Although summer is coming to an end, these summer camp movies allow you to live in the nostalgia of camp, eternally. Summer camp offers a change of pace and setting that can be refreshing and invigorating, providing a sense of adventure.
Each camp has its own traditions that create a sense of community and continuity, giving campers something special to look forward to each year. We’ve been hosting our adult summer camp for years and for the first time, I’m hosting our first fall camp with Fat Camp Scotland.
I was a camp kid and even worked at a summer camp as an adult and I stand by the claim that camp is where lifelong friendships are formed. Like most of the summer camp movies on this list, our Fat Camps are typically set in natural surroundings, offering a break from the digital world, a much-needed reset, and a chance to connect with the outdoors. Activities like hiking, swimming, and campfires foster a deep appreciation for nature.
As a connoisseur of camps, I took the initiative to share the best summer camp movies, including day camps, sleepaway camps, and even band camp. Which of these movies tops your list?
Fat Camp 2018
In 2018 Vice featured our first Fat Camp in a documentary. One of the reasons I created Fat Camp was to provide an accessible sense of adventure for plus-size travelers. Camp is about making memories and forming new friendships which is evident from the documentary. There’s still time for you to join us this fall at Fat Camp Scotland!
Troop Beverly Hills (1989)
Troop Beverly Hills tops the list for me because as a kid I could relate to overcoming adversity and having a mom who didn’t necessarily fit in, but always made things happen. Although they never actually go camping, these girls were change-makers who created a life-long bond. Which is what camp’s all about.
Camp Nowhere (1994)
Andrew Keegan was a total dreamboat and one of the major reasons I fell in love with this silly movie. It’s about a group of kids who get their former drama teacher – the lovable Christopher Lloyd, to help them create an adult-free summer camp. By pretending to be the Camp Director at a variety of summer camps. After an almost-perfect summer at Camp Nowhere, the parents request a Parent’s Day and the kids have to put on a show to avoid suspicion.
Camp Rock (2008)
The only band camp that matters to me, is Camp Rock! This movie dropped during the height of the Disney Star boom and took Demi Lovato and Joe Jonas to pop idol status.
The Parent Trap (1998)
Lindsay Lohan is making a comeback, but we’re going back to where it all started. In the 1998 version of The Parent Trap, Lindsay Lohan’s breakout performance is a modern retelling of a beloved summer camp movie. Where identical twin sisters learn they were separated at birth after their parents’ divorce. Then they devise a plan to switch places and to try to reunite their parents.
Crip Camp (2020)
Crip Camp taught me a lot about the history of the disability rights movement. To think it all started at a summer camp for teenagers with disabilities. Where camp counselor Judith Heumann would later become known as the “Mother of the Disability Rights Movement”.
Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
There’s something special about a Wes Anderson film and Moonrise Kingdom lives up to the expectation. This highly stylized coming-of-age movie mixes some of the best camp themes with some of the best comedic actors and a slew of great outfits.
Addams Family Values (1993)
Before there was Wednesday there was Addams Family Values. In this dark comedy, the unconventional Addams family tries to fit in by sending the children Wednesday and Pugsley to summer camp. Where the kids do everything but fit in.
Wet Hot American Summer (2001)
If you ever wondered what being a camp counselor was like in the 80’s, wonder no more. Wet Hot American Summer has an incredible ensemble cast including Paul Rudd, Amy Poehler, Amy Shannon, and Bradley Cooper. Its satirical take on summer camp movies is raunchy and hilarious. And summer camp is nothing without raunchy hilarity.
Did your favorite summer camp movies make the list? Let us know in the comments.
