We welcome the stranger

New to the community? Welcome! Burning Man events strive to be ‘Radically Inclusive’ and welcome anyone who would like to have a fabulous weekend together.

Now that you’re no longer a ‘stranger’, there are expectations that we will all keep each other safe and hold ourselves accountable. We have safety guidelines and policies for our event that ensures our participants have the safest time we can provide. 

Our Code of Conduct, including Consent, is non-negotiable for all of our participants. Participants must read and sign the Code of Conduct at the gate. Learn more about the Code of Conduct and our Consent and Conduct Committee.

A survival guide and ‘what/when/where’ of registered camps/events are made available prior to the event to familiarize you with rules, packing lists and other helpful information. This event is run in accordance to the 10 Principles of Burning Man – with a Canadian flair, making this gathering unique.

Learn more about Burning Man’s 10 Principles

Radical Inclusion

Anyone can be a part of SideBurn. We welcome and respect the stranger.

Radical inclusion means accepting others’ forms of self expression and differences of opinion. We expect all participants to treat each other with respect - make sure you familiarize yourself with our Code of Conduct.

Gifting

SideBurn is devoted to acts of gift-giving. The value of a gift is unconditional. Gifting does not contemplate a return or an exchange for something of equal value.

A gift can be anything that you share with other participants. Gifts are what “make” the event since there is no centrally planned schedule. A gift can be big or small, silly or serious. It could be anything: a theme camp, performance, pop-up/roaming experience or food offering; handmade or practical items to give away; a kind word, spending time with someone, or making everyone feel included. What does gifting mean to you? What would you like to gift to others?

How will people know about my event?

What makes SideBurn unique is you and the events you host! We have had so many amazing and wonderful events in the past and we cannot wait to see what you bring this year! Are you planning to gift an event or amazing activity to host at SideBurn? We are now opening our submissions for the WHO, WHERE, WHAT (WWW) Guide, which is provided to all participants as the all-encompassing event guide for SideBurn 2023.

Decommodification

In order to preserve the spirit of gifting, our community seeks to create special environments that are unmediated by commercial sponsorships, transactions, or advertising. We stand ready to protect our culture from exploitation. We resist the substitution of consumption for participatory experience.

Nothing is for sale at SideBurn! You may receive food or beverages as a gift, but these are not for sale. We do not allow promotion of commercial events, brands/products or money making activities at the event. In the spirit of decommodification we encourage you to make your own outfits/costumes, repurpose things, and use found or secondhand items in your costumes/art/gifts!

Radical Self Reliance

SideBurn encourages individuals to discover, exercise and rely on their inner resources.

Show up with everything you need for the event - and extra to share/gift, if you can! Read our guides below to help you prepare, and the Survival Guide when it’s out.

  • Packing List Coming Soon!

  • Packing List Coming Soon!

  • Part of camping, communal living, and putting on this event together means that not everything will go as planned. Be prepared to adjust on the fly! Sometimes radical self-reliance means knowing when to ask for help. If you have a problem that you can’t solve on your own, reach out to the people around you, including Rangers or Sanctuary as needed.

  • Part of radical self-reliance means that you’re responsible for everything that you bring in to the event - and making sure that everything you brought leaves the site with you! Check out our Leave No Trace section below for some tips.

Radical Self-Expression

Radical self-expression arises from the unique gifts of the individual. No one other that the individual or collaborating group can determine its contents. It is offered as a gift to others. In this spirit, the giver should respect the rights and liberties of the recipient.

Radical self-expression often shows up in how we present ourselves to others - how we talk, act, and the choices we make about how we look. We want you to be YOU and be authentic to yourself, in whatever form that takes!

Communal Effort

Our community values creative cooperation and collaboration. We strive to produce, promote, and protect social networks, public spaces, works of art, and methods of communication that support such interaction.

Communal effort means that everyone contributes to the event. This is YOUR event, so help make it the event you want to see! You can contribute by volunteering, participating in a theme camp, sharing your art in whatever form that takes, or simply being aware of yourself/others and how to make the event a better place for all.

Civic Responsibility


We value a civil society. Community members who organize events should assume responsibility for public welfare and endeavor to communicate civic responsibilities to participants. They must also assume responsibility for conducting events in accordance to local, state, and federal laws.

At the Gate

As a private event, there are no ticket sales at the gate for SideBurn. You and everybody in your vehicle must have a ticket and ID for entry.

  • Please remain in your vehicle to help us get you in safely and quickly.

    All vehicles are subject to search.

  • Participants at SideBurn who are 19 years and up will receive a wristband identifying them as such. You may not gift alcohol to those under 19!

  • Fireworks, weapons, glass, illegal substances, and handheld lasers are not allowed. No pets are permitted into SideBurn. At Gate you must report all sound equipment you have with you – yes, even boomboxes.

  • Exit and re-entry, i.e., “ins and outs”, are only allowed in cases of emergency. If you must leave the event early, your wristband will be removed at the Gate and you will not be allowed re-entry.

    In case of emergency, re-entry will be allowed on a case-by-case basis, in which case you may keep your wristband on and re-enter the event.

Health & Safety

  • A staffed first aid tent will be open at all times during the event. Bring a personal first aid kit - but we’re here to help!

  • Sanctuary is a place where you as a participant can go if you’re having a difficult moment or experience at the event. Grounded with a calming space that is located out of the way of the rest of the event, attendees can find some respite at Sanctuary from whatever is happening, and is a safe space for feelings, processing, or just retreating and resting for a little while. New to 2023, we will have some Sanctuary leads wandering the event and are recognizable by their glowing armbands.

  • Rangers keep an eye out for safety at the event; committed to aiding members of the community and facilitating a good time. Rangers are not enforcers or a security force; they participate actively in the event, with added responsibility for a time, and a radio. Rangers are there to listen and help you problem solve, and can help call on other resources as needed (ex. First aid). They are identified by their khaki shirts.

Leave No Trace (LNT)

Our community respects the environment. We are committed to leaving no physical trace of our activities wherever we gather. We clean up after ourselves and whenever possible leave such places in a better state than when we found them.

SideBurn strives to be an efficient Leave No Trace (LNT) event. There is no trash pickup at SideBurn, so it’s up to all of us to eliminate Matter Out of Place (MOOP). Whatever you bring in, you bring out. This includes anything that might be trash: bottles, rope, debris, fruit peels, cigarette butts, glitter, and almost anything else. (Hot tip: To make this process easier on yourself and the collective community, you may want to consider leaving particularly “moopy” items – like that disheveled feather boa you love so much – at home.)

How to be a LNT Champion

  • Make a plan to pack out your trash - pails with lids work well!

  • Dirty or “grey” water cannot be dumped directly on the ground - filter out particles and dump used water well away from tents

  • Use only biodegradable dishsoap

  • If you’re in a theme camp, consider how you will collectively manage any MOOP left by participants at your camp

  • If you smoke, carry a pocket ashtray for your ashes and butts

  • No glass - re-package anything that comes in glass before you arrive

  • Be mindful of the land - if you need to trench cables or put posts in the ground, fill them back in before leaving

  • No fires directly on the ground - see our fire policy

  • Carry a MOOP bag - pick up bits of MOOP that you see throughout the event and pack it out with you. Chances are you’ve accidentally created MOOP and someone is doing the same for you! 

  • Join our leave-no-trace team on Monday when the event closes, which does a whole sweep of the land!

Participation

Our community is committed to a radically participatory ethic. We believe that transformative change, whether in the individual or in society, can occur only through the medium of deeply personal participation. We achieve being through doing. Everyone is invited to work. Everyone is invited to play. WE make the world real through actions that open the heart.

Immediacy

Immediate experience is the most important touchstone of value in our culture. We seek to overcome barriers that stand between us and recognition of our inner selves, the reality of those around us, participation in society, and contact with a natural world exceeding human powers. No idea can substitute for this experience.