The third annual Camp Barefoot kicked off on a beautiful Thursday afternoon at The Cove Campground in Gore, Va. Despite the long line of cars that wound through the hillside, ticket sales seemed slow: the price of a weekend ticket at the gate had been cut from $120 to $85. About 2,000 guests scattered throughout the wooded campground, which surrounded three stages.

Thursday afternoon began with Raw Dawg, Silo Effect and DJ Ricochet Red, with the latter two scheduled to play again during the weekend. Baltimore’s The Bridge took the main stage and played for over an hour, opening with “New Mistake” and closing with “Pakalolo” into “Heavy Water,” a great warm-up for Toubab Krewe’s tribal jam set. During the break between acts, The Hackensaw Boys hit the second stage. They were only onstage for a few songs before they unplugged, climbed down and immersed themselves in the audience, finishing the set by jamming in the middle of the crowd. Meanwhile, Segway and Basshound threw down progressive and jazzy performances on the third stage, with Basshound putting on one of the best sets of the night. The night closed with Midnight Spaghetti playing until nearly 4 a.m.

The crowds were small during the day which made for a fun and intimate gathering. Musicians casually walked around the campground and socialized with campers, telling them to come see their shows. While not seeing live music, campers and musicians hopped into the back of a “shuttle” (a dusty old U-Haul truck) and head to the nearby lake; the cool water was refreshing after a long night of dancing.

Music began on Friday at 1 p.m. with Zegg, Pickin’ Buds, Jubeus, Lucid and Farm Vegas. Jazzam, a quintet from Pittsburgh, started the night with some funky jazz and set the tone for the rest of a rollicking night. The Breakfast prepped the stage for Perpetual Groove, and played a long, progressive set in front of dozens of their loyal followers. After a lengthy delay, Perpetual Groove finally took to the main stage with “Occam’s Blazer,” playing for three hours and straight through the break. “Three Weeks,” covers of a-ha’s “Take On Me” and The Beatles’ “Helter Skelter” sent the already energetic audience into a frenzy. Guitarist Tim Palmieri of The Breakfast joined PGroove to close with “TTFPJ.” Lotus then played its first of three sets during the festival and rocked out until 4 a.m.

Highlights from Saturday included another set from Funkuponya, Jazzam and The Breakfast. John Brown’s Body’s reggae sound was a welcome contrast from the funky prog-rock of Jazzam and Funkuponya. Lotus headlined the night with two extended performances, opening with “Nematode.” The first set closed with the drawn-out jams of “Sunrain” > “Travel” > “Intro to a Cell” > “Sunrain.” The band closed out its second set with “Tip of the Tongue” into the Nintendo-lovers’ favorite, “Legend of Zelda,” back into “Tip of the Tongue.”

While this is only the third Camp Barefoot, the friendly, beautiful and intimate experience will likely keep fans returning for years to come.