I went to Jared Leto’s Camp Mars before everyone called it a ‘cult’ – here’s the truth

Following new allegations of sexual misconduct against Jared Leto, people are once again talking about the 30 Seconds to Mars retreat, Camp Mars. One woman who attended the festival spoke about what it was really like and whether it’s fair to describe it as a “cult”. 

Right now, the actor is the subject of Jared Leto: Hollywood’s Dark Secret, a new BBC documentary that features accounts from 10 women, with four accusing him of criminal sexual misconduct when they were teenagers. 

Although the actor didn’t respond to the BBC’s repeated attempts when it put the allegations to him, Film Shrine received the following statement shared on his behalf: “I have never sexually assaulted anyone in my entire life. These claims are absolutely and categorically false.”

Many of the archive clips in the documentary show Leto’s rock band 30 Seconds to Mars. In the late 2000s, he took a break from acting to focus on his music career, which led to them launching a music festival called Camp Mars, the first of which took place in Malibu, California, in 2015. 

In 2019, they became the focus of “cult” comparisons when the band launched a separate event in Croatia called Mars Island. Images of Leto and the fanbase – named The Echelon – dressed in white robes on the cliff of the island of Obonjan went viral. 

30 Seconds to Mars even played into the accusations, tweeting at the time, “Yes, this is a cult. #MarsIsland.” 

Yes, this is a cult 🔺 #MarsIsland pic.twitter.com/4I7JROg90w

— THIRTY SECONDS TO MARS (@30SECONDSTOMARS) August 15, 2019

Back in 2022, before the sexual misconduct accusations made headlines, author Jenika Enoch shared her experience of Camp Mars to dispel some of the misconceptions, reveal what surprised her, and explain what led to her distancing herself from The Echelon. 

Writing for Vocal’s Geeks, Jenika said, “In 2019, they got a lot of public commentary because of their cultish Camp Mars gatherings and Jared’s apparent obsession with being the follower’s Jesus-like figure. But is it really a cult? How would I even know? Well, I went to Camp Mars.”

She gave some context about the event itself, noting how Camp Mars started as an adults-only summer camp weekend dedicated to unplugging, getting outdoors and meeting other people who share the same interest in the band. 

Each night wrapped up with a 30 Seconds to Mars concert in the campground. “Camp Mars evolved over the next three years it was held in Malibu, with each year getting more expensive, more crowded, and less in touch with the band itself,” she said. 

Jenika and her best friend attended the 2017 edition, saying that “it was one of the most fun vacations I have ever had.” 

“It was an expensive weekend, but I met some pretty cool people, got to attend consecutive ‘Church of Mars’ concerts (complete with each night being a theme night), enjoy the beautiful Malibu hills, and not feel like I had to look at my phone every five minutes. 

“The camp had everything you could think of – s’mores, campfires, tents, archery, swimming, hiking, and games. We even got to hear the song ‘Walk on Water’ after Jared’s event before it was released to the public a few weeks later.”

Jenika noted how this shifted in 2019 when the band launched Mars island in Croatia. “That is where the photos of him walking on rocks with the flock of people in white clothes following him came from,” she wrote.

“That is where the images of him sitting looking like Jesus in white linen clothing came from. That is where people spend double to triple the amount of money to fly to Croatia and stay at a beach resort. And no, it isn’t their private cult island as a lot of articles have said. 

“So where the Camp Mars I experienced was walking around a campground seeing the band in trucker hats playing archery and cruising around on golf carts saying hello to people, Mars Island came across as a weird, over-planned cult gathering.”

The author ultimately rejected the idea of Camp Mars and Mars Island being part of a cult, but said she gradually became disillusioned with the fan culture surrounding 30 Seconds to Mars.

“Something about the whole thing [The Echelon] just seemed intimidating, like it was this exclusive club that couldn’t possibly accept just anyone,” she explained. 

“When I decided to actually make a VyRT account (their former website that hosted Mars media content), I found that this wasn’t really true, but also kind of true at the same time.”

Jenika argued that fans were encouraged to spend more money in exchange for a greater chance of interacting with the band, from $500+ meet-and-greet packages to exclusive online content.

“Why do people spend so much money on them? Because it makes you feel seen,” she wrote. “It makes you feel good to be a part of these events that feel so exclusive.”

But she said that feeling eventually wore off, claiming those who spent more received more attention from Leto. “I saw it over and over again – people paying extra for a selfie with Jared and then turning around to brag about it on social media,” she added.

Ultimately, Jenika said it wasn’t Camp Mars itself that pushed her away, but the culture surrounding it. “No, I wouldn’t say I escaped a cult,” she concluded. “I’d say I just got sick of the band’s antics and their fans.”

She added that there was “this constant feeling like you had to compete with others for attention to get your money’s worth,” describing it as “a terrible feeling, and that is exactly how Jared has moulded the fanbase.”

“It was time to go,” Jenika finished, saying she eventually realised she could move on “without their overpriced nonsense and the toxicity of the fanbase.”

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Featured images credit: Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock/X/@30SECONDSTOMARS