If you’d like to be considered for an opportunity to receive a reserved camping spot for your camp in Black Rock City, this page is for you! Here, you’ll learn about the placement process required forms to complete in order to participate, and what we’re looking for when you apply. This process is facilitated by a fabulous set of volunteers on the Placement Team.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PLACEMENT FORMS
• Theme Camp Statement of Intent
•Placed Camp Questionnaire
• Post-playa Report
PLACEMENT MUST READS
• Camp Placement Criteria
• Camp Categories
• Camp Standing
• Taking a Year Off
• Camp Support
Placement Timeline
- Mid-December: Theme Camp Statement of Intent opens for new and returning theme camps in your Burner Profile
- December: Camp Standing announced to placed theme camps
- Mid-January: Theme Camp Statement of Intent due
- Mid-February: Stewards Sale ticket allocations provided to camp leads of returning theme camps and new theme camps notified about conditional approval
- Mid-February: Placed Camp Questionnaire opens for all camps in Burner Profiles
- Early March: Form opens in Burner Profiles for camp leads from returning theme camps to distribute Stewards Sale ticket access
- Mid-March: Annual Camp Symposium for learning and networking among BRC camp organizers
- Last Thursday in March: Placed Camp Questionnaire for ALL theme camps. Deadline includes any support camps in a hub due at 12pm PT / 3pm ET / 9pm CET
- Third Thursday in April: Placed Camp Questionnaire for all support camps NOT in a hub due at 12pm PT / 3pm ET / 9pm CET
- March and April: Placement team reviews each questionnaire we receive
- May: Placement team creates the map of Black Rock City and announces whether camps have been selected for placement
- Early June: Almost Home form due for camps selected for placement
- June: Placement announces approximate addresses and dimensions of placed camps
- July: Placement team announces neighbors
- July: Setup Access Passes emailed to placed theme camps
- Mid-September: Post-playa Report opens
- October: Post-playa Report due
Subscribe to the Placement Newsletter and stay up to date regarding due dates and timeline changes.
Placement Forms
Theme Camp Statement of Intent (SOI)
Each year, Placement needs to know if theme camps wish to return or take time off, and if new theme camps want to join the club. Understanding this early in the year through the Theme Camp Statement of Intent (SOI) allows us to plan well for the coming year.
Returning theme camps: If you wish to return and have access to Stewards Sale tickets, you must fill out the SOI. Ticket allocation quantities may vary year-to-year. The SOI gives camps a chance to tell us their preliminary plans for size and interactivity. Returning support camps planning to convert to theme camps would be considered new theme camps unless they have previously been placed as a theme camp.
New theme camps seeking placement: Completing an SOI allows us to get an initial understand of who you are and what you’d like to bring and gives us a chance to give early feedback. New theme camps may be invited to continue with the Placement process and must also complete a Placed Camp Questionnaire to access awarded tickets.
Who doesn’t need to complete the SOI? Theme camps are not in good standing and support camps. Support camps including art support, civic support, mutant vehicle support, and work support camps must contact their respective departments to inquire about Stewards Sale allocations for their groups. We’ve prepared this nifty FAQ if you have more questions about the SOI.
You can find a sample of the Theme Camp Statement of Intent here, updated annually in November.
Placed Camp Questionnaire and Almost Home Form
All camps desiring placement in Black Rock City must fill out the Placed Camp Questionnaire (PCQ), which goes live typically in February and closes at 12 pm Pacific Time on the last Thursday of March for all new and returning theme camps, this deadline including any support camps that wish to be in a hub. Any art, mutant vehicle, and work support camps NOT in a hub can submit the questionnaire until 12 pm Pacific Time on the second to last Thursday in April. Camp types and categories are described in a couple sections below. See Burner Profiles for exact dates in a specific year. The questionnaire is completed within Burner Profiles.
The PCQ is completed by a single lead for a camp who acts as the primary point of contact for the camp with the Placement team. The PCQ asks for descriptions about camp size, interactivity, infrastructure, fire safety, acculturation, leave no trace, and other important aspects of the camp.
Once notified of being selected for placement, the Camp Lead will receive a link to fill out the Almost Home Form. Details and logistics that camps aren’t expected to have concrete in March or April are the focus of this form. The Almost Home form gathers details like theme camp Setup Access Pass requests, power, safety, leave no trace and strike. The Camp Lead also signs agreements as a cultural representative in Black Rock City. All camps notified of being placed are required to submit this form to complete their placement and receive their address.
Additionally, the Theme Camp Statement of Intent is also required for new and returning theme camps seeking access to Stewards Sale tickets. Submission is due in mid-January.
You can find a sample of the Placed Camp Questionnaire for theme camps here and a sample for support camps (art, work, mutant vehicle) here. These are updated annually in February.
Post-playa Report (PPR)
The Post-playa Report is the final step in the Placement process for placed camps. The report helps the Placement team understand how things went from each camp’s perspective, and helps make Black Rock City even more vibrant in following years. Data collected from the Post-playa Report is also shared with camps for their use in self-improvement.
Pro-Tip: Photos of a camp’s daytime and nighttime frontage and interactivity is one of the most helpful elements we’ll request, so make sure to document your camp!
Completing this report is required to remain in good standing with Placement and to be eligible for future placement in Black Rock City.
You can find a sample of the Post-playa Report here, updated annually in September.
Placement Must Reads
Camp Placement Criteria
Camps are offered reserved placement after meeting a set of criteria that we expect as valued citizens of Black Rock City. Camps receiving placement are expected to be good neighbors, reflect the culture and values that stem from Burning Man’s 10 Principles, operate safely, respect the land and leave no trace, and be self-reliant. Please review the Camp Placement Criteria in its entirety to understand the full set of expectations of all placed camps. Each criterion includes a detailed explanation of what we encourage your camp to strive for (Here’s What We Hope To See), as well as the things we consider when determining your camp standing (Here’s What We’ll Look For).
Camp Categories
Most placed camps in Black Rock City are theme camps, but there are other types of placed camps, too. When you fill out the Placed Camp Questionnaire through the BRC Participation Page of Burner Profiles, you will be asked to choose the appropriate category for your camp. Here’s a quick run-down of camp categories, and please see the Placed Camp Categories page for more details about expectations.
- Theme camps began in 1995 and have become the way the majority of people camp and participate in Black Rock City offering interactivity, visual impact, and unique offerings that make Burning Man special.
- Art support camps are where artists and the crews that build registered art installations reside on the playa.
- Mutant vehicle camps are where mutant vehicle crews that build registered mutant vehicles reside on playa.
- Civic support camps are camps that are sponsored by specific Burning Man departments offering important community services that are not necessarily provided from their camp.
There are also Burning Man Project Department and work support camps for staff helping to keep BRC city safe and running.
Camp Standing
After Black Rock City has become dust once again, the Placement Team collects feedback about all camps (including mutant vehicle camps and art support camps) and determines their standing. Camps are either in good standing, limited standing, or not in good standing each year.
Your camp standing will impact things like Stewards Sale ticket allocations as well as your ability to be placed in the following year. Placed theme camps must be in good standing to be eligible to receive access to Stewards Sale tickets the following year. If a camp is not in good standing, they will not be invited to the Stewards ticket sale and may not receive future placement. If a camp is in limited standing, they may receive a reduction in their Stewards tickets and/or camp size for the next event.
If a support camp is in limited or not in good standing with the Placement Team based on the criteria to be in good standing, Placement will share the camp’s standing and their Stewards recommendation (if eligible) with the respective sponsoring department such as DMV or Art Department.
For detailed information about how Standings are determined, please review this page.
Taking a Year Off
As interest in the Burning Man event in BRC continues to grow, more camps continue to seek placement as a way to offer their gifts of interactivity, and also to secure tickets. We highly encourage camps to take a year or two off to make room for new camps to join BRC. Taking the year off comes with benefits, including time to rejuvenate and lighten the stress that comes with planning for the Burn. It also allows you to focus on other ways to bring Burning Man and your theme camp to the world, including visiting one of the many Official Regional Events around the world.
Any theme camp in good standing that has been placed within the last three events is considered a returning camp and eligible for Stewards Sale ticket allocations. For camps who also have been placed a minimum of three years, they may take up to two years off and Placement will guarantee at least the same number of Stewards tickets as their most recently placed year.
Click to read more about how we are Adapting to Growth and Limits in Black Rock City.
Camp Support
If you have questions regarding camp placement, first read through the Camps and Placement section of the website, check the FAQ, and you can always email placement@burningman.org.
If you have questions on how to make your camp amazing or handle a challenge within your camp, check out the offerings of the Camp Support Team and read the Camp Resource Guide.
Thank you for creating a theme camp for Black Rock City!