When my friends and I put together our first Burning Man camp, there was no instruction manual. We had absolutely no idea what we were doing, and we did it anyway, and I can’t tell you how many things we did wrong (like trying to rig an army surplus parachute for shade — an idea so dumb we had to fail at it twice). Today, thanks to thirty-odd years of doing-it-wrongness, there is an extensive knowledge base of doing-it-rightness that anyone can tap into if you want to sidestep the mistakes and bring a great camp experience to Black Rock City. In fact, if anything there’s almost too much helpful information out there, to the point where it can be hard to figure where to start. But fear not, I am here to help curate and point you to the very best of the best advice.
The ideal place to start, and oh how I wish we had this back in the wayback, is the amazing Camp Resource Guide. Compiled a few seasons ago by the über-experts of the Placement team’s Camp Support unit, this relatively compact (20 pages) web document covers just about everything you’d ever need to know, from camp size and layout considerations to interactivity design, health and safety planning, even leadership issues like financial accounting and conflict resolution. I LOVE this guide. Whether your camp is large or small, placed or not (and by the way let’s be clear: you don’t have to go through the Placement process to have an awesome theme camp), I promise you that there are some tips and tricks in here you can benefit from.
You’ll want to read the whole thing, but I’m going to call out a few quick links:
- If your camp will be serving any sort of prepared food, you’re very likely going to need a Nevada health permit. It’s an easy application process and it starts here.
- First aid kit checklist and ESD Playa First Aid Manual. Because why would you not want to be prepared when one of the participants in your Iron Bartender competition slices off half a knuckle? (Yes, this happened.)
- BRC sound policy. Because turn it up turn it down what do you mean it’s too loud maybe you’re just too old is not a conversation anyone wants to have.
Sustaining the Magic
I remember when people first started bringing generators to power their camps, and the big challenge was how to quiet them down (note: putting a generator in a plywood box is a terrible idea). Nowadays, the challenge is to bring fewer generators, or better yet none at all. The good news is that prices for solar and battery equipment have been dropping steadily over the past few years, making it a viable alternative for powering your camp. But how to size it, source it, and rig it without getting a degree in electrical engineering? The Green Theme Camp Community (GTCC) is one of several participant groups that have been working on demystifying this, along with identifying regenerative solutions for food, water, waste, shelter and transportation. They recently did a ground-up reorganization of their idealicious website, sorting solutions by type, size, and level of commitment (beginner to advanced). Whatever your experience level or the size of your camp, the GTCC Resource Guide is a sustainability rabbit hole that you will definitely want to fall into.
Learn From the Pros
Having a great camp is in reach for any participants. Small or large, placed or not, there is a deep well of community resources to draw on. In case you missed it, the 2025 Camp Symposium, hosted by Burning Man Project, was a great sampler plate of expert advice on building, running, and cleaning up after your theme camp. You can catch the highlights by plugging your ears into episode 110 of the Burning Man LIVE podcast — available in all the usual podcast places or on the Burning Man Project website. And if that only whets your appetite for more, check out this video playlist from last year’s event. Or go even deeper in this collection of Campfire Talks. After 30+ years and thousands of camps, there is a ton of leadership experience out there for you to tap into in bringing your own camp dreams to life.
Special Care for Special Bunnies
Even with all the knowledge out there, it is entirely possible that you’ve thought of something new that no one has thought of before. It happens all the time! If that’s the case, or for whatever reason you can’t find the answer you are looking for, you can always drop a line to the Placement Team’s online help desk — campsupport@burningman.org.
There’s also a Camp Advisory & Mentorship Program, where you can ask to be paired up with another camp organizer to help you along your way. And like all the other support resources discussed here, it’s not just for placed theme camps, it’s for anyone who wants a little mentoring. Here’s the request form to get started.
All told, there is a rich ecosystem of answers out there for just about any question you care to ask. Unlike my disastrous camp of 2010 (don’t ask — still too soon) I’m sure yours is going to be amazing!
Cover image of participants building a theme camp Black Rock City (Photo by Bill Klemens)
