How much effort is required to organize a camp?

[david_maas]

Hello, I was wondering if anyone could tell me how much of a hassle it is to start a camp? After the camp is approved, ignoring shared resources (kitchens, showers, etc) is it a giant hassle, or is it the type thing where you just need to show up and stake out your territory? Are there bureaucratic hassles after approval?

Just wondering

[david_maas]

As an addendum, can you park a car in the open camping areas? The last time I went I don't believe there were any non-camp camping allowed.

[LowePro]

Somewhere between a shitload and a fuckton. Depending on your size and enthusiasm. But even a smallish camp is a lot to do to keep running.

[Elderberry]

It's a second full time job, so you really have to love it to do it.

[Chowski]

You CAN park a car in the "open camping" areas. You can drive into someone else's space and relieve yourself of your vehicle so YOU don't have to deal with it all week. Voila! It becomes somebody else's problem! Yay for Radical Self-Reliance.

Alternately, you can keep your damn car at your own damn camp.

Or, new this year, you can drive it out to the outer ring between 6 and 9 and park it in the Break-In Parking Lot.

[Captain Goddammit]

The last time I went I don't believe there were any non-camp camping allowed.

Huh?
I think there's no non-bike biking and definitely no non-drink drinking. But I'm not sure about non-camp camping.

[TT120]

It takes a metric shit ton of work. All year long. I know a couple organizers of a certain concentration camp that are completely overwhelmed every year, all year, even with many many volunteers. They work their asses off while still maintaining full time day jobs. It's not easy and I'm not sure how rewarding it is for them but they do it every year. It's like trying to herd kittens, or sweep bird feathers on a hard wood floor. It takes a severe commitment.

[Token]

It is allot of work. Not the administrative crap you asked about, but the interactive part of being a placed camp.

What will YOUR camp provide to the masses? That is the big clusterfuck.

And no, bocci ball ain't gonna cut it.

Its been a decade since you last went, you might want to just be a virgin again. Not the same event it was 11 years ago.

[some seeing eye]

Camp, placed or not, you are responsible for establishing and meeting the expectations of your campers and they are responsible for the same. Then you are responsible for leaving no trace. If placed, you are responsible for all the org interaction before, during, and after.

Unless you have a very small majority experienced group of under 5 who are friends you trust and low drama; all the above is huge.

There are some starting/managing a camp threads here and some discussion/mailing lists.

[david_maas]

Alternately, you can keep your damn car at your own damn camp.

Ha! That would be a pretty dick move. I meant if you just set up a tent in open camping instead of joining a theme camp.

I guess if it's a lot of work I'm over it. Thanks!

[GreyCoyote]

Why is setting up a tent in open camping a dick move?

'Splain this to me, Spanky.

[david_maas]

The posited situation would be setting up in a theme camp, and just keeping all your stuff that doesn't fit in open camping.

[GreyCoyote]

Bingo. Sometimes (mostly?) I'm a little obtuse.

[david_maas]

I think I got something backwards when I was saying something? Everyone's supposed to read my mind via the internet :-p

[VultureChow]

I'll let you know in 45 days or so. Right now I'm afraid to sleep. There are over 200 individual items on my planning list.

[Dr. Pyro]

Welcome to my world.

[VultureChow]

Anyway, I think you're asking a different question using non-standard jargon.

Leaving out your own internal camp, I THINK you're asking how hard is it to find space at Burning Man to set up your camp.

The answer depends on what type and how much space you are looking for

There are "Placed " camps. Registered Theme Camps which frovide a service or entertainment to the general public. This can be art, a bar, music, dance lesson, etc. The applications for those closed ages ago. Most of the space in towards the center of the city and the Man is reserved for these camps.

Non reserved space is on a first come, first served basis and street frontage fills up first. So...

If you require a large space for 50 campers and need street frontage for your amazing interactive rat maze, you need to be there when gates open and have a plan.

If you need space for a few tents and cars, you'll find space easily, but you'll be on the far outer roads if you turn up later in the week.

[VultureChow]

Wait. Burning since 2005? Now I'm confused.

[david_maas]

Wait. Burning since 2005? Now I'm confused.

Psyche ftw. It was the year with the maze under the man, with a bunch of psychological tests hidden it in*. Anyway I'm told BM is kind of different now. I'm kind of expecting to run into ppl that I've partied with elsewhere though.

Some friends of mine and I were going to go last year, but we didn't get any tickets.


--------
* I forget what most of them were, but there was a sign that was unreadable by people with schizophrenia among other things

[trilobyte]

I'm giving this a nudge over to Building Camps & Villages, since this is more of a general preparation question and not a specific camp announcement or call to action specific to the 2016 event.

Others have covered it pretty well.... it really varies widely depending on what you want to do and how many you're trying to organize for. It's probably worth pointing out your use of the word approval... I think a couple clarifications are needed.

First, your camp does not need any kind of approval. You're a camp, filled with whatever awesomeness you guys want to bring to the table. You're welcome to come on through the gates beginning 12:01am Sunday August 28th and find yourselves an available space to camp... and start setting up! I'd recommend you take a minute or two to introduce yourself to any neighbors and check any boundaries, better to make sure everyone's on the same page before you start putting anything up.

If you would like to register as a placed camp (which is reserved space and may have the opportunity to arrive early to start getting stuff set up), I'm afraid that ship has sailed for the 2016 event. The placement questionnaire typically opens up in late February and then closes at the end of April. The placement team then reviews applications and announces placement in early summer. You can find out lots more about being a placed camp by reading some of the information on the main site, or in perusing the boards. But regardless of whether your camp applies for or gets placement in any given year, you're already a camp.

You can choose to do the research and jump right in, or you can participate in an established camp, volunteer as much as you can and learn as much about the process before striking out on your own. Whatever you and your campmates feel comfortable with is the important part. If you're doing it right and having fun the effort is well worth it

[maladroit]

When someone asks "How much work is this going to be?" I've found the answer is always "too much."

[Capinator]

That's like asking how much money it costs to have a race car. The answer is the same no matter what kind of racing. It takes ALL of it!

[maladroit]

That's like asking how much money it costs to have a race car mutant vehicle. The answer is the same no matter what kind of racing animal it looks like. It takes ALL of it!

Fixed