Wasteland Weekend

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Wasteland Weekend
Wasteland Main Gate.jpg
Wasteland Weekend Main Gate
BeginsSeptember 25, 2024 (2024-09-25) [1]
EndsSeptember 29, 2024 (2024-09-29)
FrequencyAnnual
Location(s) Edwards, California, United States
Years active14
InauguratedOctober 22, 2010 (2010-10-22) [2]
Founders
  • Karol Bartoszynski
  • Jared Butler
  • James Howard
Attendance4,300 (2019) [3]
Organised by
  • Jared Butler [1]
  • Adam Chilson
Website www.wastelandweekend.com

Wasteland Weekend is an annual four-day festival held on the edge of the Mojave Desert [4] near Edwards, California. It is listed as a full immersion event, with all participants required to adhere to the set theme inspired by post-apocalyptic media such as Mad Max , Fallout and Wasteland. The festival includes themed costumes, campsites and vehicles, live bands and DJs, [5] fire, burlesque and other performers, and Jugger matches. [6]

Contents

It has been held annually in September since 2010, except for 2020, when the event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is currently owned and organized by Jared Butler and Adam Chilson under their company Wasteland World Inc.[ citation needed ]

Jugger Match Gladiators fighting.jpg
Jugger Match

History

Wasteland Weekend has been held annually since 2010 [7] after being founded by Karol Bartoszynski, Jared Butler and James Howard. [2] The first Wasteland Weekend received media attention and a video greeting from George Miller, director of the Mad Max films. [8] It has grown from approximately 350 attendees in 2010 to approximately 4,300 in 2019. [3] [9] In 2014, over 100 different themed cars and motorcycles were brought to the event. [7]

Drawing on Mad Max -themed events in other countries, the first event was held in October in California City, California. It was organized by Karol Bartoszynski, Jared Butler, and club promoter Jim Howard. The event featured exhibitions of movie replica cars and bikes, a gyrocopter flyover, vendors, fire dancers, and contests. [2] Co-founders James Howard and Karol Bartoszynski left management in 2010 and 2014 respectively. [8]

In 2017, the event expanded from four to five days, beginning on the last Wednesday of September. [1] By the tenth consecutive year in 2019, the sold-out event had over 4,300 participants. With 2020 being cancelled, year 11 was deferred to 22nd – 26th, 2021.

Theme

The theme of Wasteland Weekend draws heavily from apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, especially the Mad Max franchise, and requires all attendees to wear appropriately themed clothing. [4] In its early years, Wasteland Weekend was billed as "Mad Max fun in the California sun". Other influences include Wasteland and the Fallout series of video games. [10] [11]

In media

Wasteland Weekend 2017 was featured in The Boulet Brothers' Dragula season 2, in which the four remaining competitors had to take part in a photoshoot in a nearby desert and perform as a group at Wasteland Weekend. [12] [13]

Adam Savage's Discovery, Science Channel show " Savage Builds " season 1 episode 3 "Mad Max Melee" featured Butler, several vehicles from Wasteland Weekend, [14] and the festival's property. [15]

Additional events

There have been several official spin-off events from Wasteland Weekend and its organizers, including The Wasteland Film Festival (started 2013), [16] The Wasteland World Car Show (started 2016), [17] and The Wastelanders Ball (started 2017). [18] The same team also launched an annual sci-fi and cyberpunk-themed festival, Neotropolis, [19] in 2022.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction</span> Genre of fiction

Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction is a subgenre of speculative fiction in which the Earth's civilization is collapsing or has collapsed. The apocalypse event may be climatic, such as runaway climate change; astronomical, an impact event; destructive, nuclear holocaust or resource depletion; medical, a pandemic, whether natural or human-caused; end time, such as the Last Judgment, Second Coming or Ragnarök; or any other scenario in which the outcome is apocalyptic, such as a zombie apocalypse, AI takeover, technological singularity, dysgenics or alien invasion.

<i>Mad Max 2</i> 1981 Australian post-apocalyptic action film

Mad Max 2 is a 1981 Australian post-apocalyptic dystopian action film directed by George Miller, who co-wrote it with Terry Hayes and Brian Hannant. It is the second installment in the Mad Max franchise. The film stars Mel Gibson reprising his role as "Mad Max" Rockatansky and follows a hardened man who helps a community of settlers to defend themselves against a roving band of marauders. Filming took place in locations around Broken Hill, in the Outback of New South Wales.

<i>Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome</i> 1985 Australian post-apocalyptic action film

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, commonly known as Mad Max 3, is a 1985 Australian post-apocalyptic dystopian action film directed by George Miller and George Ogilvie and written by Terry Hayes and Miller. It is the third installment in the Mad Max franchise. The film stars Mel Gibson and Tina Turner, and follows a lone roving warrior who is exiled into the desert. It was Gibson's last performance as "Mad Max" Rockatansky as of 2024.

Wasteland or waste land may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Max Rockatansky</span> Protagonist of the Mad Max films franchise

Max Rockatansky is the title character and antihero protagonist of the Australian post-apocalyptic action film series Mad Max created by director George Miller and producer Byron Kennedy. Max was played by actors Mel Gibson in the first three films from 1979 to 1985, Tom Hardy in the fourth film in 2015, and in a cameo appearance by Jacob Tomuri in the prequel spin-off film Furiosa in 2024.

<i>Mad Max</i> (1990 video game) 1990 video game

Mad Max is a post-apocalyptic action game developed by Canadian studio Gray Matter and published by Mindscape for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1990. The game is based on the 1981 Australian film Mad Max 2. The game is a remake of Road Raider.

<i>Mad Max</i> Australian media franchise

Mad Max is an Australian media franchise created by George Miller and Byron Kennedy. It centers on a series of post-apocalyptic and dystopian action films. The franchise began in 1979 with Mad Max, and was followed by three sequels: Mad Max 2, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985) and Mad Max: Fury Road (2015); Miller directed or co-directed all four films. A spin-off, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, was released in 2024 and was also directed by Miller. Mel Gibson originally portrayed the series' title character, Max Rockatansky, in the first three films, while Tom Hardy and Jacob Tomuri portrayed the character in the later two films.

The Mad Max series of films, which debuted in 1979, has had a significant impact on modern popular culture. Mad Max references are deeply embedded in popular culture; references to its dystopian, apocalyptic, and post-apocalyptic themes and bizarre landscape and desolate wasteland imagery have inspired some artists to emulate the look and feel of some aspect of the series in their work.

<i>Wasteland Angel</i> 2011 video game

Wasteland Angel is a vehicular combat shoot 'em up video game created by the Finnish independent developer team Octane Games. Released on September 1, 2011, the game is published by Meridian4 for Windows and is distributed online through Steam, Impulse, GamersGate, Direct2Drive, and Amazon Download.

<i>Mad Max: Fury Road</i> 2015 film by George Miller

Mad Max: Fury Road is a 2015 Australian post-apocalyptic action film co-written, co-produced and directed by George Miller, who collaborated with Brendan McCarthy and Nico Lathouris on the screenplay. The fourth instalment in the Mad Max franchise, it was produced by Village Roadshow Pictures, RatPac-Dune Entertainment and Kennedy Miller Mitchell, and distributed by Roadshow Entertainment in Australia and by Warner Bros. Pictures internationally. The film stars Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron, with Nicholas Hoult, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Riley Keough, Zoë Kravitz, Abbey Lee, and Courtney Eaton. Set in a post-apocalyptic desert wasteland where petrol and water are scarce commodities, it follows Max Rockatansky (Hardy), who joins forces with Imperator Furiosa (Theron) against warlord Immortan Joe (Keays-Byrne) and his army, leading to a lengthy road battle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jade Jolie</span> American drag performer

Jade Jolie is the stage name of Jules Green, an American drag queen and impersonator of Taylor Swift, known for competing in the fifth season of RuPaul's Drag Race and the fourth season of The Boulet Brothers' Dragula.

<i>Mad Max</i> (2015 video game) 2015 video game

Mad Max is a 2015 action-adventure video game developed by Avalanche Studios and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Based on the Mad Max franchise, the game follows Max Rockatansky as he progresses through the wasteland building a vehicle, the Magnum Opus, to battle against a gang of hostile raiders led by Scabrous Scrotus and reach the storied "Plains of Silence", where he hopes to find peace. Mad Max emphasizes vehicular combat, in which players can use weapon and armor upgrades on their car to fight enemies. It is set in an open post-apocalyptic wasteland consisting of deserts, canyons, and caves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Immortan Joe</span> Antagonist of Mad Max: Fury Road

Immortan Joe, birth name Joe Moore, is a fictional character in the Australian post-apocalyptic action film series Mad Max. The main antagonist of the 2015 film Mad Max: Fury Road; he is also a major character in Fury Road's companion comic book series of the same name and its 2024 prequel Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. In the radioactive, post-apocalyptic wasteland of the series, Immortan Joe is a powerful warlord; his cult and army of fanatical "War Boys" revere him as a god of Norse mythology, who will lead them to Valhalla. He dominates the regional economy through his control over the Citadel, one of the only remaining sources of fresh water in the wasteland. However, Joe is also incredibly sick due to radiation. His desire to breed a genetically healthy heir to his kingdom leads him to acquire and mistreat a harem of sex slaves, a candidate for whom, Imperator Furiosa, becomes his trusted military lieutenant on taking down the Warlord Dementus in Furiosa, before turning against him to free Joe's remaining slaves from the Citadel, thus triggering the events of Fury Road.

"Rickmancing the Stone" is the second episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series Rick and Morty. Released on July 30, 2017, it follows main characters Rick Sanchez and Morty Smith as they enter a post-apocalyptic world to find the gemstone by the name of Isotope 322, also bringing Morty's sister Summer with them. The episode was written by Jane Becker and directed by Dominic Polcino. The title is a reference to the 1984 film Romancing the Stone with Michael Douglas.

<i>The Boulet Brothers Dragula</i> American reality competition TV series

The Boulet Brothers' Dragula is an American reality competition television series produced by Boulet Brothers Productions, hosted by the Boulet Brothers. The series originally aired on YouTube and has aired on Netflix in the United States, OUTtv in Canada, and Amazon Prime in the United Kingdom and Australia. Starting with season 4, the series moved to Shudder in all territories. The series will become a Shudder exclusive, with all seasons being hosted on the platform.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maxi Glamour</span> American drag artist

Maxi Glamour is the stage name of Maximus Ademaus Glamour, a non-binary multi-disciplinary drag artist from St. Louis, Missouri, and the self-titled "Demon Queen of Polka and Baklava". They were a contestant in Season 3 of The Boulet Brothers' Dragula.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Landon Cider</span> American drag king, actor and host

Landon Cider is an American drag king, actor and host. He won season 3 of The Boulet Brothers' Dragula and was crowned the "World's Next Drag Supermonster".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boulet Brothers</span> American drag artists

The Boulet Brothers are drag artists, television personalities, writers, producers and modern day horror hosts. They were featured on the cover of Fangoria as "Horror's New Icons" in 2022. Their projects have included horror themed television shows, music, live nightlife productions, books, movies, and comic books. Since 2016 the Boulet Brothers have produced and starred in the reality competition series The Boulet Brothers' Dragula, which features contestants showcasing dark, horror-themed drag looks.

<i>Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga</i> 2024 film by George Miller

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is a 2024 post-apocalyptic action film directed and produced by George Miller, who wrote the screenplay with Nico Lathouris. It is the fifth installment in Miller's Mad Max franchise, and the first not focused on series protagonist Max Rockatansky, instead acting as both a spinoff prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) and an origin story for the Fury Road character Furiosa, portrayed by Anya Taylor-Joy and Alyla Browne in the prequel. Set years before the events of Fury Road, the film follows the title character's life for over a decade, from her kidnapping by the forces of warlord Dementus to her ascension to the rank of Imperator. Tom Burke also stars as Praetorian Jack, a military commander who befriends Furiosa. Several Fury Road cast members return in supporting roles, including John Howard, Nathan Jones, and Angus Sampson reprising their characters. The film begins in what can be seen as a green paradise of a solarpunk future and quickly moves to the more traditional dieselpunk this series is known for.

<i>Marvels Wastelanders</i> Podcast series

Marvel's Wastelanders is an interconnected series of six radio drama podcasts produced by Marvel New Media and SiriusXM in association with Wave Runner Studios and launched in June 2021. The series' podcasts are set in a variation of the Old Man Logan universe, a future timeline where the world's supervillains, led by Doctor Doom, Red Skull, and Baron Zemo, teamed up to kill almost all superheroes and establish a new world order. Those heroes who survived — including Wolverine, Hawkeye, and Black Widow — are largely in hiding or broken shells of their former selves. A series of events, beginning with the return to Earth of Star-Lord and Rocket Raccoon on a mission for The Collector, leads to a final assembling of heroes for one last mission.

References

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  2. 1 2 3 "Wasteland Weekend". San Diego Reader. Retrieved 15 September 2016.
  3. 1 2 "WASTELAND WEEKEND - Revolver". Revolver. 10 January 2019. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  4. 1 2 Pettet-Smith, Joe (2019-03-12). "On the fury road: the Mad Max-inspired desert festival – in pictures". The Guardian . ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2024-12-31.
  5. "Music Lineup For Wasteland Weekend" . Retrieved June 4, 2019.
  6. "Wasteland Weekend". RoveMe. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
  7. 1 2 Sommer, Jack. "Fans of 'Mad Max' built their own post-apocalyptic world in the middle of the desert". Business Insider . Retrieved 2024-12-31.
  8. 1 2 "A BRIEF HISTORY OF WASTELAND WEEKEND".
  9. "Mad Max Fans Hit the Desert for Apocalyptic Weekend". Wired. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
  10. "Wasteland Weekend Theme & Costume Guidelines".
  11. "Witness! The Very Best Wasteland Weekend 2015 Photos | Nerdist". nerdist.com. Archived from the original on 2015-10-11.
  12. Liner, Lucas (2019-07-27). "[Review] "Dragula" S2E7: Apokolips Part I". CryptTeaze. Retrieved 2021-03-31.
  13. @WastelandHQ (5 January 2018). "In case you missed it, here is the second half of the Boulet Bros' Dragula episode filmed at Wasteland Weekend..." (Tweet) via Twitter.
  14. "25 Coolest Mad Max Cars From Wasteland Weekend". HotCars. 2018-06-29. Retrieved 2021-03-31.
  15. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine : Building Mad Max Inspired Vehicles of Destruction! | Savage Builds. YouTube .
  16. "The Survivor at the Wasteland Film Festival – Mark Renshaw" . Retrieved 2021-03-31.
  17. The Post-Apocalyptic Car Show , retrieved 2021-03-31
  18. "We Witnessed the Wastelanders Ball 2019; Kinda Like a 'Mad Max' Prom". bleedingcool.com. 7 January 2019. Retrieved 2021-03-31.
  19. "A New World of Immersion: Neotropolis". Wasteland Weekend.