First Timer

mcletter · Post by **mcletter** » Mon Aug 20, 2007 6:58 pm

I've just recently been introduced to the Burning Man Festival, and quite honestly, I'm going crazy with anticipation to attend! Unfortunately, I'm not able to make it to this years, lack of money, a ticket, supplies, etc. Though, I do intend on going next year.

I'm an 18 year old student from Kansas, and as soon as I heard about the concept behind the entire festival I fell in love.

What I ask is, first, what can anyone tell me, as a person who has never been and is anticipating my first attendance. Also, what can I do to keep myself sane for the next year before I get to go?!!

Post by **AntiM** » Mon Aug 20, 2007 7:32 pm

Go on the main site and see if there's a regional contact for your area. There's plenty of burners in Colorado, that's kinda close in western state terms. If you can find a burn community within reach, that'd be a good way to participate. I know here in Utah we have plenty of burners who do the regionals at first until they can get it together for the big burn.

Stay and play with us on eplaya too, we're gruff and nutty, but it's an interesting place.

make a mini man out of toothpicks. burn him in an ashtray.

hsdavis · Post by **hsdavis** » Mon Aug 20, 2007 8:19 pm

You are going to have a very rough year ahead of you. You can check out lots of pictures on line both on the BM website and various other links. You can spend the next year shopping for things you will need. You can find most everything you need at the end of every season, usually on clearance. This will really help if money is tight.
It's not too late if you really want to attend this year.

Post by **AntiM** » Mon Aug 20, 2007 8:26 pm

Soon: tents and camp gear. Post Halloween sales: wigs, wings, blinky lights, tights. Post christmas; lights! and bells and santa suits. Valentine's day: sexy maid outfits. Easter: bunnies! hot topic sales all year, look for the half off half off clearance stuff.

Buy bins or totes and start stashing things. acquire one survival item each month. save your pennies for tickets in January when they're cheapest. Start sewing one great costume now.

mcletter · Post by **mcletter** » Tue Aug 21, 2007 4:49 am

[quote="AntiM"]Go on the main site and see if there's a regional contact for your area. There's plenty of burners in Colorado, that's kinda close in western state terms. If you can find a burn community within reach, that'd be a good way to participate. I know here in Utah we have plenty of burners who do the regionals at first until they can get it together for the big burn.

Stay and play with us on eplaya too, we're gruff and nutty, but it's an interesting place.

make a mini man out of toothpicks. burn him in an ashtray.[/quote]

Definitely going to check out the burn communities, hopefully I can find one nearby. Also gunna start stocking up for next for sure. I'd like to go this year, but it's too late for me to take off school, and I don't have the money to get everything right now :(. But next year, I'll be there for sure.

Thanks for the advice :)

Valkyrie · Post by **Valkyrie** » Tue Aug 21, 2007 8:53 am

Looking at the site, there's a Midwest Burners group that you could probably catch up with. There are events held in Kansas City, and it looks like they have a bit of stuff going on around Booneville. There's a contact for folks in KC as well on the regional contacts page of the 'year round' area.

honeyfire · Post by **honeyfire** » Tue Aug 21, 2007 9:07 am

mcletter, one of the best prep moves you can do for yourself is to read this site until you have it memorised. The forums less so, obviously, but all the survival guide and first timers guide info, Heloise of the playa, etc, until your brain automatically starts seeing things as "good shade option, MOOP, great costume, good dust-resistance" etc. Not every last thing you need to know is here, that's just not possible, but the more you really *get* what you'll need and need to do for your physical self to be taken care of, the more you can focus on your art, your experience...
Best of fortune to you, and see you on the playa!

Archantael · Post by **Archantael** » Tue Aug 21, 2007 9:47 am

Following up on Valkyrie's post, definitely check out the Midwest Burners website: http://www.midwestburners.com

You might not be able to make it to BRC this year but could you make it to Boonville, MO? MW Burners is having an event for those who can't make it to BRC called Shipwrecked. It's held at a place called Ozark Avalon which is 3 miles South of I-70 at Exit 114, or right before the I-70 bridge over the Missouri River at Rocheport & the Katy Trail. That's only 150 miles one way from Lawrence....

The people behind MW Burners IMHO are a very friendly group, you can't go wrong checking them out.

Smudge · Post by **Smudge** » Wed Aug 22, 2007 10:36 pm

Although my first thought when I looked at your post was "regionals"
really, if you're that inspired, you're just in time to start preparing a well thought out well built art project. "Burningman" is a week event literally, but for many, it's the year of preparation like marathon training that is the real experience, not just the moment of crossing the finishline when the man burns. Going your first time to the playa with a unique art project lacking the 'been there' perspective can be golden. You don't need to be a 20 year burner or even intend to return after your first burn to have the most amazing life changing experience and provide the same for others.
It's your daily life that you live each day. The pennies in the jar that add up to an amazing life. Going to Nevada for The Event is just a couple bright shiny nickles or foreign coins in the jar.

The cacophany society wasn't new when Burningman started and they've had many other interesting fruit along the way that just hasn't carried the headlines that this one has. Plant your dream where you are or where you choose to be.

teef · Post by **teef** » Sat Aug 30, 2008 10:23 pm

I'm a 36 year old guy who just burned for the first time. I have several friends who have burned, so I have a bit of a perspective from them. Here's what I think you should do:

Develop your skills as an extrovert. To get something out of the whole deal, you need to make connections with people, especially strangers. That's hard to do if you don't know how to start, sustain, and end interesting conversations with interesting people you've never met before.

Prepare to be horny. Recognize that next year you will be surrounded by tons and tons of very hot women who have perfected the art of dressing seductively. Assuming you're straight and single, for a guy your age, that's something you should prepare for (and which few people really talk about, for some reason). If you're not straight, the horny factor is probably higher, but also probably easier to satisfy (that's just a guess, I don't really know because I'm straight). Also, you probably shouldn't acquire a girlfriend prior to the event unless she's an experienced burner. Too messy.

Lower your expectations about hooking up with a hot chick. Raise your expectations about being visually stimulated. Unless you are a pretty attractive dude with above average persuation abilities or a sweet art car, its difficult to hook up with a hot chick you just met as a newby. On the flip side, there is no other spot on the planet where there is more visual stimulation, especially at night. On one level, its ok to be "blown away" by the spectacle of it all. On the other hand, if your not somewhat ready for it, you might unnecessarily miss something cool.

Get in shape. You'll do a lot of walking and bike riding. You may do a lot of dancing. You probably won't do a lot of sleeping. If you're in shape (particularly legs), you're body will feel better and you will venture out more. You'll also look a lot better in your costume.

Befriend an experienced burner. An experienced burner will happily give you valuable guidance. One that is your friend and that you camp with or hook up with on the playa can do that in real time, which is even better.

Prepare to be on your own, particularly at night. Its easy to lose people at night as everyone follows their own bliss. If you can function autonomously, you'll have a better time if that happens. Radical self-reliance applies here.

Have something to contribute. The easiest ways to do this as a newby are to have one or two cool costumes and to have some good gifts to give people. Setting up a great theme camp or building an art installation are also great, but probably too ambitious for a newby. (By the way, other folks refer to newbies as "noobs" or "burgins", which is fine, I just like my spelling better for now).

Take the time to create a cool costume or two. This is an expansion on the "have something to contribute directive". Its easy for a young straight guy to miss the importance of a costume. For one, costuming is an obvious sign that you want to be a contributor, not just a leech on the culture. For two, costuming helps spark conversations and create situations where people want to befriend and help you instead of ignore or ridicule you.

Develop strategies for temperature fluctuations. People talk a lot about how to deal with the dust. This is all valuable. But what they frequently omit is how to deal with the extreme temperature changes. Midday this year hit 95, then droped to 55 at about 5am. Figure out a way to be somewhat comfortable during both of those extremes. Factor in your choice of costumes and access to shade, air conditioning, and cool drinks.

Arrange to have a playa-ready bike with a bike lock. The layout of all the things you'll probably want to see are simply too spread out to get to on foot. Plus, anyone who's experienced will have a bike, and if you want to take a trip with them, you'll need one too. Bikes do get stolen, not often, but you don't want it to happen to you. If you're a vet, you know how to deal with it, but if not, it could ruin a whole day or more.

Consider preparing some plans to visit specific theme camps. Theme camps advertise their willingness to interact with strangers and they often have valuable things like shade, alcohol, and cool people to meet. But you're less likely to take advantage of these goodies if you don't know the basics about a camp in advance. At the same time, this is more of a tip than a directive, because its also cool to just wander around and see what happens; however, if you do that and it starts to get lame for whatever reason, its good to have a backup plan.

Make sure your transportation logistics are tight. My first burn was successful in large part because the transportation to and from the event worked superbly. I didn't get lost or wait in long lines getting to or leaving from the event. Leaving this logistical planning to someone who is unreliable will produce unhappiness and missed opportunity. In some way, this is related to the "have a bike" directive, because after getting to the event, transportation logistics are still kind of important. Think as much about how you're going to leave the event as how you arrive. The time it takes to leave are related to how long it takes for you to break camp and what time and what day you leave. Do some research on ePlaya to get a better sense of this.

That's about it. All of the other stuff people will tell you about bringing a lot of water and leaving no trace and all that is important too, but other people have covered that stuff much better than I. I tried to focus on the areas that people don't talk about as much.

Have a great burn. Spread the knowledge. Spread the love.

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Sun Aug 31, 2008 7:28 pm

A lot of bikes get stolen.

I hope this year improved, but last year bolt cutters were needed if you wanted to use a green bike.

DoriumLux · Post by **DoriumLux** » Sun Aug 31, 2008 8:10 pm

I don't use a green bike, BUT I did see a lot more posted out in the open this year instead of being hogged and hidden in camps. I did see a lot of naked asses on those bikes though. There weren't exactly following the "wear pants rule."

Samsa Bee · Post by **Samsa Bee** » Fri Sep 05, 2008 4:43 pm

Good list. Thanks for thinking it all out, so true.
However,
"Lower your expectations about hooking up with a hot chick. Raise your expectations about being visually stimulated. Unless you are a pretty attractive dude with above average persuation abilities or a sweet art car, its difficult to hook up with a hot chick you just met as a newby."

Hot chick/hot dude is relavent to the tastes of individuals. Definitely dont expect in this aspect, but dont think of yourself as a 'non hottie' just because you dont fit in wih the cliche hottie regime. My first year I thought I was an underdressed overweight female with no chance of getting any attention. boy was I wrong. I also find that I like dudes that arent big stud muffin art car drivers.....I like the newbie and or vet guys, the more subtle underdressed men, the ones who arent magazine perfect. Be open to your heart attractions, like in Default Life. It opens up much more possibliities and makes for a happier more confident time. year 4 and I finally feel AWESOME about myself !!! What was I thinking before??? Not every guy hangs out with a woman for their thin frame and perky lil boobies, some like a strong woman with a sense of adventure whos sexy in many other ways.

Ozzie · Post by **Ozzie** » Mon Sep 08, 2008 8:05 pm

My wife and I are attending for the first time in 2009, just us (so far) and I've been absorbing everything I can in order to prepare for the burn. One question I haven't found the answer to: how are camp sites assigned - or is it first come first served? How big are the camp sites? I'm looking at a family size tent for us, and a dome (probably 16') for shade. And our vehicle will be onsite, also. Will I have room for all 3? Room to spare? Are the sites predefined, or do you carve out the space you need?

Any other thoughts, tips, anecdotes or antidotes also appreciated.

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Mon Sep 08, 2008 8:25 pm

Except for theme camp areas, first come.
Negotiate with the neighbors if it isn't empty.
The later you get there, the further out you end up camping unless you have a small camp.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Mon Sep 08, 2008 8:45 pm

The only plots that are a specific size are the theme camps that are "placed" and allowed in early to set up. Even the villages are assigned as a block and broken up into smaller sites by the mayor and camp leaders. But do be clear with your neighbors.

First Timer

First Timer

Welcome home, darlin'...

here's what to do for the next year

First time in 2009