Pink Flamingos (1972), Polyester (1981), Pecker (1998). These are just a few films by John Waters. Some may know him as the Father of Filth or the Pope of Trash. I'd simply call him a man who has a way with words. Oh yes, it was through his books where I first learned about Camp John Waters. 

The weekend of September 6, 2025, I drove eight hours with a gal pal of mine to attend Club Getaway in Kent, Connecticut for a weekend of Divine debauchery at Camp John Waters. It was both our first times. 

The place was a celebration of misfits, and we loved every minute of it.

First off, the extreme creativity of the attendees was beyond admirable. Words can't describe the look of people's hair/makeup/and outfits and how they were flawlessly arranged. Seriously, the lengths some went to was truly impressive. The only costume I donned was Kathleen Turner's polka dot dress, dirty-blonde wig, bloody knife, and cherry pie from Serial Mom (1994). My favorite Waters flick. When meeting John he said, "I know who you're supposed to be!" which pretty much checked off every fangirl fantasy. Thanks, John.

Second, let's talk about the celebrity counselors you got to meet over your three-night stay. Each year new folks are added alongside John Waters himself. This particular weekend included Mink Stole - who has appeared in every John Waters film, Stephen Dorff from Cecil B. Demented (2000), and Amy Locane from Cry-Baby (1990). Fabulous! Especially Mink who was such a dear. My favorite interaction from the celebrity corner, though, was John's after dinner speech on Saturday night. It was well worth the standing ovation it received from the crowd. Although cutting the Q&A short with Stephen due to a tornado warning and a mandatory evacuation to the Boathouse will also be pretty memorable. 

Club Getaway is used for other events throughout the year, so it has several sport stations set up around the camp. An Aerial Park, Archery, Water Sports (tee hee) and more. I partook in the Sky Cycle, which consisted of riding a bike on a wire in the air - fun! I never got around to the Zip Lines. Maybe next year. Which according to John, will be the last year of his special camp.  

The meals also exceeded my "camp food" expectations. Each camper was fed breakfast, lunch, and dinner in a buffet-style. What a deal. Honestly, there was so much food. My notable favorite was the veggie burgers and crunchy circular pickles to place on top. I also took full advantage of the daily water coolers and coffee stations that were set out.

There were dance parties into the wee hours at the Boathouse (still stoked the DJ played Nine Inch Nails "Head like a Hole"), themed competitions - "Is your daughter mulatto?" from Hairspray (1988) was one of the winners of the Nastiest Line Reading contest, karaoke (I sang Bjork's "It's Oh So Quiet"), arts and crafts (we painted a penis canvas), a swap meet (with so many sweet souvenirs!), and a talent show (the tomato dancer, Holocaust stand-up, drag lip sync-er, and the puppet tea bagging parody stood out for me).  

Unfortunately, or fortunately because I'm still alive, I had too much fun Sunday night and by Monday morning I just wanted to go home. Causing us to miss the Closing Awards Ceremony and the Backwards Brunch. Bummer. Thankfully my gal pal saved the day by getting me breakfast, Advil, and taking my place in driving us home. Bless her. 

I look forward to seeing all the photos that people took. If you were there, feel free to send me yours through the Contact Me option of this site.