Black Friday Camping Lines: Free Food Trucks and Perks
See what past overnight shoppers received, from meals to gear, before you join a line this season.
Black Friday camping lines have sometimes included free food trucks and extra perks. Overnight shoppers at selected stores received meals, entertainment and gear-related rewards. Camping lines here means shoppers sleeping overnight outside a store before a Black Friday opening.
The examples below come from named past events, not current offers. Readers should check store announcements before making plans.
Verification note: Program terms and availability can change. This page was checked against linked sources on November 06, 2026.
What did the Eastern Mountain Sports campout include?
Eastern Mountain Sports held its first annual #OptALittleOutside Black Friday Parking Lot Campout from 6 p.m. Nov. 24 to 6 a.m.
Nov. 25, 2023. The event took place at stores in Princeton, New Jersey and West Lebanon, New Hampshire.
Campers at those two locations were offered food trucks, live music and entertainment, games, a climbing wall, and chances to win gear including gear for life, according to the GlobeNewswire announcement carried by USA NewsHour campout details. Food and activities were tied to staying overnight during the listed hours. Shoppers had to be present at one of the two stores to take part.
Who kept the camping packages?
More than 200 people arrived around 6 p.m. for the campout. The first 20 groups staying the full night kept a pre-set camping package valued at over $1,200, according to Retail Brew's campout report.
Each package included a tent, four sleeping bags, sleeping pads and chairs. Only full-night campers in the first 20 groups received that package. Later arrivals could still use the food, games and entertainment.
Anyone buying online or in any EMS store during the same overnight hours was entered for a chance to win products for life. That was a chance to win, not a gift with purchase. The overnight time window controlled eligibility.
What other line perks have shoppers received?
Tim Hortons owners surprised the 25th person waiting in Black Friday lines with $725 in Visa gift cards. The 24th and 26th people received $100 Tim Cards, while everyone in line received a coupon for a free donut or hot chocolate. That reward depended on exact place in line, so most shoppers received only the coupon.
A Best Buy manager served coffee and doughnuts at 3 a.m. to customers who had camped out for several hours before opening. The drinks went to people already waiting, not to later arrivals.
These were local, manager-level or owner-level actions. Shoppers could not claim them online or at another location. Position, timing and presence in line mattered.
Should you expect free food if you line up now?
The tradition of camping out has waned because retailers start sales earlier and online shopping grew. Retail Brew describes modern perks as experiential rather than needed to hold a doorbuster spot. Associated Press reporting notes Black Friday no longer creates midnight crowds or doorbuster mayhem, with online ease and changed pandemic habits reducing the rush, according to AP reporting on Black Friday crowds.
That means fewer lines offer food or survival perks. Planned events like the EMS campout are the exception.
- Check whether the store advertises an overnight event, location and hours.
- Ask whether food, gear or gift cards go to everyone or only certain places in line.
- Bring warm clothing, water, chargers and proof of arrival time.
- Confirm whether online purchases during the same hours carry a separate entry or reward.