Free Black Rock City AKA Burning Man
General Guide
Burning Man is an annual event held in Black Rock City, Nevada. The event starts on the Monday before, and ends on Labor Day. The event is described by many participants as an experiment in community, radical self-expression, and radical self-reliance. However, as organizers have noted, "Trying to explain what Burning Man is to someone who has never been to the event is a bit like trying to explain what a particular color looks like to someone who is blind.". It takes its name from the ritual burning of a large wooden effigy on Saturday evening. In 2007, 47,366 people participated in The Burning Man Project. http://www.burningman.com/
Participants are encouraged to express themselves in a number of ways through various art forms and projects. The event is clothing-optional and eroticism is openly displayed by some participants.
Tickets are around $300 and reentry bracelets are an additional charge, that is lots of collected cans and plenty of missed meals if you are poor, so think before you purchase, tickets must be pre-purchased. To be fair, the organizers spend several weeks afterwards cleaning up the mess and they offer scholarships and adjusted rates for those with low incomes. As a warning there are real cops there who do make arrests, and some people will take advantage of the bodies and property of others sometimes without consent just like in the real world. But if you can manage to get in it will bend your mind and leave stories for years to come.
Housing
Trailers, tents, whatever you like but it has to be removed at the end without a mess. Heavy winds and dust storms sometimes occur so heavy stakes and a steel mallet are a must for anchoring tents. Try to position your tent and any shade structures to present the smallest possible profile to the wind (prevailing south-southwest to north-northeast). Weight the interior corners of your tent; stakes that are 12-inches or longer are recommended. Lengths of rebar make excellent stakes, but all exposed ends must be capped (empty 1-liter plastic soda bottles will do the trick) to prevent foot/leg injuries.
Food
Bring your own food and several gallons of water for every day of your stay bring plenty extra food to share your favorite dishes with others.
Medical Care
Trained emergency medical personnel are on duty 24 hours a day, and emergency evacuation is available. According to medical staff, the most common problems are dehydration and lacerations from stepping or tripping on unprotected rebar or tent stakes.
Legal Aid
Over the years, numerous restrictions have been put in place, such as:
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An imposed curved grid street structure.
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A speed limit of 5mph
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A ban on driving, except for approved "mutant vehicles" and service vehicles.
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Restrictions and imposing of safety standards on mutant vehicles.
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A ban on camp fires and Tiki torches.
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Burning your own art must be done on an approved burn platform.
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A ban on fireworks.
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A ban on firearms.
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A ban on dogs.
If there is trouble with the cops or somebody else find a Burning Man Ranger to help you out, the Rangers are there to chill everybody out and keep the peace.
Play
Run around neked meet freaky cool people, hang lights on yourself, your stuff, and your bike, freaks out the trippers. Bring a ghetto bike the playa is big and you cant drive your car there, you have to bring your own repair gear.
Information
Underground Papers
Burning Man Information Radio (BMIR) is at 94.5 FM, broadcasting critical travel, emergency, and general information, 24-7. Get the REAL news, weather, events, and Black Rock City information. In case of emergency,
http://wiki.stealthiswiki.org/wiki/Free-Black-Rock-City-AKA-Buming-Man 2/3 tune into 94.5 FM. Stop in Center Camp at BMIR and record your events for broadcasting between 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. daily. Tell the city what you're up to, live! BMIR 94.5 FM
Miscellaneous
Public Transit
Do NOT bring a "good" bike to the event. Dig: the desert will reduce a valuable bike to a rust bucket posthaste. If you must use quality wheels, it's wise to set aside some coin and time to have it serviced upon returning home--it'll need the TLC. The playa is notoriously corrosive on unprotected metal, particularly after it rains. At the very least, take along some chain oil for spot lubrication. For improved traction and handling, wider tires generally work out better than road bike tires.
Hitch or pay to ride the shuttles to town if you were stoned and forgot to bring supplies.
Free Clothing and Furniture
Run naked, but wear sunscreen!
Assorted Freebies
Survive
Because of the event's harsh environment and remote location, participants are expected to be responsible for their own subsistence. Since the LLC forbids any commerce, with the exception of the items stated in Decommodification, participants must be prepared and bring their own supplies such as water, food, proper clothing and shelter, just to name a few.