ePlaya

is burning man going to be a2 week event this year or is that a myth

We need the six weeks of burning man!

Some one wrote in another thread people left the first day.. The wind was to much for them..

In 01 the wind was like that every day.. No matter how we staked our shelter it would walk.. By the end of the week the shelter was about three feet from where it started..
The morning were clear and so were the nights..

I tryed a kite.. the wind changed directions about every 8-10 feet up..

I'd see problems associated with a longer time......
logistically, that is........bringing enough water, food, etc with no outside "services".......Most ice, water, fuel, etc is about spent by the end of the week......
It may morph into larger camps/villages, for more specialization:
individuals bringing only fuel, food, water, shelter, etc, etc.
Not necessarily a bad thing, but, I think it'd change the individualistic nature somewhat.

Of course, it could be done.......and, it would certainly lower the attendance numbers, at any given time, owing to people running out of stuff......
But may allow for larger overall attendance...........

who knows.........the shadow knows.....of course......

Actually, it is a 2 week plus event. But you need to get invited to get it the first week, basically be part of a cool theme camp and get a crew pass.

Marscrumbs wrote:Actually, it is a 2 week plus event. But you need to get invited to get it the first week, basically be part of a cool theme camp and get a crew pass.

I hope to do a small cool theme camp. It will take a day or two extra to set up..

This means planing.. extra everything..

The permit is a 5 year permit for a 1 week event. Doubling the length of the event would result in a doubling of various fees including the per-person BLM fees, law enforcement fees, potty pumping fees, etc. I would expect a doubling of ticket prices if you double the length of the event.

Two weeks out there is too long for many people, particularly newbies who make up about half the population. Believe me, I generally spend about 17 days on that playa (this year only 7 and only 4 of those were "event" days) and by the time I leave, I am ready to get out of there. One week is just about right for most people. It takes it toll on the body if you don't have a lot of infrastructure support when you are out there any longer than that. Your sinuses fill with concrete for one thing.

Don't hang on ... nothing lasts forever

One week is p e r f e c t!!! Granted you could make it for two, buuuuuut, at which point does it actually become survival camping? One week of merrymaking, followed by a week of "everyone for themselves"? This is just the environment, before you count in the human factor (mental, physical, emotions, etc.) The idea sounds great, but of course, even in a magical city, there is a certain level of reality & natural law. I want to attend for a few years instead of giving e v e r y t h i n g for just one year (progression/evolution- not self extinction

is burning man going to be a2 week event this year or is that a myth

Try volunteering for the event during the regular period of time and then come back and ask your question.

I think 2 weeks would dillute the energy of the event. Anyway, my wife and I are only good for 5 days before we're done.

As other people have already mentioned... you can get in early.

Volunteer with a department that you can get early arrival with, or start a theme camp.

I was in on Thursday before the event this year. Most theme camps will get early arrival passes for at least Friday before the event.

I was there from Thursday till Wednesday this year, so almost 2 weeks. I'm an experienced desert dweller, and believe me when I say that was enough for me... when living out of a tent... now if I had a trailer or an RV... maybe then I'd think about staying a bit longer.

After the event... you may be able to stay longer if you work with cleanup crew... think DPW, or just be a friend of DPW through another department... DPW I heard had a waiting list of something like 300 volunteers before the 2008 event... this was something I heard from a DPW volunteer that knows what the hell he is talking about. (I don't think this is classified information... but if it is something I shouldn't have let slip... may I be damned to hell... just kidding... a spanking will do)

If you want to be able to navigate the complex yet not so complex realm of burningman departments and administration you will probably need to get a laminate from some department. Laminates let you go in and out of the event, and they basically signify that you are putting in a good portion of your time on playa to help the event in one way or another, so basically it is an in with people when you need something, and if you are friendly... like you always should be... burners are burners... and will probably help you... or at least give you the skinny on why they can't help you.

I think part of the event permit states that burningman is responsible not only for the playa, but also for 100 miles of highway cleanup in all directions from the event... so it isn't a stretch of the imagination to understand that the event needs volunteers to help out afterwards.

Will there ever be too many volunteers for burningman? Who knows... Should people that have been entrenched in BM departments step down in favor of cycling new blood through the system of organizing this massive event? These are just some of the questions that circulate... through my own mind.

Its really kind of what is cool to me though about burningman though... create your own kingdom within theirs... no limits... only your imagination... all you need is desire... time, resources, and money don't hurt either.

All the best,
Have a great '08

porterico

I was there for a full 3 weeks this year as part of the Bummer crew. It was a lot of fun getting there early with a job to do. The playa was almost completely vacant until a few days before the gates opened and theme camps started showing up. Before that there were great parties thrown by DPW but a whole lot of nothing the rest of the time because pretty much everyone who was there was working.

I was very comfortable in that state - working and playing hard, sleeping in the quiet, eating lots of meat. I could have stayed in that state for quite a while as long as I could do supply/laundry runs now and then. We had a generator and freezers which is kind of necessary unless you can handle eating nothing but canned and dried foods. Ice sales don't start until the event starts.

I'm not sure how a real extra week would work. DPW kind of has to finish everything off before sizeable crowds appear, so they'd have to start and end their job earlier. Now they're stuck there for an extra week without much in the way of jobs or partying to do. Work crews would have to worry more about security of their stuff while they're laboring away all day, or they'd have to finish early as well. Some people would come early and be bored as hell because they like the crowds, most would only come for the end just like always. Some would come only for the first week.

we did the 2 weeks this year. My 3rd yr, his 5th.

It was extremely hard on our bodies. Hats off to DPW and all the others who stay 2 weeks + into months.....

We went out on 16th with our camper, to help with Shiva Vista, unload big rig,then helped lay the lines, etc...came back to default to get our trailer. came back out and set up an entire theme camp/village.

Its very hard! Its taxing on your body as far as dehydration and vitamin suppliment. Your not eating and drinking like you normally do. I sustained an bad injury, and Im possitive that it happened because I pushed my body to the brink.

Nope...I think next yr I will only do my 11 days. Thats enough. But then again, we burn 365 here in Reno.....Im ok with just my week'n half.

I'm thinking that the first instance of cannibalism would happen on Day 10 and the practice would be wide spread by Day 13.

2 weeks a tad too long. 7 days in a row is plenty.

very very excited to go. 1 week is plenty for me in the desert.

theCryptofishist wrote:I'm thinking that the first instance of cannibalism would happen on Day 10 and the practice would be wide spread by Day 13.

sorry fishy...I was really really hungry!

7 days already seems long to me. I had more fun in the years when the earliest we arrived was wednesday or thursday.

I can't imagine staying longer unless I was working on a big art project or helping with the city setup.

Actually, what is happening is that civilization is going to collapse during Burning Man 2009, leaving attendees stranded indefinitely in the desert. This is also the reason for 2009's choice of theme....

I was thinking maybe we'd get an earthquake while on playa and the ground would liquefy and sink all the vehicles, etc, but, people wood, and, ice chests would still float, so, we'd really see radical self reliance.......

The earthquake is still under consideration, from what I have heard.

I'll guess you're on first name basis with Vulcan, but, not as in Spock?......

Well, actually it is a much more eldrich deity, from the Lovecraft pantheon...

Two weeks wasn't enough for me.
You just have to pace yourself and that would be easy with more than a week.

I met someone at a regional who went to burning man and was whining about how boring it was, because it was so long.
I was dismayed how few people at the regional had ever been to burning man.

I did manage to persuade a couple of new people who had never been and were planning on going in a few years, to go.
They are still doing a happy dance.

I want a six week burn.
I'll come out and work it.
I think the total population will go up, but the number at any one time will drop, so infrastructure strain will be the same or less.
Many serious people can't make that particular week, so I think it will mean more real burners and fewer tourists.

The best thing is more and bigger art because more effort can be justified by artists with a longer display time.
Better theme camps too.
That would make a huge difference.

2 weeks would be about it for me, any longer and I'd need a "shudder" RV

After 8 days still had enough food to feed dpw
still had plenty of water (thank you body rinse 5:30 & Fairlane)
still had plenty of beer & liquor (I was way over-stocked n ready to rock) LOL
still hadnt seen half the shit I wanted to (no, the porta-potties dont count)

Come on 09!!

I'm thinking that the first instance of cannibalism would happen on Day 10 and the practice would be wide spread by Day 13.

The ravers would never notice that their numbers were shrinking..

We did 13 days this year, which was great; but your spending the days beforehand (and afterword) working, so by the time the event starts, your energy has been spent and you see a lot less of the City then you would have by showing up on Monday.

Any longer than two weeks, most would have to make a run to Reno for supplies. And once I'm there, I don't want to leave.

Getting there early gives me a chance to acclimate to altitude.
I feel like I do more during the week when I get there early.
Whatever I'm doing, there's always something else you could be doing.
I arrived exhausted in 2007 due to lack of sleep, not recommended.
you never catch up.

2 weeks? This was my tenth year and and it's never stopped. BRC is just a phase of the Burningman event. Burn Daily!!