In 1995, the Center Camp Coffee Shop was born as a single espresso machine sitting on top of hay bales. Rumor has it that a storm took out the bedouin-style tent that housed the bales, but the espresso machine and its offerings persevered — an early testament to the dedication and resilience of Burner culture. In 2000, the Center Camp Coffee Shop moved under a huge structure that can withstand 120 mph winds, truly an engineering feat. Since then, the Center Camp Coffee Shop has grown to over 1,000 volunteers and into a vibrant community. The on-the-fly espresso chops, behind-the-counter performances, and playa love expressed through playful interactions have contributed so much to the evolution of the Center Camp Coffee Shop, and to the joyful, welcoming (and caffeinated!) experiences for all of Black Rock City.
Black Rock City is a continuously evolving, living experiment. As we shared at the end of last year, we will no longer do coffee sales at Center Camp in 2022. There are other big changes to our city, as well. This decision is ever so bittersweet, and it was not made lightly. Making this choice aligns with Burning Man Project’s long term sustainability goals and initiatives and the Principle of Decommodification. While coffee sales have been in decline the last few years and operational costs have risen, the environmental footprint of the café has become difficult to justify. The operation uses a great deal of fuel yearly between power, refrigeration and transport, and generates egregious amounts of waste, such as 30,000 cups, thousands of plastic milk containers, and 25,000 gallons of greywater. And, coffee commerce in the center of our decommodified city has been a point of perennial debate for years. Experimenting with no coffee sales in 2022 is a tangible example of Burning Man Project’s commitment to our values.
Originally, the inspiration for creating a coffee shop was to draw people into a civic plaza at the center of our city. Stopping by to meet friends old and new, settling in for a while, and holding a delicious beverage is a ritual for many and an initiation for new Black Rock City citizens — the familiarity and ease of the café eases entry into a world of strangers as they become familiar, and helps us feel at Home. Larry Harvey’s vision for a communal gathering space at the heart of a city within a café setting was inspired by the zocalos of Oaxaca City.
The flapping flags of Center Camp are a beacon to the center of the City, and the coffee shop has always been a place that welcomes us all. We have come to believe that the sale of coffee may have become nonessential, and the gathering space is what matters. Center Camp will continue to be an interactive, playful, social, communal, welcoming place; a vibrant hub of engagement and participation with performance and art. The structure will remain the same, as well as all the other offerings it holds: art, a performance stage, a spoken word stage, and all things that make it a world unto itself. The vision for the new canvas is a space that focuses on immediacy, spontaneity, and community participation. Within this, we hope to showcase the 10 Principles, brought by YOU! We invite you to join us to help reinvent the space to celebrate and serve our community and city. Stay tuned as we ramp up Black Rock City planning for more information.
“Uniquely expressive acts get transformed and elaborated into social rites, and through participation they accrue a breadth and depth of meaning which can only be produced in a communal setting. It is the primal process by which culture is created.”
—Larry Harvey
Center Camp Coffee Shop volunteers, you have for many years contributed to Larry’s idea. Under the guidance of Center Camp managers P Segal, Dana Harrison, and Marcia Crosby, you created a culture and an organic community. The Center Camp Coffee Shop is a beloved chamber of the beating heart of Black Rock City, and will forever be a part of our history. The memories and deeply-rooted value of your quarter century (!) of service is not taken lightly, or for granted. You have been inspirational and welcoming, and we can’t wait to see where and how you bring your energies, joy, and playfulness next. People like you are what makes Black Rock City… well, Black Rock City. From the entire Burning Man community, we offer a deep bow of gratitude to the thousands of the volunteers who have made the operation of Center Camp Coffee Shop what it has been.
Take a walk through the memory palace of the Center Camp Coffee Shop with the photos below.
Do you have words, stories, or photographs you’d like to share about Coffee Shop over the years and that you’d be willing to let us share with the community? Please send them to coffeeshopmemories@burningman.org. We’d love to hear from you!
Cover image of “The Phoenix Rainbow” in front of Center Camp Café, 2017 (Photo by Scott Williams)
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Oh Happy Dazes, what fun what possibilities!
Can’t wait for Dazes!
Love ❤️ to all the Dusty Burners!
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I am not a coffee drinker but having a hydrater after being out in the playa all afternoon was nice but to listen to music, watch battle of the marching bands, people gaze with excitement, others excited to meet and greet, a place for a short nap, art of all kinds, those things and others will still be still there to enjoy.
Thank you, Center Camp
Slut Ranger
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Discovering that there was a pay coffee shop in center camp my first burn back in the day was really jarring and ruined the illusory vibe. But that the coffee was so precious and time-consumingly prepared made it so much worse. Commodity into elitism. A big group of large drip decanters of cheaper caffeine like a church basement or AA meeting, without any queues would’ve been much more palatable. And donation only if people want that.
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We love you Mango! Thanks for everything you’ve done! This is a great article!
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I’m incredibly sad to see the coffee shop go. This was one of my favorite morning rituals every year, a way to meditate and meet new people. I hope this isn’t permanent :(
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As POOR Decisions go this one ranks up there as one of the worst. When you bring coffee back in 2023 don’t say we didn’t tell you so.
Coffee and how it effects a trip to center camp will be diminish in it’s absence; A delicious cup of hot coffee, interacting with joyful volunteers, sitting down enjoying the art and performances while getting some needed caffeine , not to mention the life long friendships one can develop volunteering…..could go on. ONE THING IS CRYSTAL CLEAR BORG HAS A VERY LIMITED GRASP/PERSEPECTIVE OF ITS OWN EVENT.
OH and Stop it with your silly environmental nonsense… you Burn a Man for the love of God, get a grip.
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Why on earth, at an event where there’s free coffee everywhere and that encourages self-reliance and no money, do we need a shop that takes actual money? Nothing is stopping people from going to center camp to see the events or to socialize. You don’t need to hand over cash to interact with people. This honestly might rank as one of the better decisions they’ve made in recent years.
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Totally agree.
They allow commercial flights in and look the other way to turn-key camps.
Not to mention the event itself, 70,000 people who travelled to camp at BRC.
Environmental impact of the coffee operation is negligible.
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I am among those who always felt selling coffee in the heart of BRC was quite incongruous, particularly when it’s one city where it’s hard not to get offered a free beverage from 1,000 camps. That debate settled, perhaps bring some other thing there to attack community to gather there, above the art and performances. Move playa info or something else, or rotate different camps that want to provide something there every year or even every day?
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True you can find coffee , water , alcohol and all sorts of beverages from all sorts of places but in truth knowing a few of my friends who were slipped” mickeys” During the event,I.e drug laced type beverages, Why would’ve this have been seen as a safe haven in a I mostly Non-safe environment for the populace? Not to mention the Scores of spectators who became participants just from the ability of volunteerism? I tend to think that this may not have been thought through completely. I wouldn’t get rid of the medical services because they were costly, or get rid of the fireworks show because of its environmental impact. I personally know people who live in Gerlach whose children attended the very schools that the café proceeds had donated to. Seems like the decision wasn’t thoroughly explored before being implemented. The ability to be part of the café was the entrance route for many individuals who now find themselves not able to attend because of the cost of the tickets and such. Not everybody knows somebody who knows someone who is part of a theme camp,This may have closed the door on a lot of people Who came to rely on this as their only means of attending. It seems that a little more research should’ve been completed to get the general overview of just how the café fit in before making the decision of killing it completely. If you want to keep something, no matter the problems it has, you can always find a way to make it work.
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I hate coffee but have always appreciated the entertainment value of the cafe. I recall one time there were long lines and they offered to let anyone cut tot the front if they could get there by walking on their hands. Several did.
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Center camp is such a haven. The Coffee – and the line to get it – was such a treat. Any time of the day or night you can roll up and feel safe or entertained. Very sad about this one.
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I know cafe “volunteers” who earned hundred dollars in tips every event. Not sad to see this relic go.
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My traveling partner bailed on me and my camping gear got destroyed by high winds the first day . They gave me a place to crash and work so I could have something to focus on while I figured out my plan . They took me in with open arms and made me feel like home . I had just gotten out of prison ,had gotten a divorce , and my son was now living across the country with grandparents so my whole world was in pieces . I was a hot mess and I was looking for direction . The people I met there will always have a important place in my heart .
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> I know cafe “volunteers” who earned hundred dollars in tips every event. Not sad to see this relic go.
I was a volunteer two different years.
Working the cafe was (another) way to cross over from spectator to participant. I met friends, and got to provide some extra service and greet people… it was a great experience (even washing dishes in the back felt like I was making a contribution).
And each year, I took my share of the tips, and handed them to whatever cashier took over our station, and told them to pay for all the coffees until that cash ran out. I dumped the tips into random “miracle” coffees for next round of visitors. Another way to “pay it forward” and spread the stoke.
To think the cafe was about “profit” is a less than sunny take. Looking down when that cafe was about relief, and service, and community. LOOK UP, Burner.
Very sad to hear the cafe will go. It was hardly mandatory. There is no “energy” in taking it away.
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Sometimes that money that you complain about for tips was how some folks were able to pay for their ice and gas money home. Being a full time volunteer some times is a great way in for folks who otherwise can’t afford the burn. And those people are super dedicated. I was a full time volunteer for 9 years. You get a lot from it but also miss a lot. As someone who likes to take classes at burning man, my “job” didn’t always allow for that.
For folks that volunteered and didn’t need the tips there were boxes at the cafe where they could donate it to schools in gerlach or the organization to help with other outlets. You have no idea how badly this decision affects the lives of many who have given their time, their hard work, heart and soul to to the community. Cafe is a family the just got torn up. And you are concerned about tips. Very sad
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Don’t do this….. :(
How many friendships, how many moments, how much love has happened sharing, gifting, enjoying the company of fellow humans in the coffee oasis.
Survey it and decide based on your community.
Don’t let this be a unilateral decision by a few.
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Amen! The grief is real
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Auction off all those coffee machines with DECADES of sticker history!
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I am wrapping my head around how to preserve that legacy, whether as art pieces or working Café equipment. As the care taker of these units I hope to find homes for these with the people who could appreciate them and the role they played. Maybe a burning man museum?
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Keep them safe or bring them to a Camp that will serve Coffee for the rest of us
I always loved to hang out at the CEnter camp and everyday went there to get a coffee or some electrolyte to get the Energy to venture out to the wastelands in Deep Playa
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In the early 2000’s we would volunteer during The Burn. Few customers and we would go out back and climb something and watch it in all its glory.
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I suspect even without the coffee folks will always flock to center camp. It just draws folks in with music, acrobatics and art. Maybe camps can sign up for a time slot to come GIFT coffee to the poor souls who haven’t yet learned to make a cup. There are so many camps that give out coffee. Maybe they’d be willing to haul a few pots to center camp to keep things caffeinated. But please, bring your own cup for gods sake.
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Yes, I like it at many camps when visitors bring their own cups. And why not let anyone bring their own coffee in a thermos/pitcher/5 gallon dispenser to share? Perhaps some would bring espresso, some various teas, others just creamer/sugar/sweetener/etc. The possibilities are aplenty, and would be an improvement toward Decommodification and Radical Inclusion.
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Just FYI: Zócalo in common usage means the central hub of activity in a city. There is only one Zócalo in Oaxaca City. The Zócalo
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so it will be for the Burners to bring in their little Coleman stoves (or similar)and their little stovetop espresso makers and make coffee for Burners – That will be even More Burning Man.
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My very first year at Burning Man I volunteered at Center Camp Cafe (I was a cashier). The pace was crazy but it was a great way to meet other Burners. I even got some swag! Glad I got to be part of its history!
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I camp alone at Walk In and when the dust storms blew me out of camp I took refuge at Center Camp and drank lemonade. I do a lot of photo work during the early morning hours up until sunrise. A cup of Center Camp coffee at dawn after coming off the deep playa was always excellent. I can understand the concerns about reducing the amount of resources it took to support the beverage operation. The concerns about decommodification is, I believe, a bit-of-a-stretch. Thanks for using my photo in the header!
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I support this decision. As someone who started attending in 1996 I’ve never agreed with the Center Cafe being the one exception to the non- commodification rule. Thank you for rethinking this.
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So many memories great and small for so many burners over the years. Why not find a less refuse producing way of doing this? There’s massive debris created by the big burns of the Man and the Temple, yet no discussion of eliminating them. Clean it up and keep it. “If it ain’t broken, dont fix it” comes to mind.
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Saddened to see the coffee shop disappear.
I personally looked forward to a rocket chai every day.
No matter how lost I may have felt, which can be easy to feel at Burning Man, the coffee shop always grounded me.
I wish there was a way to keep it.
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Getting coffee at Center Camp was a special activity every burn I went to. I will miss it very much.
Why not have the coffee, but without disposable cups?
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Fond memories of my volunteer time at Center Camp. Arrived early and helped set it up and then worked the coffee area in different positions for three years. The real value was the friendships that I formed. Such an eclectic mix that I worked with. I want to volunteer at BM again. Keep me in mind!!
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What a beautiful love letter, Mango! I really felt it. Much love to the Center Camp Cafe crews for all the years of serving up the most delicious iced coffee and simple syrup on playa. I’ll miss it! But also excited for what’s to come!
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I’m guessing a big factor in this decision is how reluctant organizations are to allow reuse of cups since the pandemic. I loved this small ritual of reducing waste. It saddens me that we may no longer be able to do this. As much as I loved going to center camp for a Chai baba Chai, I feel it’s the loss of cup reuse that hurts the most.
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I worked construction pre-camp in ’08 on the coffee bar. Then behind the bar when needed. It seemed out of place then, as did the sale of ice, but no water for free or for sale, as did Paris Hilton, who flew in for the day, and the big RV’s with their AC’s running non-stop. BM is not perfect but it is getting better. But I had my best time before opening, with my carpentry tools, and some very good people constructing the coffee bar.
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It seems like virtue signaling to eliminate coffee at center camp yet allow commercial flights and turn-key camps at the Burn.
If recycling is a concern, decree that you have to bring your own cup/mug and limit sales to just coffee and tea. Easy.
But throwing the baby out with the bathwater makes no sense.
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Nice piece, Mango.
And, sure, it’s hard to argue with leaving a smaller environmental footprint, but at the same time, the whole event — one where thousands of cars and gas-guzzling RVs are driven far into the desert, not to mention planes — has never been particularly environmentally minded.
I mean if it was such a real concern why hasn’t there been a ban RVs or, well, just a decision to cancel doing the event altogether? It just seems kind of silly to me when choosing to put on a huge event in the desert to suddenly pretend the environment is a top priority.
In any case, I’m gonna miss you center camp coffee!
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My village does it’s own morning coffee cafe so I don’t have to go very far – with lots of donations from people in the village: coffee, water, pastries, etc. etc. – not that many people every morning but I know them all.
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Mango, this is lovely to read. There are a lot of opportunities for Center Camp’s future. I can’t wait to see it.
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Most excellent article Mango!
Being part of the café over the past ten years has given me a bit of a perspective shift, beyond the obvious -as in all of the given reasons seen for the pro/cons of the café closure. I could be a bit biased but it would seem that not enough thought was given to the full impact of whom this involved. The scores of volunteers who used this platform as a first time entrance into the event, or who came to rely on this as their coming home every year. The safe haven it provided to not only the people who believed in and worked it to the event staff whom benefitted from it and to the event goers who could rely on the safe space to congregate to on the cold nights the event would throw at us. (in 2010 the night frosted!) good times, hot coffee! But lets not overlook the obvious- if you buy a cup of hot coffee, ( or any drink for that matter) you know its safe. not adulterated. Sure, a free cup of joe is found on the playa, as in a alcoholic beverage or water or anything really, but the café was required to be safe- and it was with flying colors every year as per the Nevada dept of heath inspections . Why is this overlooked? Is a safe haven not appreciated or not even required? If cost is a factor then maybe we should consider eliminating the medical tents. Or the porta potties- I am sure they cost more that they make. (sarcasm- they make nothing) or eliminate the fireworks, most likely the second largest environmental polluter there. heck- that would be a bonus, think of the cost savings there! The point is there should have been a last hurrah, have the coffee shop one last time and let it be known its over before or during the event. A decent end to the legacy. Let those who need to grieve, grieve. To say goodbyes, and let the masses participate in the end of this legacy. I am sure it would have been a banner year with plenty of revenue to donate to Gerlach, or art projects, or infrastructure. Its too bad this was sorely overlooked. It would be nice to see this project revisited, but no breathe holding here. We all must move on eventually.
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As much as I am supporter of the decommodification principal.
I did enjoy a several rounds of venturing to centre camp for a coffee so I could sit and watch the other the passersby.
Maybe chat with another lingerer.
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The word “sales” keeps being used. It doesn’t say “No coffee will be offered.” So, give it away. Coffee and something cold. Random hours. Bring your own cup only. Still staffed by volunteers. Would be so much fun. There is something very magical about wandering in at 0400 when it has gotten cold and getting that hot cup to share w/ friends new and old.
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Right on!
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True! I’ll probably bring some tea. Instead of a coffee shop, there can be a little bit of everything.
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I think it is a good thing that we are not selling coffee. It always seemed to go against the grain for me. I hope multiple coffee dispensers show up to spontaneously serve hot (or cold) beverages. Center Camp is a draw, even without coffee. I do hear the voices saying a “goodbye, farewell year” would have been nice instead of an announcement stating the coffee shop will be no more.. It does feel like the rug being yanked from under many. I predict that the indomitable spirit of creativity will prevail. People will create a new version of providing caffeination, community and collective. It will all work out. It always does.
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I’m disappointed about the coffee, but I’m happy that Center Camp as a place for community, art, and performance will still be there. Hopefully, I can be there, too, in a new role as volunteer. I’m very excited about the possibility of helping to re-imagine and re-create this space.
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Of all the things I can think of that should be changed, eliminated, added, updated… eliminating this is way… way… WAY… down on the list. Silly decision.
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