Burning Man Goes BOOM

Burning Man co-Founder Harley K. DuBois was invited to participate in a panel on Leading the Way of Global Transformation through the Arts at the Boom Festival in Portugal. On her way out the door, she exclaimed “I’m going to my first rave!!” She was very excited.

As founder of Burning Man’s Community Services Department, she knows a thing or two about how festivals run, and how communities and culture develop through well-considered infrastructure, guidelines and support. Here’s her report on Boom, and the panel:

What a treat to be invited to Boom to sit on a panel with founders from other festivals. The grounds for their music event were idyllic, situated on the bank of a beautiful lake in the rural farm region of Portugal. The property was 30 minutes from the closest village, where attendees camp on tree-filled rolling hillsides for an entire week. They walk a short distance to the multiple stages playing all sorts of techno music, thoughtfully placed to avoid sound bleed from one stage to the next. Food and other vending were tastefully placed at the edges of the property, so that art and music took center stage.

The 42,000 people were remarkably polite and engaged. There were a lot of families present and children were fully integrated into the scene. The staff was chill and helpful and the founders I spoke with were buoyant and fun! Overall it was hard to tell that there were that many participants present because it was so calm and tranquil. And although there were major DJs present there was little cult-of-the-celebrity to be noticed. People were very engaged with the music, their friends and the lecture series that was held at their Liminal Village stage.

Boom, Fusion and Burning Man: Leading the Way of Global Transformation through the Arts panel. (Photo by Chiara Baldini.)
“Boom, Fusion and Burning Man: Leading the Way of Global Transformation through the Arts” panel. (Photo by Chiara Baldini.)

Our panel (Leading the Way of Global Transformation through the Arts) was on the final day of the festival, near the end of the day. It garnered the largest attendance that week, and people listened and asked questions of us all. Present were Diogo Ruivo of Boom, a lovely, humble and committed man; Eule, Fusion Festival director of production and Kulturkosmos Co-founder, full of passion about their edgy (bordering on anarchistic) festival; and myself representing Burning Man. All of us had spent years creating the processes and infrastructure to build our events. Boom and Fusion began in 1997, so Burning Man was the oldest and most developed event of the three, but the similarities in trajectory and growth were striking.

Burning Man was also the only event that creates the space for the participants to bring the content, where Fusion and Boom both provide the music that people come to hear, but the concerns with culture, future vision, and a need to create a solid foundation to build off of where very closely aligned.

Many questions were asked and most focused on community and growth toward a sustainable future. It was clear that Burning Man, with 10 years on the other events was a source of inspiration and learning for these festivals. The attention we have put on naming, describing and developing our philosophy and intentions globally was very evident. Our vision for outreach and sharing our learnings was greatly appreciated by the crowd. Diogo Ruivo of Boom described us as the parent they come to learn from which I took as a great compliment, but we all know that parents learn from their offspring as well. I look forward to pursuing the development of these relationships.

About the author: Will Chase

Will Chase

Will Chase is Burning Man's former Minister of Propaganda, working on global communications strategy. He was the editor-in-chief for the Jackrabbit Speaks newsletter and the Burning Man Journal, and content manager for Burning Man’s web properties. He also oversaw the ePlaya BBS and Burning Man’s social media presence. Will first attended Burning Man in 2001. He volunteered as the Operations Manager for the ARTery (Black Rock City’s art HQ) and was on the Burning Man Art Council from 2003-2008. He was Web Team Project Manager and Webmaster from 2004 until he transitioned to the Communications Department in 2009.

5 Comments on “Burning Man Goes BOOM

  • pooh Bear says:

    Cynicism is not cool.

    It is not a sign of moral strength or a wise, pragmatic view of the world.

    Cynicism is giving in to the ego.

    Cynicism is a surrender to fear.

    Cynicism is an act of laziness.

    Love requires courage.
    Hope requires strength.
    Compassion requires risk.

    Cynicism is an excuse for weakness.

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  • Janet says:

    @pooh Bear

    Don’t underestimate Cynicism (capital C). In the classic Greek philosophical meaning, Cynicism was the pursuit of virtue through the understanding that all human behavior is motivated by self-interest.

    If you’re talking about lower case C ‘cynicism’, well then that’s like your opinion, man.

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  • Brigit says:

    Burning Man has to rein in the Plug and Play camps–especially the newer “Safari” ones in order for the event to remain true to its (in my mind) most important Principle–non-commodification. It’s what BM has that these other festivals do not and it is being threatened. Time for the BMorg to pay attention to the growing elephant in the living room.

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  • Ray Cirino says:

    You were the first person I met on the playa back in 95 and everything about you was golden. I hope to see you soon out there.

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