Drum Fantasy Camp was born from a simple idea: What if drummers could spend several days learning, playing, and hanging out with the greatest drummers in the world—not just watching them from the audience?

The idea took shape in 2007, when founder Steven Orkin was working with legendary drummers Dave Weckl and Steve Smith. Fans regularly contacted their websites asking for lessons and opportunities to study with them. Orkin suggested creating an educational experience that would bring multiple world-class drummers together in one place. Weckl and Smith had both attended Stan Kenton jazz camps in the 1970s. This is how the idea was born.

From the beginning, DFC was designed to be much more than a series of drum clinics. Campers learned in small groups, performed alongside professional musicians at nightly Jam Nights, attended concerts, and spent time with the instructors in an unusually personal and informal environment.

In 2008, DFC moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where it remained through 2014. During those years, the camp developed its signature combination of intimate master classes, world-class concerts and Jam Nights, while bringing together an extraordinary roster of instructors each year. By 2011, campers were coming from as many as 16 countries.

In 2015, Drum Fantasy Camp moved to Chicago, establishing a new home at Vic's Drum Shop and The Music Garage. The Chicago years brought together an equally remarkable succession of instructors, including Benny Greb, Mike Mangini, Jojo Mayer, Virgil Donati, Antonio Sanchez, Mark Guiliana, Billy Cobham, Todd Sucherman and many others. DFC also expanded beyond its traditional U.S. camp, with a special Drum Fantasy Camp experience in Ankara, Turkey, in 2013, and a 2019 musical and cultural trip to Havana with Dave Weckl.

After a two-year pause caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Drum Fantasy Camp returned in 2022 in a new home: Los Angeles. The move brought DFC into the heart of the world's entertainment and music industry and opened an exciting new chapter for the camp. Since returning, DFC has continued its tradition of bringing together legendary drummers, rising stars and passionate players from around the world, while expanding the musical experience beyond the drum kit through concerts, professional musicians, recording and career-oriented programs.

More than a collection of clinics, Drum Fantasy Camp has always been about the experience of being a musician—learning directly from artists at the highest level, playing with great musicians, making friends with fellow drummers, and becoming part of a community that extends well beyond the week of camp. Over the years, thousands of drummers have taken part, many returning year after year. And while the locations, instructors and facilities have evolved, that original idea from 2007 remains at the heart of DFC: put great drummers in a room together and give them an experience they'll never forget.