Theme Camps
Running a Theme Camp
Theme camps are the interactive core of Burning Man." Harley K. DuBois, Burning Man's Director of Community Services & Playa Safety Council, hesitated a second. "I hate to call this a rule, but if I have to have one it's simple: A theme camp must be participatory." It's a playful challenge to the vast reductive desert landscape, an expansion of the infectious celebratory nature of the event. "The camps keep getting bigger and better, more thought-out and polished. But," she spoke firmly now, "you always welcome anybody and everybody." We offer some guidelines to help you plan your project.
Your theme camp should create an ambience, a visual presence, in some way provide a communal space or provide activity. It may be the anchor for a larger event taking place. The best camps succeed by simplicity. Concepts that are too big, like scholarly attempts to debunk complex social theory or Titanic-length storytelling arcs, will die from disinterest. Harley shrugs and says, "People walk in and they just don't get it."
More specific pitfalls await the unprepared. Humorist H. Allen Smith notes that the scariest of all the distressing words in the English language is "uh-oh". Pay full respect to the open desert, a harsh environment that punishes presumption. Design safety into your plans. No natural structures exist to block the force of 40 MPH gusting winds across the hardpan flats. The heat is oppressive, electrical storms are common, and dust storms can affect sensitive equipment. Rain can turn a fun(ky) miniature golf course into a mud wallow, and anything on wheels becomes a site-specific display if it's too heavy to push through thick paste.
All your needs must be thoroughly thought through to make your camp completely autonomous. This includes power, water and building equipment. Be prepared to haul everything out that you've brought in. Or if your camp is to be burned, be prepared to clean up any debris left over, including screws and nails. And (seriously) all cigarette butts. The managing principle of Black Rock City is LEAVE NO TRACE.
If you wish to advertise your camp or event, you may publicize your plans on the Burning Man website in our bulletin of registered theme camps. You may also discuss plan ideas and recruit help on the ePlaya Bulletin Board and also submit your planned event to the Playa Calendar for inclusion in the WhatWhereWhen, the on-playa event program.
When advertising on-playa, please remember that Burning Man attendees are Homo-sapiens and not marsupials; a naked person has no pockets to stash flyers. Flyers are an unintentional cause of trash problems, but stickers or body stamps are a more practical option.
To secure your placement in Red Earth City you must purchase your tickets. There are some factors however that will affect your placement: Will people be passing through 24 hours a day or just at limited times of the day? Is the camp intended for daytime or nighttime activity? Are you planning to burn your camp? Do you prefer or require relatively peaceful surroundings?
Our Theme Camp & Village Resource Guide offers generous hints for preparing and executing Camp, Village, Installation or Performance, with the advice of veterans with practical experience. In the end, though, your success truly relies on plain resolve to make your theme camp work. Securing your Structure should be read for those considering any significant building.
Each year, for a few months before Burning Seed, the Placement Questionnaire will be available on this site for a limited period of time. If you'd like to receive a reserved spot for your theme camp you'll need to fill out the questionnaire so you can be properly placed. If you do not wish for your Theme Camp to be pre-placed at the event, you do not need to fill out the questionnaire.
"The understanding that Theme Camps truly are the fabric of Burning Man is now common knowledge," says Harley. "It is a responsibility and takes commitment. Remember that what YOU do helps to create what this year IS!"
Getting people involved in your Theme Camp
Post your theme camp idea in the forum
Contacting the Co-ordinator
Email via the Co-ordinator Contact Page
Sending in Plans
Plan deadline for Theme Camps and Villages is March 30th. However applications are being considered as they arrive. Please complete and submit your placement questionaire before sending your layout plans. Camps within villages should submit your plans to your village mayor, so your mayor can submit a single combined village plan before the deadline.
Layout example:
• Layout Plans must be an overhead view complete with dimensions in feet.
• 8.5 x 11-inch "landscape" (horizontal) orientation, best suited for black & white printing – avoid dark, cluttered backgrounds. (We know they’re cool, but please do not use satellite photos of previous years).
• The largest item on your layout plan should be your Camp name, running along the top of the 11-inch edge. Under the camp name, please list your name, email address, and phone number.
• Call out significant features and each project within your Camp area:
◦ Where is the entrance?
◦ Where is the main structure for the Participant interactions?
◦ Where are vehicles parked?
◦ Where are generators?
◦ Re: Villages: where are your access roads?
• A Camp frontage view is requested, but not required.
• When submitting your plan as a digital file, be sure the file name is your unique Camp name. (NOT the generic "camp plan", or "layout plan")
• When writing or replying to us, be sure your Camp name is in the subject line of all emails.
Preferred plan submission:
1. If you have posted your plan on the interwebs, the Placement Questionnaire has a field for the URL web address of your plan.
2. You may send plan URL web address in an email with Camp name in the subject line to themecamp (at) burningmanaustralia.
Additional submission options:
1. Email your Camp plans as an email attachment of no more than one megabyte (1MB) in size, with your Camp name in the subject line, to themecamp (at) burningmanaustralia.com
Preferable file format is JPEG. Other acceptable formats are .psd, .gif, .tif, and .doc) 2. If none of these submittal options work for you, write seed (at) burningmanaustralia.com
and we will provide you with individualized options, but please do so well in advance of the March 30th deadline. Thank you,
Theme Camp Team.