Burning Man 1997 | Event FAQ
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Updated: Thu Aug 7 22:14:48 1997
Q. What is Burning Man?
A. Burning Man is an event in the Nevada Desert. Check out What is Burning Man? on this web site for more information
Q. Where is Burning Man in 1997?
A. Burning Man will be held in the same neighborhood as last year's event. We will be on the Hualapai plateau next to the Black Rock Desert. The exact location is 127 miles north west of Reno, Nevada. Gerlach is the nearest town and is 14 miles to the south.
Q. What are the dates for the event?
A. Burning Man is always held over Labor Day weekend. This year it will be from Wednesday, August 27 to Monday, September 1st.
Q. What's the cost?
A. Tickets can be bought in advance through the mail for $65. At the gate you will be asked to contribute $75.
Q. How much is a ticket for my child?
A. Children under 16 accompanied by a parent will be admitted for free.
Q. I am a member of the Press, how can I get a complementary ticket?
A. We ask that members of the Press participate in Burning Man in the same way all others do, and this starts with purchasing a ticket.
Q. When will I receive my tickets?
A. By sending the requested fee for admission to Burning Man you have essentially paid for a Desert Reservation. Tickets will not be sent until the first week in August. This has been our policy for years, and continues to be the same.
Q. What is a Village?
A. A very good question, indeed. Villages are a natural outgrowth of the theme camp, and more information can be found in the article by Larry Harvey called The Year of Community: You are a Founder
Q. What is a Theme camp?
A. Yet another fine question. And, the answer can be found in Harley K. Bierman's article Creating a Theme camp also on this web site.
Q. How do I register my theme camp or village?
A. After reading Camp Planning tips, please use the online Theme camp registration form. Registering your theme camp basically puts you on the map that all participants receive upon arrival. This will ensure you have visitors interested in your particular type of interaction. Some theme camps will be placed on the circle or the Grand Boulevard and receive maximum exposure.
Q: Where is the rave this year?
A: There will be no event-long rave at Burning Man this year. However, there will be a dance on Sunday night. If your principal interest in our event is centered on the rave experience, and if your notion of a rave includes large speakers which send sonic vibrations though your body, you'll want to go elsewhere.
Raves at Burning Man have traditionally been located at a minimum distance of 2 miles from our main encampment. Although our present site is large and will commodiously accommodate everyone, we can no longer provide such a remote location. Likewise, it will be impossible to surreptitiously introduce a rave. Anyone attempting to initiate such an event beyond our boundaries should be warned: the Washoe County Sheriff and Bureau of Land Management will patrol the local area and are empowered to give out stiff penalties. We have no desire to police anyone's musical tastes, but the rave as found in years past will not be possible this year.
Q. What about amplified music at Burning Man?
A. We have a main stage, and several of the Villages may create a stage. The main stage will be reducing their sound levels this year, and we are asking that amplified music in camps be kept at a reasonable level. To organizers this means a 300 watt system.
Q. I'd like to play on the main stage, how can I get there?
A. Please send a demo tape as soon as possible to: Burning Man.
Q: I hear there will be no driving on the playa, how will I get to my campsite?
A: No problem. Our campground aligns with the shore of Hualapai Playa and our access road will lead you to it overland directly from the highway. There is no need to drive on the playa. It will be reserved for pedestrians only.
Q: Can I camp next to my car?
A: You certainly can, but you should keep your auto at your campsite. Do not use it for transport around our campground -- this is one of the conditions for camping here. This is private land. Your access to our campground implies an understanding of this rule. You may be required to leave if you violate this policy. You may use your car to leave our site -- to visit other places or to go to town. However, our new site offers immediate pedestrian access to mountains, playa and hotsprings -- a full compliment of scenic attractions -- and we plan to create a frontier store at which participants can order necessary goods -- thus eliminating the need to use a car for this purpose. We encourage everyone to remain camped by their vehicle for the duration of the event.
Q: What is the policy with regard to Recreational Vehicles (RVs)?
A: RV's are fine. Remember, this is wilderness camping and there are no hookups. Do not discharge gray water or sewage.
Q: Can I bring my dog?
A: No. Pets are prone to responding adversely to clangor, explosions and fireworks -- running for more than a mile in the opposite direction. Nearby ranch owners will shoot stray animals, so it is for this reason that you may not bring your pet.
Q. What's with the fire restrictions?
A. See the article on this web site called The Living Land, and you will soon understand the new dangers regarding fire this year. Please be prepared to burn large sculpture only on the playa, and not in front of your camp. Some camp fires will be allowed, but only if built in a contained area with stones or with some other fire-containment material.
Q: There seem to be more rules this year, why is this so?
A: There are more rules, but they are few and very simple. They relate to our collective survival. During our first years in the desert when our population was relatively small, our exclusive focus was an individual survival. As our numbers have grown, we have extended this concern to the equally immediate issue of survival at a societal scale. Burning Man has never been an anarchist underground. It is an open society of activists and the rules we promulgate -- mostly relating to fire in our campground, the role of the automobile, and care for the environment -- are aimed at ensuring the survival of every individual in a public world that all of us join in creating. Burning Man is not a bureauacracy and our rules relate to issues immediate as brush fires and car crashes, and long term issues such as land use. We are a radically free community and it's time for us to take responsibility for preserving that freedom.
Q. I'm worried about the strain on the environment that Burning Man will cause.
A. So are we, please read Larry Harvey's open letter, Burning Man and The Environment. We will be holding the event on a combination of playa (which is wet 9 months a year), and high desert scrub brush. We are putting environmental restraints in place, and fully intend to care for the land as we need this resource for our future.
Q. What can I expect from the terrain?
A. Please take a look at Michael Zelner's article, About the New Site. We are not on a dry lake bed for camping, but high desert scrub. The ground is not as hard, but still very dry.
Q: What can I expect from the weather?
A: You may expect volatile extremes. Temperatures by day have been know to exceed 100 degrees. Pre-dawn temperatures can approach freezing. Thunderstorms and dust storms arrise with breathtaking swiftness. On the other hand, participants in Burning Man have witnessed many sultry evenings and temperate weather by day in the mid-70's. Only one thing is completely predictable in this clime: Unpredictabilty. Come with ample shade producing shelter, warm clothes and sleeping gear, and lots of water. Read our Survival Guide at this site in August.
Q. What should I bring?
A. Ah, that's a big question. We would suggest you bring all you need to survive, and then some. Check out Hints from Heloise, and then carefully read the Survival Guide which will appear on this site in early August. In the meantime you can check out Last Year's survival guide for more information. Water, Food and Shelter are imperative, after that it's up to you. I suggest ear plugs if you are fond of sleep. And, you will feel much better and enhance your experience if you bring toys or costumes with which you can express your creative spirit.
Q. What if I forget something?
A. We will have a Frontier store, and you will be able to order some items from the Empire store in the morning with delivery in the evening. This store, however, is not stocked as fully as your local Safeway, and we strongly suggest you rely on yourself for all camping needs.
Q. Where is the closest airport?
A. Pilots planning to fly small planes into the area will find an airstrip in Empire. There may be a closer landing area, but this will not be certain for a few more weeks yet. Hualipai Playa itself is not a safe option. There is a possibility for transportation between the Empire airport an the event site, stay tuned to this web site, or email questions@burningman.com if you'd like us to keep you up to date on this situation. The nearest commercial airport would be Reno, 127 miles away.