Camp Resource Guide

This guide will support your efforts to organize amazing camps. Although some of this information is specific to theme camps and villages, most will also be relevant to camps of all types and sizes. If you prefer to watch rather than read, we’ve included relevant Camp Symposium videos and additional resources. This info is maintained by the Camp Support Team. 

Before you dive in, note that there is no one way to camp at Burning Man. Each of the 1,500 Black Rock City camps has its own way of doing things! These resources and advice are here to support you on your journey.

Organizing and Leading a Camp

Acculturation of Camp Members

Acculturation of Camp Members

Camps play a critical role in acculturating their members for Burning Man, including:

  • acculturating newbies to Burning Man culture, Black Rock City (BRC), and to your camp
  • acculturating returning Burners who are new to your camp or your camp’s culture
  • sometimes re-acculturating veteran Burners and reminding them how Burning Man and your camp are different from the default world.

At the most basic level, acculturation is easier or more challenging depending on ratios of new Burners to veterans. For example, if 5-10% of your camp are newbies or new Burners to your camp, it’s fairly easy for the camp leadership and other campmates to support their acculturation journey. If over 50% of your camp are newbies and/or Burners who are new to your camp, acculturation will be much more challenging. Newbie sponsorship by a veteran campmate to guide the newbie through acculturation both pre-Playa and on Playa ensures that important information is shared and the newbie is supported in the experience. Here is a 2019 Theme Camp Symposium video: Acculturation Panel  

Burning Man Culture: How do we introduce those who are on playa for the first time to our city and community? The 10 Principles were created as guidance to help all of us navigate Black Rock City and Burning Man culture around the world. They are a great place to start when bringing new friends to Black Rock City, but it’s important to note the 10 Principles are intentionally descriptive instead of prescriptive. It’s up to each of us to interpret the 10 Principles, so the more you can encourage your campmates to genuinely think about, engage with, and apply them in their own way, the more helpful it will be than telling them how they “should” interpret them. 

Black Rock City Culture: Acculturating your campmates to the unique ways we are together in Black Rock City intersects with the 10 Principles. Introduce newbies to the Survival Guide, which includes tips for how to be a good citizen of BRC, dos and don’ts, and the community resources that they won’t find in the default world. As their camp, you have a huge opportunity to affect individual behavior through the education you do up front, the expectations you set around behavior, and how you respond when something happens that isn’t in line with the culture. Consider covering topics like how to take care of your well-being, Leave No Trace, consent (including consent to be photographed, hugged, or given a gift), logos and branding, porta-potty etiquette, encouraging participation, and how to be a good neighbor. 

Your Camp’s Culture: Every camp is unique! How are you different from other camps? What do newbies or Burners who are new to your camp need to know to align with your camp’s culture? What expectations do you have of each other when it comes to participation with visitors to your camp and also ensuring your camp will run smoothly? What happens if those expectations aren’t met? 

Acculturation Checklist:

  • Burning Man culture 
    • Make sure your campers understand the 10 Principles.
    • Watch this video and look for others that explain the culture and ethos of Burning Man.
    • Discuss some of the more nuanced Principles that may be more difficult for new people to “get” about Burning Man’s culture like the importance of Decommodification and how seriously we take Leave No Trace. Paint a picture of what the Principles look like in action and why they matter to you. 
  • Black Rock City culture
    • Check that they’ve read the Survival Guide.
    • Encourage them to explore information about the event.
    • Establish how they can get support and who can help them when they are figuring out how to go to Black Rock City and/or be part of your camp for the first time.
  • Your camp’s culture 
    • Get clear on your own camp’s culture and values. What sets your camp apart? 
    • Explain how you operate together, and how you communicate with new campers.
    • Set clear and specific expectations with campers for participation before and during the event, and for strike and post-event, if applicable. 
    • Make these expectations easily available in a written document. 

Additional Resources:

Consent

Consent

Build, maintain, and promote a culture of consent in your camp. The 5 tips below are a start on your journey of practicing, integrating, and respecting consent. More information and resources can be found at  Tips and guidelines for consent at Burning Man and Sexual Misconduct Awareness, Education, and Prevention. View the recording of the Campfire Talk on the topic of consent here: Expanding Consent Beyond Sex.

5 Tips for Helping Prevent Sexual Harassment at Burning Man (from Burning Man Journal)

  • Do not make unsolicited sexual remarks or comments about someone else’s body.

However it’s intended, unsolicited sexual comments about somebody else’s body may not feel like a compliment to the person you’re saying them to.

  • Don’t touch anyone without their enthusiastic consent.

Respecting personal boundaries is key. This also goes for touches that aren’t intended to be sexual.

  • Don’t take photos of someone without their enthusiastic consent.

You might be surprised how often fellow BRC citizens seem to think this doesn’t apply to women they find attractive. No amount of clothing (or lack thereof) makes it okay to snap a photo without asking, period.

  • Don’t treat someone else’s body like a commodity without their enthusiastic consent.

Ever been to a bar camp where men drink for “free” but women have to flash the servers? Using other people’s bodies like currency is a form of objectification, and (unless they’re into that) it’s not cool.

  • Always take “no” for an answer.

Sometimes, the friendliest, sexiest thing you can do is respect someone else’s boundaries. If they say “no thanks” to any of the above, don’t push the issue and don’t get mad. Rather, say “thank you” for their clear communication of what they do and don’t want.

Each and every one of us is responsible for helping make Black Rock City a safe, welcoming place for all its citizens. Keep these tips in mind and share them with your friends and campmates. Everyone can be part of the solution!

Additional Resources:

Tips and guidelines for consent at Burning Man

Sexual Misconduct Awareness, Education, and Prevention. 

Campfire Talk:  Expanding Sex Beyond Consent

2023 Camp Symposium: Consent – How to Acculturate Camp Members and Teach Camp Guests

Leadership

Leadership

Managing a camp comes with all of the fun and challenges that accompany any project that brings people, infrastructure, and creative spirit together. For a bit of inspiration, watch this video of fellow camp leaders at the 2018 Theme Camp Symposium explaining why they do all they do for their camps.

  • Communication
    • Leaders communicate expectations, needs, challenges, ideas, plans, requests, opportunities, decisions, and much more. What does the communication loop between your camp’s leadership and the rest of your camp look like? Whether you use email, social media, or collaboration applications, make sure everyone can access important information and announcements in a timely manner. 
    • Many camps have in-person or virtual meetings throughout the year to discuss ideas, make decisions, and build community. Find the frequency and method that works best for your camp. 
  • Managing people
    • Friends
      • There are many different approaches for leading groups of friends. Openly communicating, staying honest, and speaking up as early as possible when something isn’t working is probably the best advice. If you wait too long and frustration builds, your camp stuff can taint your friendship. 
    • Friends of friends
      • If managing friends is challenging, managing the friends they want to bring with them can be even more so. There’s a common theme when dealing with people, friends or otherwise. Open and honest communication is key. 
    • New friends 
      • Sometimes you bring in total strangers to your camp. There are various reasons to do so and none of them change how you lead them. As a general rule, the more communication with new camp members before getting to the playa, the better. 
  • Appreciating campers
    • Providing feedback is vital. It is sometimes easy to forget what a powerful force positive feedback can be. It can be easy to focus on the things that are going wrong, especially in the midst of camp build or teardown. Remind the people around you that you appreciate them and that their contributions are important. A little praise goes a looooong way. And we hope they’ll appreciate you too! 
  • Cultivating new leaders
    • At some point in time, for some reason you may not be able to fulfill a leadership role in your camp. Life happens, burn-out happens, and if you want your camp to continue, you should think about who might take over for you should you step aside. Share responsibility often so you can identify who is willing and able to be that new leader.
  • Empowerment
    • Does someone have a great idea? Rather than the established leaders taking it on, let the suggestor make it happen! Even if they don’t have the skills, experience, or track record, what better place than Burning Man for someone to take on a project they’re excited about and figure out how to do it? Provide support and mentorship as needed, but let them run with it. 
  • Burn-out
    • Organizing and managing a Burning Man theme camp or village is hard. There comes a point where everyone needs a break and that’s OK. To avoid burn-out, spread as much of the responsibility around as possible. By sharing the load, you can hang in there a lot longer. 
  • Support networks
  • Additional Resources: 

Conflict Resolution

Conflict Resolution

Conflict is part of personal and group growth, but we always want to keep it constructive. Disagreements arise during planning and when you are at BRC. Be prepared so that conflicts don’t get past the point where they can be respectfully managed.

A simple conflict resolution plan should be made available for everyone to review and should include defined steps to resolution and an escalation path for more serious conflicts. Post it somewhere accessible to all. Many camps have a member who has been trained in mediation or conflict management and resolution. Take advantage of their skills.

Additional Resources: 

Camp Symposium 2023:  Conflict Mediation Training – How to Win a Goat Rodeo

Camp Symposium 2022: Leadership and Planning Conflict Prevention, Engagement, and Resolution

Camp Finances

Camp Finances

Small camps (e.g, fewer than 10 members) may not have a shared budget. In a small camp, each member may simply bring whatever resources they have to share. However, most larger camps require members to contribute dues, which might be as little as $50 per person, up to $500 per person or more to make sharing resources within the camp easier to manage. Examples of major expenses for a large camp include: purchase of shade structures, equipment and vehicle rental, communal kitchen supplies, materials for art projects or interactivity plans, storage costs, and the cost of producing high quality swag.

Experience has shown that it is best to have a designated camp treasurer who collects the dues and manages the camp budget. It is the treasurer’s responsibility to collect dues from everyone before getting to the playa, and to maintain an up to date report on camp expenditures.

Additional Resources: 

2023 Camp Symposium: The Pros and Cons of Dues, Deposits, and Other Financial Structures to Motivate Your Camp

2022 Camp Symposium: Finances- Keeping Your Camp in the Black

Fundraising and Burning Man's Intellectual Property

Fundraising and Burning Man’s Intellectual Property

What happens when your ideas grow so big you need to find additional capital to make that idea a reality? Fortunately our community likes to support big ideas, but how do you ask for donations without stepping into any weird legal issues or Decommodification quagmires? Read on to find out more about Burning Man’s IP (intellectual property) and how to decommodify your camp’s fundraising efforts. 

This summary includes:

  1. An overview of Burning Man’s IP and image-use policies — and why we care!
  2. Gifting items with Burning Man’s IP or images from BRC
  3. Hosting a fundraising event
  4. Other tips for keeping your fundraising decommodified.

1. Burning Man’s Policies

  • IP and image-use policies are guided by the Ten Principles and aimed at protecting the event, our participants, and the core words and symbols of Burner culture from commercial exploitation.
  • The core trademarks that Burning Man protects are: the Burning Man symbol (logo), “Burning Man,” “Black Rock City,” and “Decompression.”
  • Burning Man protects the copyrights for the design of the Man, the design of the Black Rock City map, and the 10 Principles.
  • We also restrict the commercial use of Burning Man images to protect the event and the privacy of our participants, in service to Decommodification, Radical Self-expression, Immediacy, Participation… Non-personal use of images taken at the event must be approved by Burning Man (typically the Communications team — press@burningman.org).

2. Gifting Items With Burning Man’s IP or Images from BRC

The Burner community is encouraged to incorporate Burning Man IP or images into their BRC artwork and gifts according to these guidelines:

Totally OK: GIFTING

  • Theme camps, mutant vehicles and art installations are gifts to all of Black Rock City. Burning Man participants are welcome to GIFT items that incorporate Burning Man’s trademarks or copyrights as tokens of appreciation to people who support these playa-bound projects, including as “rewards” or “perks” in crowdfunding campaigns.
  • Example: Incorporating the Man symbol or “Burning Man 2018” into your camp or art project logo, and printing it on gifts for people who support your fundraiser — OK!
  • If you’re going to use the Man symbol on a pledge gift, be radically self-expressive and create a custom variation that suits your project!

Not OK: SELLING

  • You can’t SELL items with Burning Man trademarks, copyrights, or images in any forum, including on peer-to-peer websites like eBay, Etsy, Cafe Press, etc. 
  • Example: Setting up an online shop for your camp with merchandise that incorporates the Man symbol, “Burning Man” or “Black Rock City” — NOT OK!
  • If you create gifts that incorporate a Burning Man trademark, copyright or image and you have some left after the event, you can’t sell those leftovers. Likewise, please don’t fundraise for the costs of producing your gifts — that’s like selling them for the amount of the donation.
  • Example: Setting up a crowdfunding campaign for the Man symbol jewelry you want to gift at Burning Man this year — NOT OK!

3. Hosting a Fundraising Event

  • If you’re having a fundraising event for your camp or other BRC-bound project, feel free to use “Burning Man” or “Black Rock City” in the event description. Just don’t use these names in ways that suggest the Burning Man organization is hosting or sponsoring your event. 
  • “Decompression” should not be used in connection with your fundraisers. This name is reserved for events produced by Burning Man or the Burning Man Regional Network. 
  • Examples: Saying your fundraiser is for your camp “at Burning Man” or your art project “in Black Rock City” — OK!
  • Calling your event a “Burning Man Fundraiser” or “Decompression Party” — NOT OK!

4. Other Tips for Keeping Your Fundraising Decommodified

Avoid commodifying the Burning Man experience:

  • Steer clear of offering “VIP” access in exchange for donations — a private tour on your Mutant Vehicle, a private party at your camp, etc.
  • REMINDER: Burning Man tickets and vehicle passes can’t be used for fundraising purposes (including as crowdfunding rewards, in auctions, etc.)

Avoid commodifying camp space:

  • Pooling resources and sharing costs with your friends — OK!
  • Selling space in your camp to raise money — NOT OK!

You can read more on Burning Man’s approach to intellectual property, trademarks and copyrights here, as well as proper use of images and media rights here.

If you see any questionable uses of Burning Man’s IP or imagery, please let us know — ip@burningman.org. We appreciate your help!

Additional Resources:

Camp Size

Camp Size

Every year Black Rock City is completely rebuilt and with that comes many changes. Camps grow, camps shrink, camps hibernate for a season, camps wake up. Know what to expect so your camp can navigate inevitable changes in population or enthusiasm.

  • Growth: Sometimes bigger is not better. As a camp lead, it’s super important that you understand your willingness and ability to manage an ever-growing population of campers. It can be challenging when your camp starts as a group of friends, and then the next year everyone wants to invite another friend, and then the year after that they all want to invite their friends, and all of a sudden your camp has doubled or tripled in size. Slow growth is typically the most successful strategy and it helps to have some intention around the maximum size for your camp. 
  • Size thresholds: There are many theories regarding group sizes and the thresholds at which dynamics and complexity changes substantially. If you’re interested, we’d suggest looking up some of the research. One number that’s cited often by camp leaders is Dunbar’s Number, a theory that humans can only comfortably hold up to 150 relationships. There are thresholds at smaller group sizes as well. 
  • Limiting size: The best time to discuss limiting the size of your camp is during the event. Ask the question, is our camp the right size, or should we grow? If the answer to that question is, “We are the right size now”, then start the conversation about how to restrict camp membership next year.
  • Downsizing: Despite our best efforts, life happens in between burns and your once thriving and robust camp may find itself with campers who are not able to make the trip to the desert. Don’t panic! You can do this. It’s totally acceptable to scale back your interactivity offerings should you find yourself with fewer people to make it happen. Keep the potential of future downsizing or size fluctuations in mind as your camp is growing. Sometimes a temporary solution to accommodate more people for one year makes more sense than permanent infrastructure that you find you don’t need next year. 
  • Take a year off: After 15 years of serving grilled carrots and candy bar smoothies you deserve a break! Sometimes a camp just needs to take a breather. If you’re a placed theme camp, you will find Placement happy to work with you and hold your camp in good standing during your break. You have to let Placement know before the Statement of Intent is due, which is typically in January. 

Managing Playa Logistics

Camp Layout and Logistics

Camp Layout and Logistics

Living in the desert for a week or two takes some planning. Not only do you have to get all of your stuff there, but you need to know where it goes once you arrive. You should know roughly how much space you need, how best to arrange things, and how to light it up so nobody trips/rides over your stuff in the dark of night.

Layout essentials

  • Think about how your camp is contributing to make the frontage of your street a cool place. What does it say when you look down a street and see a full street of vibrant and exciting structures and signage? What does it say when half the camps have cars parked right up on the street and you can’t see the next camp over past the cars? And how does that affect the overall feel of your city block?
  • In designing the layout of your frontage, be aware of not only how it affects your own camp, but also how it affects the vibe/culture/feel of your neighboring camps, city block, and sector.
  • All camps requesting placement are required to submit a camp layout with their questionnaire. Placement uses this to determine how much physical space you will need. 
  • If you camp in open camping or you don’t receive placement, you should still create a layout so you know how much space you need once you get to the playa. Depending on your arrival time to open camping, you may not find all the space you need, but with your plan in hand, you’ll know how you can flex to fit the available space.
  • There are multiple tools for creating a camp plan/layout. Use something that you’re familiar with (perhaps it’s a pencil and graph paper or maybe it’s a software program). If submitting to Placement, it should be as clear and concise as possible. 
  • For more details on Placement’s requirements for camp layouts, see their guidelines here. 

Space Allocation

  • Think about how much space within your camp you need for interactivity that will be open to the public. Then think about the infrastructure and residences and how much space that will need. The overall flow between the public and internal spaces for your camp will impact people’s experiences in your camp.

Ingress/egress

  • Think about the complete experience of someone visiting your camp, starting from when they see it from a distance and decide to check it out. How will visitors enter and exit your camp? How large or obvious is the opening to enter your camp? 
  • If your camp will have crowds, keep in mind the flow of people from and back to the street, as well as locations for bike parking. 
  • If there are parts of your camp that you’d prefer not to have visitors cutting though, think about how to signal that with your layout.

Your Sides and RV Walls

  • What do the sides of your camp say about you? Are they closed off? An unwelcoming line of RVs or cars? The Placement Team will follow up with you and ask you to change your layout if you submit a layout with RV walls with only an opening for your frontage. 
  • Can you get creative in how you lay out any RVs and vehicles in your camp? Think about what you’d appreciate as a participant if you were walking on the street by your camp. Walls of cars/RVs should be used to frame entrances and pathways. Careless placement can screen off aspects of your frontage that deserve to be highlighted, or can convey an imposing, unwelcoming, or boring feeling. Also, be aware of how your car/RV walls are affecting your neighbors and overall vibe of the street or avenue.
  • Can you do anything visual or creative with the sides of your camp so they look and feel more appealing or interesting?

Emergency Access 

  • Emergency Services (ESD) and Rangers need to be able to get into your camp efficiently. If things are too tightly blocked together, this could be a problem at a time when someone needs immediate help. Make sure there are clear pathways throughout your layout. 

Fire, Fire Lanes, and Fire Safety

  • Camps 100’x100’ or smaller are not required to have a fire lane.
  • Camps/villages are required to have a 20’ fire/service access lane only if:
    • They have a depth greater than 125’ from any frontage on a street,
    • OR They are being serviced by an OSS Vendor for water delivery or pumpouts,
    • OR They are part of the PETROL Fuel Program and require servicing of a generator/fuel tank that is further than 20’ from the street or are within 20’ but have obstructed access. 
  • Read Placement’s rules here for fire lanes. 
  • If your camp has fire, open flames or fire performance, make sure you read the Fire Art Safety Team (FAST)’s rules and recommendations for fire in theme camps.
  • You must also store your fuel properly. Information about fuel storage here.

Managing Parking (or, creative vehicle placement)

  • Oh, the ins and outs of vehicles. Who’s arriving first? Who’s arriving last? Who will leave first? Who will leave last? It’s helpful to have a list of arrival and departure dates for each vehicle. Consider if your layout is flexible enough to accommodate a group of cars that arrives while you’re asleep and parks in a spot that wasn’t planned.
  • Parking of cars must happen within your camp’s layout—there is no parking lot in Black Rock City. Do not use open camping as a parking lot! Open camping is needed for folks who are not part of placed camps and do not have the privilege of arriving early with Setup Access Passes. Please ensure the space you request on your Camp Placement Questionnaire includes fitting all your vehicles inside your camp’s boundaries. 
  • Don’t want those pesky vehicles in your camp? Encourage your campmates to carpool or use the Burner Express. The fewer cars at Burning Man, the better! 

Accessibility

Preparing for Extreme Weather

The Black Rock Desert is wild and unpredictable. High winds, rain, lightning, hail, extreme heat, and near freezing cold are all possibilities during the event. Your camp should have plans in place for all weather conditions. 

  • Secure your structures. Bring more lag bolts, ratchet straps, rope, etc. Be aware of where the winds are coming from once you get on playa and secure your structure. Utilize large vehicles like box trucks to protect tents from prevailing winds.
  • Keep your camp organized and loose objects from flying away. If there’s a dust storm coming, and all your camp’s bikes are in one spot, you can more easily manage them rather than if they’re all over the place.
  • Prolonged rain means no driving on the playa. No driving on the playa means no porta potty or RV servicing. Make sure you have five-gallon buckets and extra garbage bags should you need to fashion an emergency toilet (which you will then seal and take with you when leaving the desert). Gross but true. You can even pack your five-gallon bucket as a weather emergency kit with some toilet paper! 

Additional Resources:

Shade and Other Structures

Shade and Other Structures

There’s a lot to consider to make sure the structure you’re building on playa is safe. Large structures need to be secured properly. All designs are strongly advised to include safety provisions. For more information on building safe and secure structures for your camp, check out Securing Your Structure. If you’re building an art project, Building Safe Structures, is a handy guide.

Additional Resources:

Neighbors

Neighbors

Most of the time we find our neighbors in Black Rock City to be wonderful, supportive, funny, and welcoming, but every so often there’s a little friction between camps. Ninety-nine percent of the time, issues are resolved with open and respectful communication. 

  • Introduce yourself and your camp
    • Be proactive. When you first arrive, say hello to your neighbors! Introduce yourselves and your camp. Let them know who to come to if they have a problem. When your neighbors arrive from their long journey, greet them, offer them water and introduce yourselves. Welcome them to the neighborhood! 
    • When an issue arises with your neighbor, it’s easy to get frustrated and build them up in your mind into a Burning Man villain before you even walk over to talk (or yell) about it. Do your best to calmly discuss any issues with your neighbor when those issues come up. Assume your neighbors have positive intent. Make sure you let all your camp members know how to interact with neighbors, or to always send them straight to the right contact. One bad interaction can ruin all your hard work setting up relationships with them.
  • Tips for resolving issues on your own
  • There are neighborly ways to address problems. First, it helps to know or ask who in the camp to talk to versus talking to (or yelling at) the first person you see. Do you like to be told what to do in a yelling tone by someone you just met? Most people don’t. Discuss how to solve the problem together versus telling them what they should do right-!@*%ing-now. Make sure you’ve both had enough water. Sit down together. Take the high road against drama.
  • If you’re in over your head, you can request assistance from the Black Rock Rangers. If you have a neighbor that consistently isn’t collaborating to solve problems, make sure your Placer is also aware of the situation.
  • Not everyone wants to sleep when you do
    • Remember, Burning Man is loud. There are no quiet hours or official quiet areas in Black Rock City. Be radically self-reliant and make sure your campers are prepared with earplugs, battery-powered white noise machines, whatever they need to sleep. Help acculturate your new campers to this landscape. Familiarize yourself with the sound policy so you know what’s Ok-loud versus not-Ok loud. 
  • Get to know your neighborhood before you get to the playa
  • Neighborliness issues
    • The most common issues among neighboring camps are sound and generator noise. Guess what, those are both preventable! See the previous section on Camp Layouts and the following section on Generators and Power for how to best plan your generator’s placement. Set expectations with your campers about who may touch those volume dials and review the Black Rock City Sound Policy. 

Additional Resources:

Interactivity and Frontage

Interactivity and Frontage

Theme camps form the heart of Black Rock City. Big, small, loud, quiet, these are the places created to entertain, entice, and inform the citizenry. Interactivity is a key component to a successful theme camp and its definition is, thankfully, broad. Frontage (or visual stimulation, or curb appeal) is also an important aspect of being a theme camp. 

Note: Interactivity and frontage are not criteria for other camp categories. This only applies to theme camps requesting placement. While it may not be required for your camp category, it sure is lovely to provide interactive experiences for your neighbors regardless! And there are many theme camps in open camping who prefer not to be placed.

  • Interactivity is defined in the Camp Placement Criteria for theme camps and villages. It’s the primary “thing” theme camps and villages do. It’s the reason why your camp hopefully receives placement in Black Rock City. You’re not placed because of your delicious camper meal plan or your badass power grid; you’re placed because of the interactivity, frontage, and overall offering your camp provides to all citizens of Black Rock City. 
  • Designing your camp’s interactivity
    • Ask yourself and your campmates—How do we want to participate in Black Rock City? What gifts do we have for the community (both literal gifts and gifts like your skills, abilities, talents, etc)? What experiences do we want people to have when they come to our camp and interact with us? What can our camp community do in Black Rock City that we may not be able to do in the default world? 
  • Make a plan, stick to it
    • On your placement questionnaire, you’ll describe your plans for interactivity. As the event gets closer, it’s time to get more specific. What exactly will your camp be doing? Who will be doing what? When will it be happening? What materials or preparations do you need in order for it to happen? How are you ensuring it will actually happen?
  • Frontage—create visually stimulating, open, and inviting spaces
    • Frontage is a component of the Placement Team’s Theme Camp Criteria. You should have a plan for what your camp looks like from the outside. 
    • When someone is walking or biking down the street, what will they see? How will people know you’re a theme camp? What about your camp would compel them to get off their bike and come participate? What type of visual experience do you want to create? How does it connect to your interactivity? These are just some of the questions you can ask when planning your frontage. 
  • Night Lighting
    • If your camp wants placement on the Esplanade, Portal, Plaza, or Avenue, your camp needs a plan for night lighting. How can you bring lighting into your frontage plans? What will it look and feel like to those walking down the street at night past your camp? If your camp’s interactivity is primarily after dark, then night lighting should be even more important. Also, consider going solar! 
  • Clarify your camp’s “public” space and “private” space
    • We put those in quotes because technically all of Black Rock City is public! Make sure your public space feels public, open and inviting. People shouldn’t have to seriously question whether they’re “allowed” into a public space. 
    • Clearly define your public space from your “back of house” space, but do not make barriers or signs like, Private: Campers Only, for your private space. Create a welcoming space for your visitors, and create a safe space for your campmates. 
    • Plan your camp layout based on the proportions needed for camp interactivity, frontage, and your back of house or living areas. 
  • But I’m not a registered theme camp! Or… I didn’t get placement! 
    • Yes! There are many theme camps that prefer to be in open camping and don’t want to deal with the placement process.
    • Interactivity and frontage are components any camp can do whether your camp is placed or not, and no matter what your camp’s category is! 

Additional Resources:

Kitchens and Food Safety

Kitchens and Food Safety

Nobody wants to get sick out there and nobody wants to make others sick. To prevent foodborne illness on the playa, the Central Nevada Health District (CNHD) has requirements for camps serving food or beverages, including the need for a health permit. You must apply to the CNHD and be permitted as a Temporary Food Establishment if:

  • you wish to share, cook, or serve food or non-alcoholic beverages to the general Burning Man population (gifting food)(regardless of # served)
  • you will be cooking or serving food to more than 125 fellow campers in your camp.

You can find information about this year’s application and deadlines on the CNHD website here. 

If you have a communal kitchen shared by 125 or more campers but meals are prepared individually or in smaller quantities than for 125 persons, a permit is not required. However, we highly recommend you research and review the videos on the site and the “Burning Man Self Checklist” found on the CNHD website’s information page.

Additional Resources:

Camp Safety and Security

Camp Safety and Security

Here’s a roundup of key safety information:

Videos:

Bikes

Bikes 

Black Rock City is a pedestrian-friendly environment that lends itself to walking and biking. Bikes are the most popular mode of transportation on the playa and that means there are a lot of them! Bikes are super useful but, on occasion, they become problematic.

  • Parking: Every camp should plan for bike parking. Even if you’re a small camp with a few personal bikes, you’ll need a place to park and lock your bikes when you aren’t using them. 
  • Crowds: Camps that attract many visitors should provide adequate bike parking space to prevent a pile of metal and rubber from appearing out of nowhere. It’s super important to keep the city streets clear for pedestrians, water trucks and emergency vehicles, especially at night! Rangers will ask you to clear bikes if they are spilling out into the street. 
  • Repairs: As with any situation on the playa, you should be prepared to deal with common bike repairs. Be sure to pack multiple replacement tubes that fit any bike you bring with you. A small tool set that works with your bike will also come in handy. If you’re lucky, there’s a camp nearby who is gifting bike repair services, but you can’t count on that and you will still need to supply tubes.. 
  • E-Bikes, scooters and more: Make sure you’ve read the DMV’s rules on personal transport vehicles. If it’s not on their list, it’s not allowed in Black Rock City. Ensure your campers are aware of these rules so they don’t haul something they can’t use. 
  • Decor: Personalize your ride. Let it represent you in all possible ways! Personalized decorations will help you quickly find and identify your bike when you park it with hundreds of others. Consider lights on bikes for night safety reasons as well as to help find your bike at night. Here are more tips on personal bikes. 
  • Locks. Unfortunately, bike theft is not uncommon, so bikes should have locks (Combination locks are good because you don’t need to worry about losing keys.)

Sound

Sound

Sound Policy:

  • Read in full here. The following guidelines make up our basic sound policy:
    1. Neighbors should talk to one another when sound becomes a problem and try to resolve the issue through direct communication.
      • As a community, we need to work together to keep sound at desirable levels. This means that everyone is personally responsible for how they affect everyone else’s experience.
      • If your neighbor believes your sound is too loud, you must work with them to find an acceptable volume. You will need to check in with those you are camped near to find out what other events are planned and work with them to create a schedule. With these actions you should be able to handle all of your own sound issues.
      • If everyone works together there will be no need for Black Rock Rangers to get involved. A community effort is needed to pull this off.
    2. Large-scale sound installations (colloquially known now as Sound Camps) MUST be located in the Large Scale Sound Zone (facing 2:00 and 10:00 avenues). They may express themselves unless community complaints persist. Camps on Esplanade may amplify sound 100’ into the open playa before conversational levels are expected. 
    3. Within the city, sound systems should point internally within the camp producing the sound. Sound amplification should only be loud enough so that people can speak at a conversational level at the border of a neighboring camp or at the center point of a street, whichever is nearest to the source of the sound. 
    4. Conversational levels are defined as 60 decibels (dbA mid-range frequencies) at the border of a neighboring camp or at the center point of a street, whichever is nearest to the source of the sound. Bass level (dbC – low-range frequencies) shall be negotiated with neighbors.
    5. Any complaints about excessive sound will become the concern of the Black Rock Rangers. Concerns about excessive sound can result in:
      • Volume check and mediation between camps
      • Volume check and a final warning on complaints
      • Disabling of equipment
      • Notification of the Placement Team and possible impact to a camp’s standing and future placement

Sound Recommendations:

We also wanted to share the below fantastic sound recommendations from Noah Reson-Brown from the Theme Camp Cult of the Magic Lady. We’ve shortened it slightly below for this format., The original post online is here.

Hey amplified sound camps with a DJ! Wanna avoid noise complaints? It’s doable… but there’s a method to the madness.

  1. First and foremost, DJs should never control their own volume. They can’t hear the sound hitting the audience because they’re not in the audience! Your volume control (usually on a sound board) should be handled by someone in a position out in the audience.
  2. You know that 90db at 20 feet limit? That’s too liberal of a limit. 85db is already causing hearing loss. A good sound system REALLY doesn’t have to be that loud to be good. Proper speaker position can make that work.
  3. But the DJ wants it loud! That’s fine… aim a monitor speaker (which just plays back what he’s playing) directly at his head from close range. Preferably two, one from each side. Now he gets to hear his sound nice and loud.
  4. You can also place the speakers behind the DJ, so the DJ hears everything and gets deafened by his own noise. There’s a reason you see those big speaker walls behind some concert shows… it’s to make sure the musicians get to deafen themselves as much as they want. If the speakers are in front of the DJ, they don’t hear it nearly as well.
  5. Speakers (other than the subs) should be elevated above head height. Low speakers will bounce sound along the playa, scattering it to your neighbors… plus much of the noise is dampened by the bodies of the dancers before it hits ears. If your speakers are higher and aimed down, you can aim the sound at the center of your dance floor/party space and use much lower volume to get the same effect on the floor, while heavily reducing sound outside your dance floor. When aiming sound, remember that speakers generally spread about 60 degrees horizontally and 40 degrees vertically in their peak sound area. For most purposes, you want the speakers at just above head height, generally on standard tripods. Bigger camps will want to go higher. None of this applies to subs, whose noise is so low it doesn’t matter. Low pitch sounds scatter heavily, and aren’t dampened much by people. Plus those things are heavy. Leave ’em on the ground.
  6. Elevated speakers must be well secured. Speakers falling on people sucks. Please don’t moop the blood of your attendees. It’s rude. This is especially true if you stack your main speakers on your subs for height… strap that shit down. Subs vibrate, which can dance a speaker right off, even without wind.
  7. Aim the speakers through your own camp, not straight out into the playa (or at neighbors) where possible [Placement Note: EXCEPT if you’re an LSSA Camp with frontage on 10:00 or 2:00 avenues]. The nearest sleeping area to the front of your speakers should be your own sleeping area. If you can’t sleep, that should tell you something. This is especially important for those “running all-night ambient sound” camps with a pair of speakers on stands.
  8. You can put solid padded material (such as plywood with egg crate foam on it) in position to bounce and dampen sound waves away from areas you don’t want it to go. Your neighbors will love this.
  9. If the music’s playing, someone in camp who can operate the sound system should be there at all times. That person should be easily accessible for your neighbors/rangers who get called in because your neighbors are going insane. Be nice to your neighbors!
  10. If you can, two sets of speakers, one set further out than the other, beats the heck out of one speaker set that’s just really loud. If you do this, you’ll need a delay system or your music will be impossible to understand (especially anything vocal).

Remember, you too can avoid noise complaints!

Generators and Power

Generators and Power

There is an entire page devoted to generators! Check out the Generators page for tips on using a genny in your camp. The most important aspect for camps to consider (beyond the power itself) is how your generator will impact your neighbors. Where are you placing the generator in the context of your camp? 

Rule of thumb for things that are unpleasant (generators, toilets, light towers, etc)—if your camp is going to enjoy the benefits, then your camp should also deal with the downsides of them (smell, noise, light, etc). Don’t place these things on your camp border so your neighbors have to deal with the downsides while you enjoy the conveniences. Try and put them as deep into your camp’s layout as possible. 

Additional Resources:

Deliveries to Black Rock City

Deliveries to Black Rock City

Sometimes you make really big plans and will need to rely on Outside Services to deliver infrastructure into Black Rock City. Options available for arranging deliveries to the playa are explained on the Arranging Deliveries page.

Leaving No Trace (LNT)

Leaving No Trace (LNT)

Our event could not exist without vigilant participants packing out their equipment, recyclables, trash, and everything else they brought with them. 

There’s a ton of information on our Leaving No Trace page that will help you manage your LNT efforts! Note that your camp’s LNT history will be heavily weighted when evaluating future applications for placement. 

Additional Resources:

Other Resources

Camp Symposium

Camp Symposium

Once a year camp leaders get together to support each other and share ideas, challenges, and tactics for putting together the best possible camps. 

  • History:
    • The Theme Camp Forum began in 2012 and became the Camp Symposium in 2016. In 2017 the Camp Symposium began inviting Mutant Vehicle Camps and Art Support Camps to the Symposium because in the end, camps are camps are camps! Now, it’s called the Camp Symposium because there are many different types of camps at Burning Man. The Camp Symposium has historically taken place in March. 
  • Agendas/Sessions from past Camp Symposiums:

Campfire Talks

Campfire Talks is a monthly series hosted by Burning Man Project’s Camp Network Team comprised of volunteers from Black Rock City’s theme camp community. The series brings together theme camp organizers by the virtual campfire to feature their stories, share their knowledge, discuss timely topics, and to find new ways to connect.

Online Communities Directory

Online Communities Directory

We know that before the Man goes up in flames you’re already thinking about plans for next year, and fortunately you’re not alone. There are various resources that are active all year long where you can discuss your next big idea or give help to those who are just figuring this theme camp thing out.