Been meaning to opine about this for awhile! Now that we’re all in planning mode, seems like a good time to bring it up. :3
Last year, the placement of “loud” vs. “quiet” camps felt kinda… well, backwards, to me! “Loud” camps were placed WAY far away from the kitchen/dining/communal areas, which seems to be the “hub” of CFT. Meanwhile, the “quiet” area was RIGHT NEXT to the hub, forcing that hub to shut down disappointingly early!
The party-themed camps are great (CK’s, Smash’s, etc.)… IF you’re into rowdiness such as drinking and dancing to loud music. But folks who might have wanted a more neutral well-lit nighttime gathering spot were pretty much out of luck, whith the lights shut off and quiet campers heading to bed as early as 9 or 10pm. I would LOVE to see the communal spaces allowed to be open later, to serve as a public gathering spot for more mellow (but not totally quiet!) nighttime socializing, games, making art, etc.
Then, the “quiet” peeps would be the ones occupying the less-dense, darker, spread out areas nearer to the campsite entrance. Those who prefer a medium-quiet experience could cluster themselves nearer in towards the hub, whereas those who really want peace and isolation would have the space to truly be lone-wolves further out.
One last consideration: placing the theme camps (and thus, the more zany decorations/behaviors) in that smaller area by the creek, and thus FURTHEST from the main road / entrance (and random people entering the campsite, which does happen) would be a good move from PR and attendee-comfort standpoints. Why? Last year, the first things you’d see upon entering the campsite: party theme camps, which I think look much more unusual, and thus spark a LOT more interest in random strangers, than spread-out generic tents! It also seems that the valuable infrastructure theme camps have (like generators, lights, sound systems etc.) would simply be more secure this way, as you have to go through all the major festivities/people to get to them, rather than having to leave them mostly-unattended during the day as happened last year, on the opposite end of the site from the kitchen and daytime activities.
So that’s my idea. TL;DR: simply flip last year’s “loud” and “quiet” zones! Have loud/theme/party/dance camps setup in the smaller site nearest the creek, followed by the kitchen/tables/hub in the same place as last year, with medium-noisy campers in the middle, and those seeking quiet spread further out. Have daytime and nighttime activities happening in a more unified area, so theme camp infrastructure can be utilized more fully day and night. This would also mean that people who want space/quiet to chill out can likewise have it (at least to some degree!) whenever they like, day or night. 