For South by Southwest attendees hungry for more “Yellowjackets,” Showtime knew exactly what to do.
The network behind 2022’s smash hit series about a high school soccer team that ends up stranded in the wilderness brought Camp Yellowjackets to Austin, transforming a massive Fair Market space into key locations from the series. From signature cocktails to activities to a spooky portrait booth, altar, and the comfort of “dead guy”s cabin, the entire activation was filled with details out of a super fan’s dream.
Multiple culinary experiences were inspired by Misty (Samantha Hanratty) accidentally giving the entire team psychedelic mushrooms in Season 1. There was no plane wreck, but a piece of fuselage and campfire sat on the outside stage, where DJ Hesta Prynn played ’90s hits on opening night. Cast members in attendance took photos and mingled, teasing Season 2 as much as they could exclusively for IndieWire.
Inside the cabin, visitors could take a seat, unwind a little — and search for clues, citizen detective-style. The mysterious symbol of the woods appears drawn on a foggy window, and Jackie’s journal (a point of contention in Season 1’s continuity) sits in a corner, ready to be perused. Fans entered with a wave of snow (now not an unfamiliar sight in Texas), but the flakes really fell in the activation’s centerpiece: Lottie’s altar (Courtney Eaton), where the girls offer a blood sacrifice in the Season 1 finale — a hint at the bloodshed and violence to come.
Check out photos below from the first official Camp Yellowjackets by Showtime.
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An Innocent Exterior
Image Credit: Suzanne Cordeiro/SHOWTIME Camp Yellowjackets opened at dusk on March 10, establishing the exact kind of eerie nighttime vibes worthy of “Yellowjackets.”
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A Warning
Image Credit: Suzanne Cordeiro/SHOWTIME Season 2’s tagline — teasing the imminent cannibalism — greets visitors at the door.
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Welcome!
Image Credit: Suzanne Cordeiro/SHOWTIME Camp counselors check in visitors and direct them toward the many activities: Foraging, target practice, meat processing, and more.
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Wish You Were Here
Image Credit: Suzanne Cordeiro/SHOWTIME Across from check in is a series of TVs casting a “Camp Yellowjackets” ad, with footage from the show and ending on the chilling “Wish you were here” postcard text from Season 1.
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Have a Sip…
Image Credit: Suzanne Cordeiro/SHOWTIME Would you be brave enough to try Misty’s Mushroom Surprise? Remember what happened at Doomcoming…
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Target Practice
Image Credit: Suzanne Cordeiro/SHOWTIME In lieu of rifles, camp visitors get target practice with rubber axes. Participants go head-to-head, two at a time, and get ribbons for participation or winning. Earn points by hitting the actual target, the cans, or the squirrel (no points for it but you might spot a bloody leg in the snow that may or may not belong to Coach Scott…)
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Let the Darkness Set Us Free
Image Credit: Suzanne Cordeiro/SHOWTIME There was snow at the door, but it’s nothing compared to Lottie’s altar, where the bear hart from the Season 1 finale sits in offering surrounded by flurries and fog.
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Are We Out of the Woods Yet?
Image Credit: Suzanne Cordeiro/SHOWTIME No :(
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Only the Hits
Image Credit: Suzanne Cordeiro/SHOWTIME Outside, a DJ played ’90s hits in front of a piece of a fireplace — not just any fireplace, but a piece of the fuselage of flight 2525.
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Wash Down Your Meal
Image Credit: Suzanne Cordeiro/SHOWTIME Any meat-heavy meal requires a libation to quench your thirst.
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Signature Cocktails
Image Credit: Suzanne Cordeiro/SHOWTIME If Misty’s mushroom recipe didn’t take you out, these tequila cocktails might.
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R.I.P.
Image Credit: Suzanne Cordeiro/SHOWTIME Since the girls didn’t pack for cold weather, they’ll have to make do this winter; animal hides hung from the ceiling, hinting at practical use as well as hunting.
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Take the Edge Off
Image Credit: Suzanne Cordeiro/SHOWTIME Better with these than with an axe.
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Friends Forever
Image Credit: Suzanne Cordeiro/SHOWTIME Upon entering, guests got a Camp Yellowjackets friendship bracelet — because friendship never dies, even when you eat the other person!
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Past Campers
Image Credit: Suzanne Cordeiro/SHOWTIME The main cast of the “Yellowjackets” 1996 timeline, including the now-deceased Laura Lee (Jane Widdop) and Jackie (Ella Purnell).
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