‘Breaking Dawn – Part 2′ Premiere Camping Guide: (Almost) Everything You Need to Know!

The @HisGoldenEyes twitter is now @PagetoPremiere.  Make sure you tweet “Yes,” to @PagetoPremiere to get onto our Camp Twilight twitter list.  Being on the list will give you special access to win prizes at Camp, plus you can connect with other campers!

I camped out for ‘The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1’ premiere and I will be out there again this year (Shout out to Group 6!).  These tips are based on my experience and I tried to cover as much as I can think of to cover. I also live in the Los Angeles area. I’ve included images from my experience to give you some visuals as well!

Book a local hotel room! 
I can’t stress this one enough. Do you really want to get near Robert Pattinson after not showering for four days? Hotels are your home base.  You can charge your electronic devices and get online. You can store items that are expensive or you don’t want to get ruined by the elements. You can get a shower and use a toilet. You can get warm or cool off.  You can take a nap in a bed. A lot of people book a hotel room and split it among a group bigger than the occupancy because they are not sleeping in the room. I could never do this without having a hotel room within walking distance and I wouldn’t recommend anyone else do it either.

Prepare for the elements 
Southern California may have a reputation for sunny and 70 degrees, but as campers learned last year, that is definitely not always the case.  On the second night of BD1 camp a storm blew in that flooded tents, soaked campers and blew some items away. Make sure your tent is waterproof.  Make sure you bring extra layers including gloves and hats. It can get very chilly, especially at night when you are tying to sleep on concrete.  Conversely, it could be 90 degrees and sunny the whole time. Don’t forget sunscreen. Most importantly, keep an eye on the weather forecast.

As you can see by my attire and the umbrella hovering over Stephenie Meyer, it’s not always sunny and 70 in Southern California so pack accordingly because last year it felt like Forks!

Be prepared for parking costs
You are in a major downtown area where events happen.  The L.A. Live area is home to the Los Angeles Convention Center, the Staples Center, hotels and multiple music venues. During camp there will be several NBA basketball games, a fight, a large convention and concerts. Parking is a maximum of $25 a day in non-event, self-parking at L.A. Live, but there’s no in and out privileges.  Valet is $40 per day at the J.W. Marriott/Ritz-Carlton, but you can come and go. Be aware that there are two NBA games on Sunday so parking and traffic around the area could be pretty chaotic.

Eat local and bring snacks
There are quite a few food options at L.A. Live, but there’s not a ton of other places within close walking distance.  The new Fig at 7th  complex several blocks away has a California Pizza Kitchen and a Morton’s Steakhouse, with other restaurants on the way so there may be other options there by November 8. A lot of the L.A. Live venues have good happy hour deals and look for late night happy hours, too. Check out the full list of restaurants at L.A Live here.  If you click on the restaurants you’ll find their hours and many list their happy hour times, too! There’s usually a cheap taco truck across the street from the Regal movie theater at L.A. Live, but I haven’t tried it to endorse it.

There is a Starbucks at L.A. Live, which tends to get very crowded with campers.  There’s also a place to get coffee in the lobby of the J.W. Marriott, but their selection is rather limited.

You’ll also want to keep some snacks in your tent. I recommend individually packaged snacks for easy clean up and disposal.

Enjoying a happy hour break at Rosa Mexicano at L.A. Live.

You forgot X,Y and/or Z
Well you are in luck!  Target just opened this month only four blocks away from Camp Twilight.  It’s a City Target and it’s located at  Fig(Figueroa) and 7th. There’s free wi-fi on site at that shopping district. There isn’t free wi-fi at L.A. Live.

Be warned: camping out for four days doesn’t guarantee you’ll meet Rob or Kristen
Of the 1500+ people who are intending to camp out, less than a quarter will get a prime on the carpet spot. You are doing this all for a chance to be there, but nothing is guaranteed.  The carpet fan area was six people deep and the bleachers were eight rows high last year. The first row and maybe the second managed to get pictures and autographs, but most people only get to take pictures over other people’s heads.  So if you want to make the most out of your Breaking Dawn premiere experience….

The view from my ‘Breaking Dawn, Part 1′ Premiere spot. I wasn’t even on the carpet. I was on the bleachers across the street.

Don’t leave camp (for long)!
Camp time is not the time to go be a tourist and visit Disneyland or take a Hollywood tour.  Do that on November 7 or 13.  Yes, take breaks to eat, change and shower, but there is too much going on that you don’t want to miss.  Last year for BD1 camp there were scheduled activities and unscheduled activities.  Cast members like Kellan Lutz, Tinsel Korey and others like Bill Condon, Wyck Godfrey and Melissa Rosenberg stopped by unexpectedly.  Stephenie Meyer came out on Saturday morning to hand deliver signed copies of Breaking Dawn to every camper. There was a concert of ‘Breaking Dawn, Part 1’ soundtrack artists hosted by Charlie Bewley.  Peter Facinelli, Jackson Rathbone, Booboo Stewart, Casey LaBow and Myanna Buring brought us breakfast one morning.  This is just a partial list of what went on.

Event management was good at giving us approximate times for planned events. Regular U.S. dinner time/early evening was a free time and usually later in the evening was free too. The earliest anything major happened was when Stephenie came through and I believe that started around 9 a.m.  There will be other moments of downtime. You have to play it by ear.

Peter Facinelli, Jackson Rathbone, and Booboo Stewart brought out breakfast and signed autographs one morning at Camp Twilight last year.

Be kind to your neighbors!
With so many people registered to camp, quarters are going to be tight.  Adhere to the “ONLY standard sized pop tents will be allowed (8′x8′ [64 sq. ft.] or less)” that is in Summit’s rules. Yes, bring a chair, but don’t bring a lot of other stuff that you aren’t willing to store in your tent. Be mindful of you noise level, especially later in the evening and early in the morning. You all are in camp for your love of Twilight so share your stories and make friends.

Do you spot me? I had never met the ladies from Australia sitting next to me until the first morning of camp. We’re still in touch today. Oh, and look! Signs!

Signs and Sign…this please!
Bring posters and markers to create signs for your favorite cast members that you can hold up for the premiere.  My “Team Esme” sign last year caught the attention of Elizabeth Reaser’s guests who sent her back across the street to me.  Plus they are just fun to come up with and are a good downtime activity.

Also, last year I sticky tacked my poster to a poster board to keep it from getting bent when I was trying to get autographs during the premiere. It worked out really well.

Don’t forget to keep items that you can get autographed at the ready.  You never know when someone is going to come around so keep a Sharpie and your item(s) close.  Also, make sure your camera battery is charged and that you have your camera.

Your sign may get you in the news! This image was seen in Germany’s version of ‘People’ magazine from what I was told as well as many websites.

The recommended packing list (in no particular order)
Waterproof tent – (8′x8′ [64 sq. ft.] or less)
Pillow
Sleeping bag
Blow up bed (you don’t want to sleep on the cold concrete)
Battery operated pump or foot pump to blow up bed
Foldable chair
Portable chargers for your smartphone and other devices
Extra batteries
Eye mask
Earplugs
Flashlight
Sunscreen
Comfy shoes for standing around on the premiere carpet for HOURS
Layers of clothes
Sharpie markers for signatures
Items to get autographed
Camera
Snacks
Water
Money
Plastic bags to keep valuables and autographed items safe and dry
Posters and markers to make signs

REVIEW SUMMIT’S RULES! These rules were put together from what Summit and their event management team has learned from doing this for two premieres at LA Live. They also incorporated input from fans and the fansites.  Every rule has a reason behind it so please read them again before you leave your house and abide by them to ensure that everyone has the best camp experience possible.

There’s going to be a lot of adrenaline and things will sometimes be unpredictable, but have fun and just try to roll with it.

Be smart! Be safe!

I hope this is helpful.  Do you have other questions about camping?

UPDATE 10/31: Several more questions about camp have been answered here.

And I’m not saying that the Rob pic can’t happen, but make sure you smell nice and whatever you do, don’t try to put your arm around him/touch him. Security doesn’t like that…