Every big community starts with one person who refuses to let people feel alone.

The spark

Salvatore “Ture Pappa” Pappalardo founded the Facebook group and WhatsApp chat that became Your Festival Family. He did not want a brand. He wanted connection, radical self-expression and a place where solo festival-goers could cross that bridge and be truly themselves.

The explosion

Then Misha van Haaren joined. What started as a small chat became a movement. Misha brought energy, organization and heart. Sziget noticed. They gave the Fam grand prizes. Multiple years running.

Daily meets, beerpong tournaments, scavenger hunts, the 9-day takeover — all of it followed because Misha built systems that turned good vibes into something real.

What grew from it

Today the Fam spans WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, Facebook and real-life meetups across the year. Base Camp is a recognized landmark at Sziget. Members from 21+ countries show up, introduce themselves and become family.

It is not a company. It is not a hostel. It is strangers who decided to take care of each other.

And it is still growing.