A Beginners Guide to Burning Man

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Burning Man is a huge undertaking from a time, prep, and energy perspective. It can be as expensive as you make it. Even if you go the barebones route, you’ll need to put hours in prior to arrival and you should be well informed prior to arrival. So kudos to you searching out what you should be doing. I’ll walk you though all the things you should know before arriving. I’ll touch on our various experiences, gives some input from years of attending, sprinkle in best practices and pro tips, and add a list of resources so you can be radically self-reliant.

What is it?

Burning Man is what humanity’s creativity does with a blank canvas. It’s the thing you can go to if you want to try an idea, make a thing, talk about a topic especially if there is no where else to do it. It can be whatever the people want. Do you want to make a giant 30 foot flamingo that people can climb on that has a caldron at the bottom to warm up soup? Do it at Burning Man. Do you want to make a 30′ wide by 60′ long autonomous driving and battery powered gecko mutant vehicle? Do it for Burning Man. Do you want to have an empanada pop up in the middle of nowhere? Burning Man is your place.

It allows you to bring your truest form of self expression to life. But for Burning Man to work, everyone needs to come bringing experiences, gifts, activities, things, etc..

It isn’t a spectator event.

It is not a festival. It’s an event and a community. Unlike a festival, Burning Man’s interactivity, gifts, and experiences are put on by the attendees / the community. The Org makes sure the Man is built, the temple gets build, helps fund key art pieces on playa and in deep playa, provides essential services through DPW (department of public works) within the city like fire, medical, and porta potties etc., facilitates ice being available for purchases, and oversees the hundreds of volunteers that work entry, safety, exit, etc. The people, the patrons, the camps, the attendees all do the rest. You never know what you’re going to get. Even the art is built by the people with no help from the Org. The camps are erected, governed, and developed by the people. The music is facilitated by the people. The art cars are blood, sweat, tears and funded, built, and brought by the people. These are all gifts. The many gifts both on an individual, group, camp, and community level are all done by the people. In each situation the people are the attendees. There isn’t another event, especially of this scale, that operates that way that I am aware of. And, when everyone gives, it leaves you in awe and filled with hope for the future and humanity.

Lingo

Aside from having it’s own zip code for 2 weeks of the year, Burning Man culture has it’s own words, meanings, and traditions that you won’t find anywhere else. Get ready for the lingo, Below are a few key terms to know.

 

    • BM = Burning Man

    • )'( = Burning Man

    • BRC = Black Rock City (the city that comes to life for only 2 weeks of the year, where the event takes place)

    • TTITD = That Thing in the Desert (another name for Burning Man without saying Burning Man)

    • Gate Road = The road that leads to the gate, often people will comment on the time it takes them to go from the pavement to the Gate (along gate road)

    • Man Burn = Saturday Night of Burning Man (pending weather)

    • The Man = The big man that is erected in the middle of Burning Man

    • MOOP = Matter Out of Place

    • Sparkle Pony = People that come in and either don’t contribute, only come in late in the week and/or people that are paying their way to a very easy burn experience

    • Deep Playa = Far end of the playa after the Temple and outside of the city / camp area

    • The Org = Burning Man Organization (the non profit that runs the event which is different from the community that runs other aspects of the event like their camps, for example)

The 10 Principals of Burning Man

Burning Man co-founder Larry Harvey wrote the Ten Principles in 2004 as guidelines for the newly-formed Regional Network. They were crafted not to dictate how people should be and act, but as a reflection of the community’s ethos and culture as it had organically developed since the event’s inception.

Radical Inclusion
Anyone may be a part of Burning Man. We welcome and respect the stranger. No prerequisites exist for participation in our community.

Gifting
Burning Man is devoted to acts of gift giving. The value of a gift is unconditional. Gifting does not require a return or an exchange for something of equal value.

Decommodification
In order to preserve the spirit of gifting, our community seeks to create social environments that are unmediated by commercial sponsorships, transactions, or advertising. We stand ready to protect our culture from such exploitation. We resist the substitution of consumption for participatory experience.

Radical Self-reliance
Burning Man encourages the individual to discover, exercise and rely on his or her inner resources.

Radial Self Expression
Radical self-expression arises from the unique gifts of the individual. No one other than the individual or a collaborating group can determine its content. It is offered as a gift to others. In this spirit, the giver should respect the rights and liberties of the recipient.

Communal Effort
Our community values creative cooperation and collaboration. We strive to produce, promote and protect social networks, public spaces, works of art, and methods of communication that support such interaction.

Civic Responsibility
We value civil society. Community members who organize events should assume responsibility for public welfare and endeavor to communicate civic responsibilities to participants. They must also assume responsibility for conducting events in accordance with local, state and federal laws.

Leaving No Trace
Our community respects the environment. We are committed to leaving no physical trace of our activities wherever we gather. We clean up after ourselves and endeavor, whenever possible, to leave such places in a better state than when we found them.

Participation
Our community is committed to a radically participatory ethic. We believe that transformative change, whether in the individual or in society, can occur only through the medium of deeply personal participation. We achieve being through doing. Everyone is invited to work. Everyone is invited to play. We make the world real through actions that open the heart.

Immediacy
Immediate experience is, in many ways, the most important touchstone of value in our culture. We seek to overcome barriers that stand between us and a recognition of our inner selves, the reality of those around us, participation in society, and contact with a natural world exceeding human powers. No idea can substitute for this experience.

Burning Man Basics – Event Info 101 – READ

 

    • It’s 9 days leading up to and ending on Labor day. Build week for camps and crew are allowed in the week prior (you must have a regular ticket AND special early entry passes for this which are sometimes day specific).

    • 80k people that rise out of the dust and later disappear without a trace

    • Nothing is available for purchase aside for ice. You are responsible for bringing in all your own food and water. If you run out of water, I would suggest you bring cash to buy ice and let it melt. 

    • A good water estimate is 1.5 gal. of water per person per day for drinking and washing

    • Pack in Pack out – no garbage cans, no place for your trash on playa. Make sure you bring trash bags to help you contain your trash. 

    • If you see garbage on playa, please pick it up. This is called MOOP Matter Out Of Place.

    • The playa will be checked for MOOP after the burn is over. If you see ANYTHING please pick it up immediately and pack it out. After the Burn, BLM will check 120 locations on the BM footprint at random, if it has more Moop than is allowed at 12 or more locations, Burning Man fails and will not be invited back. 

    • If something easily falls off, please do not bring or wear it because it’s ‘moopy’ – feathers, rhinestones, glitter are examples of things to avoid

So what’s with the circle?

The city is in concentric circles that radiate from the middle where the man is located. The inner most street is called Esplanade. The next street always starts with the letter A and then as the circles get bigger it goes to K. Each letter street gets a different name each year based on the theme that starts with that letter. Like a clock, the circle has numbers where the time would be. The farthest where camps are located is 2:00 on one far side and 10:00 on the other far side. Camps are located everything between those two. If you line up 6:00 and the man (in the middle) you will draw a line to the Temple. Deep playa is anything after the temple. Everything with a time as shown on the circle below is where the camps and solo campers are set up. Everything in the blue circle below, in the white void area above the man and the temple and in the grey area “deep playa” is where the large scale art goes and where many of the art cars cruise or park at night. The lines around the city (some have been cut off) is where the trash fence goes. It’s fun to take a trip or two to the trash fence in deep playa and see what you find.

The city dimeter is about 2.2 miles. If you were to ride K street all the way around the camp part of the city from 10:00 until 2:00 it would be 4.7 miles. That’s far! Did you know Burning Man is so big they even have a marathon that takes during burn week each year (granted they have to do a few laps, but still).

With that being said, bike smart (unless your goal is to wander). If you want to get somewhere, it’s usually quickest to go on the inner streets to get where you want to go faster. See the graphic below with examples.

Burning Man Basics – Getting There

 

    • From Reno into BRC it’s about a 2 hour drive

    • Black Rock City is in Google Maps as an endpoint. Other closest nearest city is Gerlach, NV. Use those in your GPS to drive in.

    • Driving to/from Black Rock City (BRC)

       

        • Do NOT speed

        • Do NOT pass

        • Check that your plates vehicle registration has not expired & you know where your docs are

        • Make sure all your vehicle lights including tail lights work

        • Make sure you can see your license plate (shouldn’t be covered by bikes, needs to be on the vehicle)

        • The cops between Reno and Black Rock City are ready to take advantage of the influx and get their city revenue, don’t give them a reason to pull you over. If pulled over, they may search your car, they may take your things out, they may have dogs. Please be smart about what you bring and what you pack. 

    • Cache a map before you leave Reno as service is spotty

    • You’ll see signs and lights to turn in for Burning Man once you’re near, usually you’ll follow other cars in 

    • At the gate BM people will search your car. They are primarily looking for stowaways, animals, and firearms. If they see anything questionable or illegal they will probably question you. Don’t give them a reason to question you. Be prepared for them to search trunks, compartments, under beds, etc – but again – they’re looking for living things you’re bringing in.

    • CHECK YOUR TICKETS BEFORE YOU LEAVE Make sure you packed them. Don’t check once, check twice. If you’re driving with people, have them check. If someone is missing a ticket at the gate there is nothing you can do, they will need to go back and get it and it will hold the whole group up.

    • If driving in, fill up for gas in Reno. The gas stations between Reno and Black Rock City sometimes have long lines and you’re not going to want to stop or wait. 

    • There’s a Luvs travel stop in Fernley just outside of Reno that does pump outs, takes trash, allows for fill ups, etc. Check the link above and make a call before you go to make sure those services are working if you’re in need of them

    • Cell service on playa is spotty at best and only gets worse as the week goes on and more people come in.

    • You may be waiting at the gate in a line to have your tickets and vehicle checked. Be prepared to wait for hours. The same when you leave (exodus). Great gate time info here. Bring food & drink for the wait.

    • If you take the Burner Express Bus it bypasses the line at the gate (which is where most of the waiting happens) and you’ll breeze on through! If this makes sense for you with your gear and camping situation, I highly recommend going this route over driving in/out.

    • There’s also a Burner Express Air where a plane can hop you from Reno to the Black Rock City airport (yes, it has it’s own airport that’s constructed just for the event). I’ve had friends take this as well. You also get to skip waiting by going this route but if the weather is bad, your flight might get grounded and you may not make your connection on the way out. Although it’s a bit longer, the Burner Express Bus is a bit more reliable IMO.

Easiest way to get in is from the Fernley, NV turn off (just after Reno, NV if you’re coming from the SF side). Fernley and Burning man is connected by a small two lane road. Gerlach, NV is the last town on that small road before the ‘Gate Road’ turn (which is where people usually wait in line before they get to the greeters station to get processed before entering Burning Man). You can use Black Rock City (better) or Gerlach (still okay) in Google Maps when driving to get to Burning Man. Google even puts Black Rock City in the map during Burning Man 🙂 Don’t speed. Don’t pass people. Don’t touch the line in the road. Don’t give the cops a reason to pull you over. Follow the cars if you get lost. They usually have signs up occasionally between Fernley and BRC.

Burning Man Basics – Ice & Bathrooms

ICE – only thing you can purchase on playa. Bring cash but supposedly they’ll be offering Venmo payments, too. You’ll need to carry or haul it back to your accommodations/camp so think that through. Bike rack? Bag? Walk it back?

In the past it was around $10 for a 16lb bag of crushed ice and around $5 for a 10lb block of ice. The camps that sell ice are typically located on the 3 o’clock road near one of the portals, center camp, and the 9 o’clock portal. In years past, the portals were located at G. The portals are the tiny mini circles along the 3, 6, 9 roads. Ice is open during build week (week before Burning man that campers, artists, and mutant vehicles come to set up but not all locations are usually operating and usually not all hours. Check on the Burning Man site for more details on the times during build week as well as what the camp names are (in the past it was Ice Cubed, Arctica, and Ice-9.

 

    • Porta Potties are provided by the Org and usually never too far. Bring extra TP with you as sometimes they’re out.

    • If it rains, the porta potties cannot be serviced until the rain stops and the ground dries up (the vehicles will get stuck). If rain is in the forecast plan accordingly and go earlier than later since it will be cleaner earlier on.

Burning Man Basics – Packing 101

 

    • Be radically self reliant. Pack what you need. Do not rely on others.

    • Bring a non-disposable cup on a clip to easily receive yummy treats

    • Bring a fanny pack and/or camel backpack, you’ll want to carry things around.

    • Bring a bike. If your bike doesn’t have a water bottle spot bring a camelback or add one. And bring a water bottle.

    • LIGHTS – for safety you and your bike should be well light at night. A few strings of fairy lights will do the trick on your bike and your camelback or hat.

    • Bring a copy of your ID, your actual ID, or a photo of your ID on your phone while you bike around. The camps do card on playa for their liquor gifts. If you don’t have an ID, they shouldn’t serve you. Some places are more strict and require the physic copy, it depends what camp you go to. We make a color copy, laminate it, then clip it in our fanny pack or tape it to our cup.

    • If you have a car, don’t lose the keys. A hidden spare may go a long way.

    • Don’t lose your phone because no one can call you. Add a screensaver to the front of your phone with your name & camp info on it along with another persons cell number (if lost please call xxx-xxx-xxxx).

    • It’s a great idea to bring snacks you can bike around with.

    • Because it’s hot, bring things to add electrolytes into your drinks

    • Bring a headlamp to see stuff at night

    • Ear plugs are a good investment for sleeping

    • A chair is nice so you have something near your tent to sit on

Burning Man Basics – Clothing

 

    • The weather is unpredictable.
      Possible high of 120* during the day
      Possible cold of 40* at night
      Rain is possible (although unlikely)
      Dust storms

    • Layers are great so you can layer up or strip off depending on what the weather is

    • We recommend boots because the dust easily gets in shoes. Taller socks are great. Bring enough socks as you may wear two each day. Laces are harder to work with because the dust stiffens them up. Don’t do flip flops, dust will get stuck to your feet and you’ll probably bleed in a few days time.

    • A long fur coat is a great coat option for night. 

    • It’s easy to rewear night outfits but day outfits aren’t easy to rewear due to sweating

    • Day can be as simple as shorts and a tank but if it’s a cooler day make sure you have layers to add

    • Men and women often wear tights so that’s a great staple to pack

    • Hats and sunglasses are a must. I recommend a cold weather hat as well for those all-nighters. 

    • Gloves are great too, your hands get cold biking at night.

    • Always put a ‘going home’ outfit in a ziplock bag. It will be nice and clean, and ready for you when you leave playa.

    • Anything goes, wear what you’ll feel confident (and comfortable) in!

Burning Man Basics – Dust

 

    • It’s not just dust, it’s alkaline dust

    • Vinegar (a mild acid) will neutralize the alkaline dust to help get it off things. Give your car / rv / tent / clothes / feet a pop of vinegar to get the dust off.

    • Face masks like a ski gators are great, clip this to you for the next dust storm. Playa lung is a thing.

    • Goggles are great, clip this to you as well for the next dust storm. (tinted day and clear night ones)

    • Dust storms can come out of nowhere. They can even last for a whole day or longer. It’s hard to find home in a whiteout so find people and stay together. Always keep a snack and some water on you.  

    • Playa lung is a condition that arises from breathing in a lot of alkaline dust. Some people get it, some don’t. Try to keep your nose and mouth covered during dust storms.

    • Batteries used at the event will corrode from the alkaline dust. Remove batteries from your electronics after you leave to preserve them.

    • White outs can be fun, embrace the unknown & make friends!

Burning Man Basics – Notable Days

 

    • 30 days before, the Golden Spike is hammered into the center of the city. Burning Man infrastructure prep crews arrive

    • 2 weeks before the temple burns, camp build crews allowed in with work access passes (some designated by day) to set up, build, and prep. You cannot drive around or engage with other camps or crews at that time.

    • 1 week before the temple burns, on Sunday, at 12:01 AM Burning Man is open to the ticketed public and gates are officially open

    • Tuesday of burn week is Tutu Tuesday. Wear a tutu during the day if you want!

    • Wednesday of burn week is White Wednesday. Wear white if you want!

    • The Saturday before Labor day is when the Man Burns after sundown (pending weather)

    • The Sunday before Labor day is when the Temple Burns around sunset (pending weather)

    • Monday / Labor day is the final cleanup day for camps

    • Tuesday, anyone left that is not with the Org must leave the playa

    • Beyond Tuesday, Burning Man’s organization starts the teardown of their infrastructure and review process (which can last weeks). They do moop checks.

    • Sometime after the Org finishes, BLM comes to inspect the space and decide if the playa was left clean enough for BM to be in good standing to apply for a permit for the event the following year

Burning Man Basics – Party Favors

 

    • You are on BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land that is governed by the federal government. What is legal in Nevada is NOT always legal federally. Marijuana is NOT legal federally so it is not legal on BLM land. 

    • When you’re driving in they will hit you with traffic tickets as a reason to pull you over in the first place but really want to bust you for illegal substances.

    • Be smart.

    • There are undercover feds (and cops) at burning man. They will act like a regular participant but they are not. If you do not personally know someone do not talk to them about your situation, offer them anything, or take anything from them. Every year there are a few camps that are raided due to illegal activity and the consequences therein. People also go to jail.

    • Alternatively, if you do take something and you are not sure what is going on or you need assistance, there are designated Zendo locations at 3 & C and 9 & C for peers needing psychedelic support. These are safe spaces designated by Burning Man with trained professionals, it is not run by law enforcement.

    • Medical tents are available and also usually located at 3&C and 9&C

    • If you see anyone that needs help please check on them and assist as long as you feel safe doing so. Grab help if help is needed.

Burning Man – Food and Meal Planning

You have to be well fed and stay hydrated during Burning Man, below is what we’ve done when we solo camped with just a tent and no way to cook or refrigerate things as well as what we’ve done when we later upgraded our accommodations so we had all those amenities.

If you have a fridge & kitchen access:

If you have access to a fridge and a kitchen, the options are endless. We have an RV with fridge, freezer, and a full kitchen and below is what we bring. I’d like to note that keep trash in mind and cleanup in mind when planning out your meals. We enjoy good food but on playa aren’t trying to be chefs so we aim for premade meals that are easy to heat up. We do two grocery runs, the first at Costco and the second at a regular grocery store or everything store like Walmart to supplement what Costco didn’t have or ran out of.

This is 7 days worth of food for 2 people. We usually eat the same meal twice and have one day at the end for leftovers. Our breakfast foods double as snack foods as we usually skip breakfast but can still have items that can make a solid breakfast if we’re really hungry.

 

    • Taco kit from Costco (heat up in a skillet or microwave, feeds 2 for 2 days)

    • 2 Salad kits from Costco (feeds 2 for 1 day), add on hardboiled eggs (bought from grocery store) for added protein

    • 2 Chicken Tika Masala from Costco (each feeds 2 for 1 day), add minute rice from the grocery store.

    • Peanut butter we put on bananas for an easy breakfast

    • Acai bowls (Costco) for an easy breakfast

    • 4 Flavored Tuna (like buffalo) we put in tortillas (both from the grocery store)

    • 2 Pizzas (heat in the oven)

    • 1 Chicken and veggie stir-fry (boneless, skinless chicken breast and veggie pack – from the grocery store – just heat in a skillet)

    • Snacks: precut fruit, French fries, oranges / cuties, grapes, tortilla chips, salsa, hummus, celery, carrots, cheese, crackers, a few bars to bike around with

    • Drinks: qty 3 5 gallon reusable jugs we fill with drinking water, 3 champagnes, OJ, grapefruit juice, 2 RedBulls, 2 5hr energy shots, tequila, soda water, lime juice, case of Bai, a few large coconut pineapple drinks, 2 Nuun table sleeves

    • Stop at a sandwich shop before we leave and pickup 2 footlongs to take with us (will each in the first three days)

    • Before we depart we’ll grab one premade meal (like sushi for example) and take that with us to eat within the first few hours of being on playa

    • Always make sure you’re fed properly and eat well before you leave Reno

If you do NOT have a fridge or kitchen access:

This is what we would bring before we got an RV. We were solo / free camping and had no amenities. We also went for fewer days which made it a bit easier. This is 5 days worth of food for 2 people. We would get an ice chest, fill it with dry ice, and when the dry ice wore off we filled it with new ice everyday we would buy from the various ice camps (be sure you have a way to haul ice back to your camp). We would do 1 grocery run to a grocery store and bring our JetBoil to cook on/with. We focused on things that were non perishable, easy to cook/eat, and had little to no cleanup.

 

    • Bring a JetBoil + propane for it

    • Oatmeal (just add hot water), raisins to top it off (breakfast)

    • 1 yogurt we would eat on our first morning (breakfast)

    • Dry cereal (breakfast, snacks)

    • Peanut butter, bananas (breakfast)

    • Flavored tuna packets, crackers or tortillas (lunch or dinner)

    • 1 salad kit we would split on the first day (lunch)

    • Peanut butter, jelly, bread (lunch)

    • 1 footlong pre made sandwich we would split and eat on the first day (dinner)

    • Ramen soup (just add hot water, dinner)

    • 2-3 days worth of Mountain House type meals (dinner), each dinner is usually enough for 1 person so we would buy 4-6 of these. They’re high in sodium along with most of the other prepackaged non-perishable foods so you don’t want too many of them, either.

    • Snacks: Oranges, apples, grapes (at the grapes early on), chips, crackers, cheese, celery, carrots, hummus, bars, dried fruit, trail mix (no chocolate in it, it will melt and make a mess)

  • Drinks: Bai, 3 5 gallon jugs of water, tequila, soda, lime, RedBull, 5hr energy, champagne

What Should Your Gift be?

Burning Man is based on a principle of gifting (not to be confused with bartering). It is freely given with nothing expected in return. This event has no spectators. Attending means you should be planning on giving as well. It takes a village to pull this off, and it gives you warm fuzzies to be part of that part of the culture.

What should you gift? Great question! It depends, what are you good at? What do you like doing? What sparks you joy? What’s your forms of self expression?

It can be simple or complex. It can be no cost, it can be expensive. It can be for a few people or for the masses.

Lots of people bring spray water bottles and fill it with a nice smelling mixture, they ask if people want to be sprayed during the hot parts of the day and have it clipped to their backpack as they bike around. That is their gift.

Others will gift drinks, food, etc. Make sure you are compliant with health codes and carding. These are pretty easy lifts. We meet people at sunrise and give away bottle of champagne that we put “Playa Prosecco” labels on. We’ve seen people set up grilled cheese stations in deep playa or sliced watermelon. We often tell our friends that come in mid week to pickup a cooler filled with ice cream in Reno and when they arrive we all meet them and give it out on Esplande in a frenzy.

I saw a guy walking down a street yelling, “Ice cream, two dollars. Ice cream, two dollars.” He was toting a rolling cooler. He was getting a few strange looks. A lady finally went up to him and said, “I’d like an ice cream but I don’t have two dollars.” He handed her ice cream and handed her a two dollar bill. The schtick was he was giving both away and it was you that was wrong from assuming he was charging. I loved it!

Some of the camps, especially the larger ones, will have full blown activations that their campers pour their time and effort into both on and off playa including shower camps (which are great for those that tenting — seek them out.) Others include clothing giveaway camps (Kostume Kult was known for having a full costume inventory in the back, you would walk through, pick what you want, but had to walk the runway which was in the front of their camp on the way out). ‘

One year we brought old tennis balls and gave them out to bikers since most bikes fall into the ground with their kickstand since playa earth isn’t terribly sturdy.

Another year we grabbed a hand-drawn temporary tattooing ink kit and put our camp logo on all our campers. The stuff was great and lasted all Burn long.

Other people that love making things will often make necklaces, jewelry, patches, or stickers and give them out. I’ve been lucky enough to get a few of these and cherish them.

If you are coming with a camp and you are helping setup but you’re getting in a bit later than the other setup crew, it’s always nice to grab a box of fresh donuts in Reno to pass out for everyone that was building up until you got there. Little things like that for your own camp goes a long way in making everyone’s experience more pleasant.

Musicians will often join the Black Rock Phil Harmonic Orchestra or other bands and play.

Chefs and cooks will offer up meals, snacks, or even complex dinners (the crawfish boil we attended one year was amazing).

People that can do pole dancing, aerial silks, and fire dancing will perform.

DJs will play (although, I wouldn’t recommend this being your only gift as it’s also an ego driven request to do this).

It’s whatever you want. Schticks are great. Creativity is embraced. The more unique the better but no need to stress over it. If you’re unsure and it’s your first year, pick something small and easy so you’re not overwhelmed. You’ll understand it more subsequent years and as you evolve so can your gifts.

And remember, people don’t have to accept your gifts either. And, that’s okay. Always ask.

What are Art Cars / Mutant Vehicles

Mutant vehicles are the playas name for art cars. The are submitted, inspected, and approved by Burning Man to roam Burning Man. Some are only allowed to roam during the day, some only in playa, some playa and city, some day and night. Most mutant vehicles are very expensive to make and maintain but to cruise the playa is a pretty cool experience as no camps are allowed out there. Many have DJ and music on them which is where the nighttime parties congregate. Your car cannot drive on playa unless it has been approved by Burning Man’s DMV (department of Mutant Vehicles). Submissions for mutant vehicles happen early in the year. It must be mutated and it’s base cannot be identified. However, if you are handicapped and need a vehicle or your approved art piece needs a vehicle to setup or inspect, exceptions can be made but must be approved and authorized by those various departments of Burning Man Org.

Mutant vehicles are labors of love. Most owners will let the citizens of BRC ride. Regardless, when at capacity and when safety is a concern, you must listen to the owners directions and leave if necessary. Some art cars have spaces for you to put your bike. Otherwise don’t. If you see a cool art car / mutant vehicle

Planning How Many Days to Go & Pacing Yourself

PRO TIP: I recommend first timers to come into Reno the Wednesday of Burn week, get their essentials (like any food locally) and head to BM that night or early Thursday. I recommend staying through the Temple Burn on Sunday if you can and leaving immediately after for a 4 night 3 day experience. Then grabbing a hotel in Reno that night, and flying out early Monday. You’ll get a good taste of everything and it isn’t too long where you are overcommitted if you find out that the dust isn’t a good fit for you.

The first Sunday and Monday of burn week some camps are behind schedule and setting up but Tuesday through Thursday all the camps are in full swing. I call these community days. If you come in the Friday before the man burns or late on Thursday you will miss out on this. During the week, go through the city streets and check out the interactivity they put together because before you know it, they’re starting to pack up!

From hundreds of infused vodkas to try to massages to body paint canons to saunas to avocado toast to talks by NASA astronauts to making art to cirque performances to a crawfish boil and more. You never know what you will find. Jump from sparkly object to sparkly object, novelty knows no bounds and no end. There simply isn’t enough time to see or experience it all. Often what existed a few moments ago ceases to exist in the next moment. There’s beauty in that.

On that same note, if you were up all night and all day you would never see it all. So, pace yourself.

You definitely want to experience one sunrise and one sunset. If you aren’t a night owl, set your alarm and wake up early a bit before sunrise to head to deep playa and bask in the magic, it’s worth it. Don’t forget to bring a bottle of champagne with you.

If you have power/AC or it’s cool enough, I recommend embracing the disco nap. Sleep from sunrise to 10a, head out again to check out the community and art during the day, come back around 5pm and disco nap from 5-9pm, then have a late dinner and head back out.

If you’ve gone before, you know what to expect and tailor your experience to what you think makes sense. Some people only go midweek to avoid the craziness of Burn weekend and savor everything all the communities have to offer. Some go all burn week. Some with camps help setup and go all build week and all burn week. Choose your own adventure.

Join a Camp or Go By Yourself?

If you’re tight on funds, going by yourself usually wins out because you can do more for less. But, if you have a little extra you can spend (or are the clueless type), you can often get a lot more comforts and community by joining a camp. Although, by joining a camp you are also expected to take part in the tasks they need help with via your camp shifts or volunteer hours (the camps are run by the campers) so there is a trade. Some amenities could include power, showers, meals, kitchen, private porta potties, water, etc. The costs to join a camp vary from camp to camp depending on what the camp is offering for their interactivity on playa. Sometimes they have expensive ventures like art cars and those camps costs are passed on to their campers. The art car camp I was part of had camp dues of $2,000 per person with no camper amenities. We paid to just help get the vehicle get built/fixed/upgraded, physically make it to playa, and run where we then, on playa, offered rides all week to the citizens of Black Rock City. Other camps have a very basic interactivity with a much lower camp fee and little to no amenities’. Whatever the camp dues, camp fee, camp cost share (or whatever they call it) is – understand what they are gifting and what their setup is like. See what camp shift duties look like. Does that align with things that speak to you? Do you like to cook and they are a camp that gifts grilled cheeses? That might be a good fit! Are you a techie and it’s a solar power camp gifting charging and wifi capabilities all week? That might be a good fit! Do you like to build with tools and it’s an art camp that is building and maintaining a specific art piece on playa? Maybe that’s a good fit. Are you coming in from out of the country and aren’t able to bring a lot of things but the camp offers bikes and tents? That might be a really good fit for you! There are hundreds of camps and they’re all different. Check out the BM website and the forums online to see what matches your strengths, needs, and personality.

If you like to do your own thing, are radically self reliant and don’t need camp provided amenities, and/or don’t have extra funds – solo camping might be a good bet.

We’ve gone solo camping two years (we went with friends and all parked next to each other so it wasn’t truly solo but we weren’t with a camp), went with a big theme camp on Esplanade one year, went with an art car / mutant vehicle camp a few years, and went with a large art piece camp one year. It’s nice changing camps and being part of different groups to see what goes into bringing different forms of magical to playa. It’s also nice being able to step back and have the freedom to generate our own offering with our friends that we solo camped with.

Solo camping / free camping is only in designated areas on the outskirts of the circle, usually I-J-K streets. It is quieter there and it takes longer to get places. Placed camps are there, too. If you solo camp, before you set up, ask the people around you and make sure it isn’t an area that a placed theme camp is in. If so, you will need to move and no one wants to set up twice.

PRO TIP If you are NOT local — do your best to check on the flight just what you need. Look to join camps that provide some of what you can’t get on a plane to make at least your first burn easier. Alternatively, there are also camps that are local to your area that can truck things to the playa for you. Example: in Texas we have the “Texas Truck” which is a volunteer run group that stops at the major cities in Texas (Dallas, Houston, Austin) picking up burner items and transporting them to playa. There is a fee – it has a cost-share structure. You grab your things on playa to use for the week and load it back at the end, then gather it when the truck makes its way back to Texas. Other states/cities/camps sometimes offer similar services. Many of these groups are run off websites or Facebook. If you are in any of the Facebook Burning Man groups you can ask if there is something similar that people know of in your region or camps that offer this service in your area. In doing so you can cut your expenses down dramatically since you don’t need to buy things in Reno or haul things on planes. Some of these trucks that are run by camps even offer a fridge/freezer that is plugged in the whole way there so you can premake your food and it will be ready for you to grab it on playa.

Costs

Burning Man can be as expensive as you want it to be. Unfortunately, it isn’t easy for it to be super inexpensive, though. If you are local there are significant savings. If not, you’ll have a more expensive experience.

Here is a breakdown of what I consider required costs. You are looking at $2,000 per person if you’re not driving in. If you drive in, you can get these items much cheaper, forego flights and hotels, and easily save a few hundred dollars (even more if you already have this stuff you can haul from home or borrow from a friend and haul there).

 

    • A vehicle pass is around $150 (or go through Burner Express so you don’t need to drive in)

    • Tickets are around $575

    • A bike is around $200 (you can find places locally that let you rent or purchase one if you arrive early enough to Reno before they’re sold out)

    • Food for the week is $300 (PB&J, Tuna, Crackers, Cheese, Cooler, Sandwiches at the start of the week, bag salad at the start of the week, chips, fruit, hummus, celery, carrots, cookies, etc.)

    • Ice bag a day to keep your cooler food cold $70

    • Cooler $20

    • Water and drinks for the week is $100

    • Flights are $500+ RT

    • Sunscreen, lotion, and toiletries $10

    • Lights for your bike and for you $50

    • Assuming you have everything else or can use what you have to make due

    • Cup with handle and laminated ID on it $10

Additional costs that may be necessary can tack on more than $2,300 additional dollars

 

    • Fur coat $100

    • Shoes / Boots $50

    • 1-2 day times outfits $50+

    • 1-2 night time outfits $50+

    • Clothing accessories $50+

    • Gifting item to give $50+

    • Bike Lock $20

    • Food & drink upgrade $100

    • Bike decorations $50

    • Camp Dues $400+

    • Hotel the first night you get in $200+

    • Hotel 1 night on the tail end $200+

    • RV $6,000 or Tent (Shift Pod recommended) + Sleeping bag + Sleeping Pad + Stakes $1,000

Luckily, once you go you’ll have a lot of these things which makes it less expensive to go the next time around!

PRO TIP If you are NOT local and plan on going again, before you fly out of Reno, grab a small storage unit and throw your bike, gear, camping things, etc. in it. Ideally clean it off before you do that (see my map at the bottom for a list of great laundromats to clean your stuff in). You can share the storage unit with a few friends to cut down on costs even further. This is a very easy way to make going year after year less expensive. If you want to be really savvy, you can head to Reno at the start of the summer and grab all the things you need then, throw it in a storage unit (make sure it’s big enough for a bike) along with your non perishables and when you fly back in, you’ll only need to stop to get your car rental, the storage unit to pick up your things, and then a grocery store and you’re well on your way.

If you want to go to Burning Man but are low income, they offer volunteer opportunities to work for a free ticket. They also offer opportunities for you to submit for a discounted ticket. Check out their ticket page and volunteer page for more information on that.

Weather & Traffic Resources

https://www.willyweather.com/nv/pershing-county/black-rock-city-burning-man-festival.html
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1AfpmyriBHIFQ_Jymw3wHn9dtAGTgLcAjbnogNPsLvEA/edit#gid=0 → Updated by people with BRC
https://www.accuweather.com/en/us/gerlach/89412/august-weather/344284 
https://www.twitter.com/bmantraffic

Don’t Lose your Phone — BM Screensaver

Cellphone service on playa is spotty so be sure to add your details to your locked screen so it can get returned to you at your camp! This screensaver creation app is great to do that (and Jenni built it). Make yours here!

Map of Facilities Near Burning Man and Reno including RV Stops

Now that we are no longer locals that can drive to Burning Man, we made a map of all the places near Reno and Black Rock City to grab gas, fill up propane, get food, dump your tank, wash clothing, etc. We have an RV we use and these are the places we use to prep everything before the Burn and clean everything after the Burn. Cleaning after is key, suck it up even though you’re tired and over it – you’ll be glad you didn’t neglect that step next year and/or when you’re home! Please double check these are all still in operation and have the services you are looking for up and running before you land in Reno (for example, sometimes the propane is out at certain rest stops or a business has since shut down.



Useful Links

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