2018 Black Rock City Plan

In 2018, the annular streets are named:

  • Esplanade
  • Algorithm                             
  • Bender
  • Cylon
  • Dewey
  • Elektro
  • Fribo
  • Gort
  • HAL
  • Iron Giant
  • Johnny 5
  • Kinoshita
  • Leon

New for 2018:

We are reducing the widths of the “portals”, the triangle-shaped zones between the esplanade and the 3:00, 4:30, 7:30 and 9:00 avenues. We are also reducing the diameters of the seven plazas on B, G and I streets from 250 to 200 feet. 

We are making these reductions to hopefully reduce the speed of transit though these zones, to encourage more interaction with the theme camps and art installations in these locations. We have invited theme camps to create social spaces with shade and seating — like gazebos or tea houses — in the center of all the city plazas.

Rod’s Road circling Center Camp is renamed Rod’s Ring Road to reference the original Ring Road while continuing to honor BRC site architect Rod Garrett (1936–2011).

The radial streets of Black Rock City are named by their clock position. The light blue shaded area does not specify, but rather approximates, where you will find reserved-placement camps: interactive theme camps, camps supporting art installations, and infrastructure camps. 

This plan intentionally cannot be used to debate boundaries: we’ve softened the edges of the reserved-placement shading here more than in previous plans, as this zone fluctuates greatly between this initial city plan and the final placed camp plan displayed at the event site. 

Reserved camp space is marked on the playa with blue survey flags. Some of these plots are so large that they may appear unclaimed and available, when they actually are not. Be sure to camp outside the blue flagged zones to avoid encroaching on reserved zones and then having to relocate your camp.

For walk-in camping — located between 2:00 and 5:00 — park your vehicles across Leon Street at the flag fence, and set up your camp outside the parking flag fence.

Note: Walk-in camping is for people who drove their cars into BRC but don’t camp with their cars. You still need a vehicle pass to drive in and park before carrying your gear to walk-in camping.

The distance from the innermost Esplanade street to the Man is 2,500 feet. Esplanade to Algorithm Street, curb to curb, is 400 feet deep. Mid-city double-deep blocks are located between Elektro and Gort streets and are 440 feet deep. The remaining blocks are 200 feet deep.

Download PDF version (5MB) of the 2018 City Plan for on-screen viewing or printing.

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