Sorry, You Can’t Camp Out in Fairmount Park for the Papal Visit After All

Turns out you won’t be able to camp out for Pope Francis’ visit to Philadelphia after all.

On Wednesday, the World Meeting of Families announced the creation of the Francis Fields Campgrounds, a segment of Fairmount Park where campers would be able to sleep for the Papal visit on September 26th and 27th.

(Philadelphia magazine’s Victor Fiorillo wrote about the camping proposal in July.)

For $199, people could get access to a fenced-in, secure area in Fairmount Park. Then it was another $99 to $109 if you wanted to keep your car nearby. For $999, you could get a pass for an RV plus four camping wristbands.

Sounds a little expensive, right? All the bad parts of a concert festival and none of the good for pretty much the same price! This seems like a logistical nightmare, so the high cost is understandable — but that’s still a lot of money to go camping.

It turns out a lot of people thought it was indeed a lot of money to go camping. Today Endless Summer Productions, the company running the Francis Fields Campgrounds, canceled the idea. After about two days!

After reviewing the plan and due to limited sales for Francis Fields, ESM Productions have elected to cancel the campground accommodations at Francis Fields.

Philadelphia has plenty of accommodations to offer all those who are making the trip to The World Meeting of Families for the papal events.

The campsite was scheduled to be open from the 24th to 28th. So, sorry, you’ll just have to sleep in a regular building for the Pope’s visit.

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