My First Pig Camping Experience at Steppenbrand
Story by: PIGtures
Photography by: PIGtures
October 2, 2019
I first heard about Steppenbrand at Easter Berlin in 2015. I was at an after-hours with the creators of the porn company, Pig Prod, and between hits of poppers, I was told it was a pig camping weekend in North Germany where I could experience unparalleled perverted freedom with lots of kinky guys. Cut to four and a half years later: I moved from London to Berlin and made some new piggy friends that were happy to drive me the four-hour journey to the site of Steppenbrand in Rostock. For this filthtastic occasion, I had brought with me a tent, two duffel bags filled with my best gear and a load of excitement at what I might find.
I knew it was going to be a lot of fun because Steppenbrand can last up to eight days from Sunday to Sunday in mid-July. You can buy a ticket for the weekend at a very reasonable 67 euros, and an additional 15 euros for each day added on. This elongated timeframe means those who have particularly ambitious kink camping ideas could fully indulge. This became apparent when I arrived at the former military barracks on Thursday afternoon to the sight of two massive, genuine army base tents that had been erected by some very organized campers.
The site of Steppenbrand is roughly 350 square meters with its social center being near a massive fire pit, surrounded by a bar and a succession of seriously well-equipped darkrooms. Getting away from the main bar and into the field, there was even more kinky furniture which included cages, watersports apparatuses, and a variety of structures that could be easily used for intense bondage play. Beyond this, there were five original military bunkers which were essentially man-made hills with tunnels cutting through them. I was really pleased to discover two of them were darkrooms containing slings, fuck benches, and rim stools. There were also a few buildings for admin, more expensive sleeping arrangements, a mess hall, and showers. All of this had been organized by a dedicated group of volunteers who all gave their time for free and for the love of a good pigfuck.
“By the end of the first evening, it was clear that Steppenbrand was a place to go to enact extreme, dirty, or even questionably safe fantasies.”
During the day, the place was very relaxed. Guys were sleeping, eating, drinking, promenading in gear, and maybe even wallowing in one of the three mud pools. At night, the iconic “Steppe Fire” was lit, igniting a delightful yet slightly Stone Age-like feeling of camaraderie. Everyone sat around drinking, chatting or luring one another to the nearest darkroom and generally having a great time.
What do I mean by a great time? By the end of the first evening, it was clear that Steppenbrand was a place to go to enact extreme, dirty, or even questionably safe fantasies. Want to try a 24/7 PoW slave scene for seven days? Do it here. Wanna be tied naked and spread-eagle between stakes in the ground in the hot sun for two hours while your Master drinks a beer? Do it here. Keen to know what breakfast under a rim stool is like? Make it happen in Rostock, baby! The only things not allowed would be anything that is considered illegal, or has political elements to it, i.e. no Nazi fetishes!
The reason that this is all possible is that Steppenbrand is a 100% safe space. At Steppenbrand, you can do almost anything you want and know that a whole load of pervs just like you are within spitting distance if things go south. It sure as hell beats trying to explain a complex outdoor bondage scene gone wrong to complete strangers in the outside world!
Near the firepit were 20 or so flags representing the different nationalities of my 600 or so fellow campers — Australia and Hong Kong were the farthest. Although diversity was celebrated and encouraged, I felt that the Steppenbrand demographic was mostly white, English, and German-speaking with ages ranging mostly between 30 and 50. Everyone was incredibly kind and respectful to one another, which I feel is one of the hallmarks of the leather community.
Masculinity was something of a default at Steppenbrand, but it’s a version of masculinity untainted by the pressures of social media and the gyms of a city. It was mature, respectful, friendly, and helpful. Many of the men were like your childhood friend’s charming sexy dad, with a gorgeous smile and perfectly fitting blue jeans.
“Keen to know what breakfast under a rim stool is like? Make it happen in Rostock, baby!”
There were a lot of beautiful, rugged men, but no one was so attractive to the point of unapproachability. It all felt very authentic. At events like Easter Berlin or Fetish Week London, there are often so many astoundingly hot guys in stunning gear that they end up being a source of anxiety to many, rather than sexual inspiration. This approachability is all part of what makes Steppenbrand such a great event: a willingness to get down and dirty with some true fetish realness.
Luckily it hardly rained this year, so I was spared the curse of having mud everywhere. However, I did feel the frustration of figuring out the reason for my phone not charging. It was full of dirt. Also, a special warning to music fans: when you’re on your knees in the darkroom, make sure that the techno coming from your Bluetooth speaker doesn’t suddenly get muffled by landing onto a nearby poop! And lastly: the bugs. I was camping under a tree and was subjected to a phenomenon I like to call “beetle rain,” where insects were randomly dropping on me and the man who was fisting me. Mosquito spray would be a definite recommendation as well!
I’ve played in the darkrooms and clubs of London, San Francisco, and Berlin but Steppenbrand felt like a truly unique experience. Never have I been tied up and fisted in such a variety of outdoor locations (and never have I been so glad for strangers giving me mosquito spray and a mattress pump at 2 a.m.). Tickets go on sale in mid-January, so see you next year, piggies!
