Placement’s Statement of Intent (SOI) is now open for Black Rock City 2025! If you’re sure (or mostly sure) you’d like to be placed as a theme camp, this Journal post applies to you — whether you’re returning after last year’s stellar year, coming back from a break, or shiny and new to the placement process. Thank you to everyone who filled out the quick poll sent out a couple weeks ago — so far it looks like around 87% of camps who are definitely or likely returning in 2025!
Placement exists to support Burning Man’s creators (artists, theme camp organizers, donors, etc.), and with this service-oriented mindset, our team’s mission is to make it possible to bring your theme camp to Black Rock City. The team is looking inwards at the core of how we operate, thinking about how to make things smoother for everyone, and how to support you (or get out of the way) so you can bring your best to that thing we all build in the desert. The culture of Burning Man that emanates so brightly in Black Rock City is so important at this time in our world. The Placement team is excited to continue collaborating with you, and to make 2025 one of the best yet.
Submitting an SOI (via the Participate section in your Burner Profile) is how you let us know officially that you plan to join us in Black Rock City as a placed theme camp — SOI’s are due by January 16. The SOI allows us to determine how many Stewards Sale tickets to offer each camp, and helps us anticipate any major changes in store for BRC’s neighborhoods (since every camp contributes something special). If you are a returning theme camp, you’ll notice a shorter form that should only take 10 minutes to complete.
Making It Easier for You
Since 2022, Placement has been working on a key part of the Cultural Vision of Residential Black Rock City to have Transparent Communication from Burning Man Project to Residents, shifting the team’s culture and practices to be more supportive, transparent, and responsive to the community. Going to Black Rock City is hard enough, and Placement is working on a smoother experience. You can expect some key changes to the Placement process including:
- Meeting more theme camp ticket needs
- Introducing a fast-track system for veteran theme camps
- Making sure you have increased and clearer access to the Placement team
Meeting More Theme Camp Ticket Needs
Placement has heard concerns about ticketing for theme camps and has been working with the Ticketing Department to address them. Taking care of our cultural collaborators such as theme camps is a priority — you’re a core part of the community. While Stewards Sale allocations have suited the needs for some theme camps, we’ve heard that others have been stressed about receiving fewer tickets than they need. Based on the recent survey results, Stewards Sale ticket needs will be met for most theme camps in 2025. For camps taking the year off, some campmates may still want to attend the event without your full camp and we’re working on a way to support this.
Please do not overestimate your needs in this early part of the season. No one wants anyone to have an excess of tickets in summer because you’ve bought more than you needed in the Stewards Sale. To remedy this situation, we’re attempting to be more dynamic and responsive to ticket requests the closer we get to the event. If you still find your camp short after the bulk of public sales have concluded in May, you can reach out to Placement directly (at placement@burningman.org) to request additional tickets. We will do our utmost to meet all of the remaining needs of theme camps then.
Introducing a Fast-track System for Veteran Theme Camps
Placement is excited to debut a fast-track process for veteran BRC theme camps. If you fit this criteria, you will see 20-30% fewer questions in the Placed Camp Questionnaire (PCQ) that opens in February. This simplified version trims down the questions to include only essential information Placement and other Burning Man departments require. Additionally, for all returning camps, some of our lengthiest questions will be pre-filled with your answers from the previous year, so you can use the same response if nothing’s changed (or edit if things have). The questionnaire is still needed from each camp seeking placement, as camps do make adjustments year-to-year — in size, interactivity, theme, desired location, and even camp name and leadership.
Who’s eligible to be Fast Tracked? Any previously-placed theme camp that has been in good standing for the last three consecutive events and who has raised no concerns with camp interactivity or size. That’s nearly two out of every three camps in BRC out of approximately 1,200 theme camps!
Increasing Access to the Placement Team
Monthly Office Hours will be held beginning in December so you can speak directly with Placement. The office hours are drop-in sessions to: ask questions about the Placement process, understand the pieces that make Black Rock City work, and learn about the Placement team. We love meeting camp organizers! Check the Placement Newsletter for each month’s Office Hours link (Subscribe to the Placement Newsletter here — anyone can sign up).
Every volunteer on Placement’s three teams — Placement, Camp Support, and Placement’s Exploration & Engagement Research Squad (PEERS) — comes from the community and dedicates their free time to support and connect camp organizers on playa and throughout the year. Camp Support organizes monthly Campfire Talks, the annual Camp Symposium, and a Camp Advisory and Mentorship Program that’s open to all. On playa, Placement also has headquarters at Esplanade and 5:45. Stop by and say hello!
As always, emailing us at placement@burningman.org is the best way to reach us; we strive to respond to everyone within 48 hours on weekdays. If there’s anything you wish to discuss or appeal with us, write to us to start the conversation.
Making it Easier on Yourself
Alongside Placement’s efforts to bring more ease to the placement process, we hope camps can also look at how to make your own plans smoother and more enjoyable. The 2024 event was a stellar year by most accounts, and it was due largely to smaller camps. A significant number of camps reduced their sizes, which came with benefits: more manageable logistics, stronger interpersonal bonds among campmates, increased collaboration within and across camps, and all-around reduced stress.
One camp lead stated in their Post-playa Report, “Given our need to simplify this year, due to camp attendance, we’ve discovered simpler is better. It allows for just as much of a contribution and presence, but negates the bigger challenges of trying to do and build too much with a smaller group. It felt safer and more beneficial to all.”
We’ve noticed a trend: camps who struggle the most in BRC tend to be larger camps with larger logistics and challenges around Decommodification. Every year there are camps with only a few people left standing to clean up for campmates who’ve abandoned them. Larger camps have a harder time acculturating their campers, they have weaker community ties to feel responsible for each other, and sometimes campers within the same camp never even interact. Camp size has real cultural consequences. We urge every camp to thoughtfully consider your camp population.
If your camp has more than 100 people and you have things dialed in — wonderful! We want to continue supporting big dreams and large camps.
But take it from one of our largest sound camps: “We truly enjoy our pattern of being big and then taking a step to a more intimate offering every other year. In the smaller years we get to focus on our Immediacy, communal nature and Decommodification together in a more focused way. When we offer up the big stage, it is harder to accomplish due to the level of work that is needed to keep the big camp operational for a full week.”
This isn’t about limiting ambition. It’s about finding the right scale. Going smaller can truly make for a better Burn. Here’s to a more easeful year for all of us!
Before I started volunteering for Placement, I was a theme camp organizer and know how much it takes to organize a camp in BRC. Being a camp lead was truly a labor love and I brought that same love with me when joining the Placement team. Every volunteer under the Placement umbrella knows how much passion and dedication it takes to wrangle all the cats to bring a successful theme camp to BRC. We’re a bunch of nerds who care deeply about the community, Burning Man culture, and building great neighborhoods that can’t be found anywhere else. I’m excited to see how we can all bring more joy and ease to BRC this year!
Cover image of “SWING” by The ManDts, 2019 (Photo by Rick Egan)
