Participation
is at the very core of Burning Man. Once a year, for one week
in the desert, a community of living, breathing, participants
join together to create Black Rock
City. The people who attend Burning Man are no mere "attendees,"
but rather participants in every sense of the word: they create
the city, the interaction, the art, the performance and ultimately
the "experience."
There are many
ways to participate. You can create a theme
camp or build an art
installation. You might put on a performance
or build a stage for others to perform on. Check out examples
of Playa Events
which participants created. Not everyone is an artist
or performer, but there are many options for participating.
You can volunteer to help build the infrastructure
of Black Rock City, both on the playa and year round, including
donating your unwanted items. We couldn't
do any of it, if we didn't care about our environment
and worry about our garbage.
Lastly, or perhaps firstly, you can create your
own form of participation.
Burning Man
is a 100% participant sponsored, participant created event. We
often like to say there are no spectators at Burning Man. It doesn't
mean there isn't a lot to look at—it means that even the process
of viewing is active. Even first-timers are participants—they
always figure it out.
The simple notion of "participate"
has inspired a lot of people to create a lot of wonderful things
over the years, check out the art of Burning Man or some answers
to frequently asked questions about participation to see how it
really works!