We Leveled Up in 2026!
View this original article on the Sun Escape website HEREShadow Jumpers and the United Porphyrias Association brought the photosensitive community together for another unforgettable Sun Escape Weekend (set to expert mode) at Victory Junction in Randleman, North Carolina.
This year's gathering welcomed 34 photosensitive primary campers and their families, including a particularly exciting milestone: our first international family, the Langleys, who made the journey across the Atlantic from England to experience the magic of Sun Escape firsthand. As the first theme in our history, it aimed to highlight the superhero like measures our campers take by donning protective clothing or “suiting up” to face the sun. Each camper also received their own superhero origin story, along with a custom comic book cover displayed on the Victory Junction Lawn.
As families arrived and checked into their cabins, there was a noticeable energy throughout the campgrounds. Familiar faces reunited, new friendships began taking shape, and the excitement surrounding another weekend together seemed greater than ever before. It was only fitting that our theme for 2026 was….. LEVEL UP !
A New Level of Imagination
Building upon the success of 2025's BE HEROIC theme, which celebrated the everyday courage of our photosensitive campers, LEVEL UP took inspiration from something many of our kids know particularly well: games. For children whose ability to enjoy traditional outdoor activities can be dictated by the sun, board games, video games, card games, and imaginative indoor adventures often become more than simple entertainment. They can be outlets for creativity, competition, connection, and escape. This year, we wanted to celebrate that creativity by turning the tables and making our campers the stars of their very own games.
Using the interests, personalities, favorite activities, and wonderfully specific answers provided in each camper's Sun Escape questionnaire, our team set out to create 34 completely personalized gaming experiences, each designed around the child who inspired it. Some reimagined familiar board games through the lens of a camper's everyday life. Others transported their namesakes into elaborate fantasy worlds, mysterious adventures, and competitive challenges.
From custom characters and illustrated game boards to personalized cards, playing pieces, and storylines, each creation was designed to reflect the individuality of its camper. No two games were alike, because no two campers are alike. And while the games themselves were certainly a highlight, the experience began well before anyone rolled a die or drew a card.
Game On at Victory Junction
By Friday morning, the wait was over. Adam's Race Shop had been transformed into a gaming destination, complete with arcade machines and a collection of handcrafted games waiting to be discovered by the campers who inspired them. Throughout the weekend, the Race Shop also served as an after-hours gathering space where campers and families could relax, play, and spend time together away from the sun. The personalized games were more than decorations or temporary camp activities.
Each was a fully realized creation that campers could play throughout the weekend and ultimately take home as a lasting reminder of their Sun Escape experience. Our friends at Victory Junction helped bring LEVEL UP to life in even more ways, introducing a Mario Kart-inspired creation activity and a special group LEVEL UP challenge inside the Super Dome on Saturday afternoon. Friday's open activity period also featured laser tag, giving campers another opportunity to channel their competitive spirits and experience some friendly, action-packed fun.
Together, these additions helped turn LEVEL UP from a simple weekend theme into an experience that could be felt throughout camp.
Of course, the most important part of Sun Escape has never been the theme, the decorations, or even the activities. It is our ability to create an environment where photosensitive children can experience camp without constantly having to worry about the sun.Every year, our team works alongside Victory Junction to evaluate how we can make the grounds safer, more accessible, and more comfortable for families living with a wide range of photosensitive conditions
In 2026, that commitment led to several meaningful improvements. New side-entry access points were established at the Fuel Stop and Barn, helping protect our most sensitive campers from unexpected sunlight entering through frequently opened doors. We also introduced a new shortcut connecting the cabin area to other parts of camp through the first and second floors of Adam's Race Shop, reducing the amount of time families needed to spend traveling outdoors. These improvements may seem small to someone unfamiliar with photosensitivity. But for a child whose skin can react painfully to even brief exposure, a few seconds of unexpected sunlight can make an enormous difference.
At Sun Escape, those details matter. Our goal has always been to create an experience where families can spend less time calculating exposure risks and more time enjoying everything camp has to offer.
Familiar Traditions, New Adventures, a Swim Three Years in the Making
While LEVEL UP introduced plenty of new experiences, the weekend also brought back many of the activities that have helped make Sun Escape such a special tradition. Campers once again had opportunities to enjoy archery, zip-lining, fishing, arts and crafts, and other classic camp adventures, all thoughtfully scheduled and adapted with sun safety in mind.
Our evening festivities also returned, including Victory Junction's beloved party on the lawn, affectionately dubbed NASCARnival, bringing families together for another celebration of games, entertainment, and community. And, of course, there was Stage Night. What has quickly become one of the most anticipated traditions of Sun Escape once again gave campers and families an opportunity to take the stage, showcase their talents, cheer one another on, and celebrate the confidence that comes from being surrounded by people who understand them. But for all the excitement surrounding our returning favorites, one long-awaited experience would ultimately become the defining moment of LEVEL UP.
For our first two years at Victory Junction, the camp's indoor pool had been unavailable due to construction. In 2026, that finally changed. For the first time in Sun Escape history, our campers and their families would have the opportunity to experience Victory Junction's pool together. Following another unforgettable Stage Night on Saturday, families and volunteers made their way toward the water just after 7 p.m., as the sun began disappearing behind the camp's towering tree line. For most campers, a trip to the pool is a simple pleasure. For some of our most photosensitive children, however, swimming can involve layers of protective clothing, careful timing, and constant attention to sunlight that others rarely have to consider. Even with the sun setting, several campers entered the pool wearing their protective swim gear as an added precaution. Then came a moment that none of us will soon forget. As the final traces of sunlight disappeared and conditions became safe, our community gathered around those campers for a collective countdown.
With the all-clear given, they were finally able to remove their protective gear and enjoy the water with the same freedom as everyone around them. The cheers, smiles, and tears that followed said more than any speech ever could. For a few extraordinary moments, the restrictions that so often shape these children's lives gave way to something beautifully ordinary: the simple joy of swimming without fear of the sun. There wasn't a dry eye in the area, and for once, it had nothing to do with being in a swimming pool. It was a powerful reminder of why Sun Escape exists. Not simply to provide activities that photosensitive children might otherwise miss, but to create moments where they can experience the freedom, independence, and sense of belonging that every child deserves. If there was one moment when Sun Escape truly LEVELed UP, this was it.
One Final Surprise (now coming in 2027)
Our historic pool night was originally scheduled to conclude with another first for Sun Escape: a fireworks spectacular over Victory Junction’s Lake. Unfortunately, Mother Nature and the North Carolina Fire Marshal had other plans. Due to continued dry conditions and a no-burn restriction affecting the wooded area surrounding camp, our request to proceed with the fireworks was understandably denied. While we were disappointed to lose what would have been a spectacular finale to our last full evening, the safety of our campers, volunteers, and Victory Junction grounds will always come first. The good news? We have already carried that experience forward into our plans for 2027. And by our calculations, since we already planned it once, that basically makes it free next year. Girl math.
As the buses departed Victory Junction on Sunday morning, one thing had become increasingly clear: Sun Escape has grown beyond an annual camp weekend into a cherished tradition that families look forward to year after year. Returning campers continue to strengthen friendships and create lasting memories, first-time families discover a sense of belonging, and volunteers have developed meaningful connections and traditions of their own. What began three years ago as an ambitious idea to give photosensitive children a true camp experience has evolved into an annual homecoming, with relationships and memories extending far beyond Victory Junction. For Shadow Jumpers and the United Porphyrias Association, each gathering reinforces our belief that we are building something that can last for generations.
In 2026, we set out to LEVEL UP Sun Escape, only to discover that everyone involved had been leveling up together.
And as we look ahead to our fourth gathering in 2027, the best is still to come.
