most surreal venue in Europe: MiniHollywood Oasys…in Spain’s Tabernas Desert.

It’s not a dream. It’s not even new. It’s a revival.

Because before there were influencers and Instagram filters, there were men in dusters and wide-brimmed hats, squinting into the sun and staring down the devil. And they did it right here—amidst the scrub, the rocks, the bones of old movie sets long since left to rot.

Until now.

In October 2025, this land rides again.

A Fistful of Footage

They call it MiniHollywood. But don’t let the name fool you—it’s not a pretend playground. This is where cinema icons were forged in sand and sweat. A place where a director could blow up a bridge, ride a hundred horses through a canyon, or stare down a man with a pistol and a past.

The Tabernas Desert is officially Europe’s only true desert. A cracked, sun-baked wilderness that looks more like Arizona than Andalusia. Which is exactly why Hollywood came here.

Spaghetti Westerns made this place immortal. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. For a Few Dollars More. Once Upon a Time in the West. You don’t just visit these places—you step into them.

But it wasn’t all six-shooters.

– Lawrence of Arabia burned across these dunes.
– Indiana Jones galloped through these gullies.
– Exodus, How the West Was Won, Conan the Barbarian—all rolled cameras here.
– Game of Thrones too, for the younger set.
– Even Doctor Who for the episode A Town Called Mercy. If you know, you know.

And at the heart of it all stands MiniHollywood Oasys.

MiniHollywood Oasys: No Mirage

The venue isn’t a backdrop. It’s the main stage. Saved from the wrecking ball by a far-sighted owner, MiniHollywood is a working Western town, complete with dirt roads, swinging saloon doors, and stagecoaches that still roll.

This isn’t a ghost town overrun by tumbleweed. It’s fully alive—especially in October.

Expect live shows:

• Cowboy shoot-outs in the main square
• Can-can dancers in the Yellow Rose Saloon
• Horse stunts, Wild West storytelling, and fire-lit evenings that crackle with both nostalgia and new stories

It’s not just entertainment, though—it’s home base.

Campers and overlanders will have full access to:

• Dedicated camping areas with proper facilities
• Bars, cafés and restaurants serving cold drinks and hot food
• Fire pits for swapping road stories long after sunset
• A trader and exhibitor zone with gear, rigs, upgrades, and oddball items you never knew you needed

Whether you arrive in a Defender with mud on the door seals, a van kitted out with all the comforts of home, or on an adventure bike laden with panniers, you’ll find a space to park, camp, and connect. You don’t need a film degree—just a sense of humour and a tank of diesel!

East to Mojácar: Guitars After Gunfights

When the dust settles and the echoes of gunfire fade, the convoys roll on. From the scorched ochres of Tabernas to the blues and golds of the coast. The next chapter unfolds in Mojácar, a hillside village with a Moorish heart and a rock’n’roll soul.

We call it the Mojácar Music Mile—but it’s more than a pub crawl.

It’s a celebration. A finale. A seafront symphony strung together by surf, tapas, and five nights of live music in beachfront bars and backstreet dives. Rock, folk, flamenco, jazz—whatever moves your boots.

Each venue competes for your vote. You’re the judge. The result? One band takes home the crown. The rest? They take your applause.

Treasure Island Beach: X Marks the Spot

Before the music kicks off, there’s the Treasure Hunt at Treasure Island Beach. Yes, that’s the real name. And yes, Disney reportedly filmed Treasure Island here back in 1950, long before Hollywood had CGI or guilt.

The beach isn’t easy to find. The track is bumpy, steep, and just ambiguous enough to make you question your navigation skills. Perfect.

Some come for the hunt. Some for the view. Some just want to be able to say they made it. But everyone leaves with something—even if it’s just sand in their boots and an unshakable grin.

There’s rumour of actual treasure. Gold nuggets? Maybe. More likely beer tokens and bragging rights. Either way…worth the ride.

Mojácar Magic and Mayhem

This isn’t just the wind-down. It’s the payoff.

After the heat and dust, Mojácar is pure contrast—palm trees, whitewashed walls, rugged tracks, and the kind of sunsets that make you want to toast someone, anyone. You’ll find wild camping by the beach, low-key campsites, boutique hotels tucked into the hills, and bars that haven’t shut since the ’80s.

By day, the options are as scattered as your gear after a night in the saloon:

• Hit the off-road trails and put your tyres to work
• Take a quad or buggy up into the ridgelines
• Go dolphin spotting. Or flamingos, if you’re into the weird and pink
• Try “car golf” on a defunct coastal golf course, if you fancy hacking around in low range with no rules

Then there’s Hog Watch—which is exactly what it sounds like. Mojácar’s own wild boar whisperer will lead a silent vigil for the pigs. You couldn’t make this up.

And if you need a breather, Mojácar Pueblo—just a short drive inland—is one of Spain’s most beautiful villages. Cobbled streets, Moorish history, and enough elevation to give you a new perspective on your hangover.

Why This Isn’t Just Another Event

Because it’s not polished. It’s not packaged. It doesn’t care how many followers you’ve got, or whether your paint job matches your fridge magnets.

It’s part cinematic tribute, part community gathering, part fever dream. You bring your rig, your sense of humour, and your favourite flask. We bring the dust, the music, the treasure, and the trail.

It’s a nod to the films that raised us, the road trips that shaped us, and the idea that getting there is still half the fun.

No brands shoved down your throat. No glossy pitches. Just a convoy of like-minded misfits heading for the same horizon.

So. Saddle Up.

You don’t need a Colt .45 or a clapperboard. You just need a vehicle that runs, a decent sense of direction, and a hankering for the absurd.

The West is calling. The roads are long. The campsites are dusty. The music is loud. And somewhere out there—between Sad Hill Cemetery and Mojácar—is the kind of story you’ll still be telling when your boots are worn through.

See you in the Badlands!

Some legends are real. Some are retold around the campfire. We like both.

TICKETS FROM UK

TICKETS FROM EUROPE

The post Save the Date: Convoys, Cowboys and Rock’n’Roll appeared first on overland-europe.

Meanwhile, I sat in Cologne. A window in front me framed the damp resignation of German spring—wet concrete, bare trees, and a sky the colour of slate. My coffee had gone cold (again).

That’s how it began.

I hadn’t invited Rebecca on for a polished PR chat. I wanted to understand how a half-crazy, half-genius idea like Dachzeltnomaden—Germany’s roaming tribe of rooftop tent fanatics—grew into a full-blown subculture. I wanted to hear how she and co-director Thilo Vogel turned a Facebook group into a movement, how they built a business around sleeping on cars, and how you keep momentum when the wind won’t let up.

But mostly, I just wanted a real conversation.

She gave me one.

Meet Rebecca, Director and Firestarter

You don’t get the sense Rebecca set out to lead anything. She sounds more like someone who says yes to an idea, then realises too late that the idea has a life of its own—and now she’s holding onto its tail, trying to steer.

She joined Dachzeltnomaden early, back when it was just Thilo and a loose bunch of gear-heads and wild campers with tents on their roofs and mud on their boots. Back then, it wasn’t a movement. It wasn’t even a plan. It was a question Thilo lobbed into the internet: Are there others like me out there?

There were. Plenty.

The first meet-up—what they later called Europe’s first rooftop tent gathering—was barely organised, barely funded, and somehow unforgettable. Rebecca helped pull the pieces together. She handled social media, lent a hand with logistics, and by the following year, she was fully in.

Not as an employee. Not even as a formal partner at first. Just someone who kept showing up.

Now she’s one of two directors, steering an outfit that runs festivals, builds semi-permanent tent villages, coordinates thousands of members across multiple platforms, and still manages to keep the firepit vibe alive. That kind of growth doesn’t happen by accident—and it sure as hell doesn’t happen without a few breakdowns along the way.

“Why Not?”—The Origin of the Dachzeltnomaden

Some people build communities. Others stumble into them.

Back in 2017, Thilo wasn’t chasing followers or revenue. He just wanted to know if he was alone. Rooftop tents were still a fringe curiosity in Germany—strapped to Land Rovers, bolted to old Toyotas, perched like gull’s nests on the roofs of muddy vans. Not quite camping. Not quite overlanding. But definitely something.

So he did what people do: he created a Facebook group and asked the digital void if anyone else out there was strapping canvas boxes to their roof and calling it freedom.

They answered.

What followed wasn’t a business plan. It was a gathering. A meet-up. A proof of life. People came, shared beers, swapped ideas, compared tents, and tried not to fall off their ladders in the dark. It was messy. And it worked.

Rebecca was there early—organising, improvising, fending off chaos with duct tape and intuition. By 2018, she was all in.

There was no office. No five-year plan. Just two people, a growing crowd, and a sense that something was happening that they couldn’t quite control. What began as a shared interest quickly became a shared identity.

Beyond the Tent: From Events to Ecosystem

Somewhere along the way, it stopped being a weekend hobby.

Now it’s a full-blown ecosystem.

The numbers are slippery, depending on who’s counting, and how; but they go like this: over 50,000 in the Facebook group, 70,000+ on Instagram, YouTube, WhatsApp groups, events with 2,000 people showing up in a field to talk tents and torque wrenches. What started as a “hey, is anyone else into this?” has grown into one of the most vibrant outdoor communities in Germany.

But it’s not just events. It’s infrastructure.

There’s a full-time team—five core staff, not counting Rebecca and Thilo—and an extended crew of around 20 volunteers who step in when the camps go live. They run social, manage tech, negotiate with campsites, deal with sponsors, and somehow still find time to answer newbie questions about roof load limits and ladder lengths.

And then there are the Dachzeltdörfer—rooftop tent villages. Imagine treehouses without the trees. Fixed wooden platforms. Roof tents bolted into place. Some in the forest. Some in maize fields. Some on floating pontoons in the water. One sits tucked into the dunes of Amrum, where no vehicles are allowed but the tents are waiting anyway, like secret hideouts for grown-up kids who never stopped camping.

They’re not gimmicks. They’re test labs. Before dropping three grand on a rooftop tent, you can go spend a night in one—bring the family, drink by the fire, see if your spine agrees with the sleeping pad. That was the idea. That you should feel it before you buy it. Turns out, a lot of people agreed.

And because this is still Germany, and someone has to keep the spreadsheets tidy, they’ve turned it into a franchise system. Partnerships with campgrounds, standardised setups, even add-on pitches for people bringing their own tents. It’s clever. And it works.

Spanners, Sponsors & Spaghetti Logistics

Ask anyone who’s tried to scale a community, and they’ll tell you: there’s a point where passion turns into paperwork. And it doesn’t always happen gently.

In their early years, Rebecca and Thilo did what all stubborn visionaries do. They overcommitted. In one year, they ran ten events. Ten. Five of them were non-profit—just for the love of it, the buzz of it, the wide-eyed thrill of pulling something improbable off with zero sleep and half a plan.

They ran the website. Managed social. Built the Dachzeltdörfer. Slept in vans. Lived off firelight and Wi-Fi. Somehow, they didn’t implode.

But they came close.

COVID, ironically, saved them. The lockdowns hit pause on the chaos. Events were off. Travel was out. And for the first time in years, they had space to think.

“We were running on 24/7 mode,” Rebecca told me. “It was insane. Now we’ve got full-timers capped at 35 hours a week. Work-life balance actually means something.”

And it shows.

Out of the COVID fog came something more stable. More sustainable. They restructured. Diversified income. Turned Dachzeltdörfer into franchise deals that could weather storms. Dialled in their event model. Took a scalpel to the madness. Not to kill the spirit—but to make sure it didn’t burn itself out.

They still run on chaos, of course. Just better managed chaos. With contracts and insurance and enough toilet facilities to handle 2,000 people and a slip-and-slide.

And sponsors? Yes, they play a part—but not in the old-fashioned, logo-smearing way. Manufacturers can book ad space on the site or socials. But inside the community itself? Strict rules. No spam. No brand hype. No special treatment. Even the brands know it—if they want to know what’s going wrong with their gear, they’d better lurk quietly in the comments like everyone else.

Italy, Visibility & the Future

Dachzeltnomaden isn’t just a German thing anymore.

They’ve held events in Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands—and now, for the first time, they’re heading into Italy. Not as tourists. As co-hosts. Partnering with the Italian rooftop tent community to create something that’s not just a German export with better coffee.

Sure, 90% of the tickets so far have been sold to Germans. But the intent is there—to build something rooted in collaboration, not colonisation. That matters.

“We didn’t want to be the loud Germans rolling in and taking over,” Rebecca said. “So we reached out. And they said yes.”

That shift—from local to international, from community to network—runs parallel to another push: visibility. After a year of rebuilding the website from the inside out, this year’s mission is SEO. Not the flashy kind. The useful kind. The kind that puts answers at the top of the search results because they’re good, not because they’re crammed with keywords.

“I want people to find us because what we offer is worth finding,” Rebecca said.

There’s talk of YouTube collaborations. DIY tutorials. Gear walkthroughs. Even AI is on the radar. Not just for the sake of it—but to help distil years of community knowledge into something searchable and sharp.

But the core remains the same: real info, real people, real-world experience.

And that’s what sets them apart. It’s not just about tents. They’re building a culture—one that values curiosity over clicks, conversations over conversions.

The Big Camp in May

If you want to understand what Dachzeltnomaden really means, don’t scroll. Show up.

From May 22nd to 25th, their flagship event takes place—2,000 people, one giant camp area, and not a dull patch of grass in sight. It’s a collision of vans, tents, trucks, families, loners, DIY obsessives, Instagram escapees, muddy dogs, actual children, rooftop gear-heads, and the kind of people who show up with a beer in one hand and a socket set in the other.

It’s called the Dachzeltnomaden Festival. But that’s underselling it.

There are workshops, talks, and a full-blown Händlermeile—a vendor strip where you can test tents, poke around new accessories, or haggle over gadgets you didn’t know you needed. There’s food—real food—not just limp bratwurst and pre-packed pasta, but real trucks, with real flavour. There’s a kids’ area. There’s a giant water slide. There are lectures and late-night fires. There’s even a “creative corner” where someone might be selling honey next to a table of essential oils and handmade knives.

And there are toilets. Proper ones. With showers.

You don’t need a rooftop tent to come. Hell, you don’t even need a tent. Just bring some curiosity, maybe an open mind, and you’ll be fine.

Rebecca calls it a family reunion of people who’ve never met.

And she’s not wrong.

The thing is, Dachzeltnomaden isn’t about tents. It never was. It’s about what happens when you step out of your daily grind, and meet other people doing the same.

The gear will change. The platforms will evolve. The SEO campaigns will come and go.

But the feeling? The buzz of standing in a field full of strangers who feel like old friends?

That’s the bit they’ve nailed. And that’s why they’ll still be here when the next big camping trend has packed up and gone home.

DACHZELTNOMADEN

The post Tents, Tribes, and the T-Shirt Revolution: A Conversation with Dachzeltnomaden’s Rebecca Becker appeared first on overland-europe.

Following a pilot event in 2022, the Overland Fest 2023 marks the launch of a new annual event held on the Pannonian Basin (Carpathian Basin), dedicated to overlanders, adventures and outdoor enthusiasts.

Steeped in history, the Pannonian Basin has attracted various peoples throughout the centuries including the Romans, Hasburgs, Ottomans, Huns and the Magyars, who established the Princiality of Hungary in 895.

The organisers took the decision to stage the Overland Fest 2023 toward the end of August to coincide with travellers returning from their summer holidays or setting out for an autumn adventure.

Located between Vienna and Budapest, adjacent to a nature reserve and in close proximity to some beautiful lakes, the venue is easy to find by entering 47.6678799, 18.3110601 into your GPS or, you can join one of two groups leaving from Budapest on August 25th and take an offroad trail to the festival ground.

FAMILY EVENT

Overland Fest 2023 is a family event. Besides a campground with showers and toilets, there are two swimming pools, a lake, where you can also swim, and a nature trail with planked walkways that take you across a protected swamp area.

If you’re quick, there are even a few huts to rent, if you prefer to sleep under a roof.

On August 27th, drivers and their cars can join a guided tour for some offroading.

During the evenings, live music and a roaring campfire make a central meeting point where visitors can swap ideas and share their overlanding plans and past experiences.

WORKSHOPS

There will be a series of workshops to improve your overlanding skills:

• Safe recovery
• Winching
• Offroad driving techniques
• First aid for overlanders
• and more

COMPETITIONS

Centred around topics covered by the workshops, there will be a number of competitions where participants can win useful overloading and off-road gear.

CATERING

If you’re in Hungary, you should expect to savour some of the country’s most traditional dishes alongside popular snacks.

There will even be a competition to determine who can create the best home-made goulash, paprika chicken, lángosch, and other Balkan specialities.

INEOS GRENADIER

INEOS GABLINI are bringing two Grenadiers with them for demonstration purposes and several new owners will be joining the presentation.

If you haven’t yet had a chance to take a closer look at the Built on Purpose 4×4, this is an excellent opportunity to speak to the experts and gain some first hand experience of the car in its natural environment.

PETS POLICY

Dogs are welcome, but should be kept under control at all times and on a short leash in public areas. Owners are responsible for clearing any messes pets may leave behind.

EARLY BIRD PRICING

For bookings made in July, costs are:

• 1 Car including two persons 18+: HUF 11000 / € 29,40*
• 1 person 18+, no car: HUF 2500 / € 6,70*
• Person under 18: free

Tickets at the gate: HUF 13000 / € 34,75*

*Euro prices are calculated at the valid exchange rate on the date of publication.

FOR A GOOD CAUSE

Kornel Müller, event organiser, explained to me that all proceeds from the Overland Fest 2023 will be donated to the Pediatric Center Tüzoltó Street Department of the Semmelweis University, Faculty of Medicine.

This hospital is one of the most recognised institutions in the country and is specialised in all kinds of pediatric care. In order to maintain the amazing service it provides to the children and their families, it is dependent upon donations and external support.

The proceeds donated by the Overland Fest will go in full directly to the hospital.

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

If you are in the area anyway, or, if you haven’t yet fixed your holiday plans and would consider exploring Hungary, the Overland Fest 2023 promises to be a memorable event. In beautiful surroundings, you can stop for three days, meet like-minded travellers, learn new skills, savour local cuisine, and basically have a good time.

OVERLAND FEST 2023

The post Overland Fest 2023: A New Event in the Heart of the Hungarian Plain for Overlanders and Adventures appeared first on overland-europe.

Teams will depart Lake Tahoe, California, on October 13, 2016, and spend 10 days working their way across Nevada on lonely two-tracks, sand dunes, and alkali flats. On some nights they will rendezvous at organized bivouacs; other nights will be spent solo camping en route. By the time they reach the checkered flag amidst a set of “undisclosed” Southern California sand dunes, they will have covered over 2,000 kilometers of the West’s most rugged and spectacular backcountry. In contrast to the dust and grime of the desert, a black-tie post-competition gala at the Del Mar racetrack near San Diego will bookend the event.

The event is designed for stock four-wheel drives, SUVs, and crossovers; all you need to bring is the yearning for adventure

A noteworthy aspect of the Rebelle Rally is that you don’t need to be a professional driver or own a heavily modified vehicle to compete. The event is designed for stock four-wheel drives, SUVs, and crossovers; all you need to bring is the yearning for adventure. Meals and showers, as well as mechanical and medical support are provided at each bivouac. If you need to sharpen your navigational skills, fear not. Participants receive online training, as well as tracking services so your friends and family can follow your progress. If you are up for the ultimate “all-girls” road trip, the Rebelle Rally might be the adventure you’ve been waiting for.

REBELLE RALLY

The post Rebelle Rally – The ultimate “all-female” road trip appeared first on overland-europe.