What actually happened at Camp Kennybrook?
The Landman family, who have run Camp Kennybrook for 61 years, announced on Instagram on September 18, 2026 that they've sold the Catskills property and closed the camp for good. "We believe it's the right decision for our family, but that doesn't make it easy," they wrote, adding they're "deeply proud of what Kennybrook became and humbled by how deeply it has been loved." The timing stings: Aurora Halal and Zara Wladawsky's Sustain-Release had just wrapped its 12th edition there days earlier, from September 10 to 13, with Mala, Rhadoo, Kangding Ray and Sandwell District among more than 50 artists across two stages.
Why does one campground closing threaten an entire festival?
Sustain-Release isn't a festival that can plug into any field with a generator and a stage. It runs on Camp Kennybrook's actual infrastructure, cabins, a lake, bonfire pits, kitchens, the whole footprint of a working summer camp, built up over more than a decade of trust between the organizers and one family. That's the trade-off underground festivals make when they find a venue willing to host electronic music for a members-only crowd: the relationship becomes the infrastructure, and there's no backup site sitting ready when the owner decides to sell. Resident Advisor reported the sale and reached out to Sustain-Release for comment; as of publication, the organizers hadn't put out a public statement on what happens next.
Can Sustain-Release find a new home?
Nothing is confirmed. No relocation, no cancellation, no announcement about a 13th edition. Halal and Wladawsky built Sustain-Release into one of the most respected fixtures on the American underground calendar precisely by keeping it small, invite-based and largely out of the press, so there's a real chance any update lands quietly on their mailing list or Instagram before it reaches the trade press. For now, the only certainty is that the camp that made the festival possible for twelve years is gone.
