Camping

We are accepting applications and encourage you to complete the registration form if you are interested in joining us. Please note that submitting a registration form does not guarantee a spot in camp. We will let you know if a spot becomes available and ask that you wait until you receive an acceptance letter before submitting your financial energetics.  Please note that if you are accepted into camp but are unable to attend, you may request a refund, less a $75 processing fee, until July 31.  Half of your dues are refundable until August 15, or you may carry your payment forward to a future event if you need to cancel.  The only exception is if neither we nor you can secure tickets by August 15. In that case, you will receive a full refund. We're that confident in our ability to help you get to Burning Man.

Also, everyone who camps with us will spend at least 8 hours taking down our camp on Saturday, Sunday, or Monday.

So, you want to be part of Camp Contact at  Burning Man? Fabulous!

Here are some important details to read. If they sound good, please apply. please apply.

A few notes... Registering is only for staying with Camp Contact. Everyone is welcome to stop by and participate in classes, jams, and events. It is our mission to create an inviting atmosphere where everyone can experience Contact Improvisation and related arts.

Check out the FAQ page for more details. If you'd still like to join us, read on.

We ask the following of everyone applying to live at Camp Contact:

1. That you have some experience with either Contact Improvisation, Acro Yoga, Ecstatic Dance, Authentic Relating, or other somatic/yoga/bodywork/breathwork/cold immersion/tantra modality, whether in school, professional dance, the community/jam scene, or the space of workshops. If you are coming with a partner or close friend who isn't involved in one of these fields, we may overlook this request for them.  If you are simply looking for a friendly place to camp, we would be happy to point you in other directions, as several friendly camps are less specifically focused.

2. Please make plans to arrive at the Playa by Sunday afternoon, a week before the temple burns, so you can get settled in and be present for our opening circle on Sunday evening, particularly if this is your first year on Playa. As a camp, we dive deep into the Burning Man experience, taking in the full eight days of Burning Man, as well as building and striking camp. The best way to do this is to plan on taking the Burner Express bus in on Saturday before the event if you're not driving in.  

3. Sign up to join one or more camp teams and participate in the specific tasks for this team throughout the week. Camp teams will be responsible for key aspects of camp operations throughout the week, working together to make the camp experience as awesome as possible.

4. You can either choose a pod to be a part of when you register, or be assigned a pod. For two meal shifts on Playa during the time that you're on Playa… (two shifts of roughly three hours of cleaning, cooking, etc), plus one work shift of helping at the greeter's station, helping at the steam bath, or helping with Leave No Trace/Cleaning within our common spaces and public spaces.

5. That you put in a financial contribution.  Some work-study positions and limited need-based scholarships may be available, particularly if you can stay for the camp strike, Monday - Wednesday, after the burn.  All are welcome and encouraged to stay later if you can help take down and pack away for the following year.  Your Financial Contribution does not cover the cost of your ticket or vehicle entry pass (needed only if you're driving).  You will need to pay for your ticket and vehicle entry pass (if needed) separately.  Do not worry too much if you don't have a ticket before the OMG Last Chance sale in August.  If you join the camp and stay in touch about your need for a ticket, we have found in past years that a ticket has turned up for just about every camper who is clear on their intention to come.  

6. That you commit to helping with camp setup either as a part of our build team, or once you get settled in. No matter when you arrive, there will likely be a camp project that needs help organizing or constructing.  We'll have the bulk of the camp setup pre-event, but there are bound to be projects such as kitchen organizing, lighting, bike racks, bodywork area, and shower that need to be completed on Sunday or Monday of the event.  There will be a Dry-Erase board with the current camp setup/help needs posted in the Kitchen area, so if no one is around to direct you, please check this list and help as you can--we value self-starters.  And, if you see something that needs to be done, please help and organize as needed to get it done.  Camp Contact, like most of Burning Man, is a Do-Ocracy.   If you're interested in joining us pre-event to help set up, please indicate this as much on your camp registration.  

7. That you commit to participating in the camp breakdown (Strike) on Saturday & Sunday at 10 am, to help break down parts of the camp and loading up on our trailers.  Before leaving, everyone is expected to spend approximately one hour participating in a MOOP Sweep.  If you are leaving before Sunday Afternoon and can't help with this effort, we have some alternative projects we'll ask for help with during the week. Check with the Strike Team manager for jobs.

8. That you are committed to Leave No Trace policies of Burning Man. This means that if you brought it, you take it home. This includes items you might think would be really useful for future burns, such as carpets, tapestries, kitchen items, bicycles, etc. We may indeed want to retain some of these items, but Camp leadership has the final say. If you don’t have prior approval, expect to take it home.

9. That you make arrangements to take at least two bags of community-generated trash or recycling off the Playa with you. If you are taking a bus from Burning Man, they allow you to bring two trash bags, which we want you to do. We will give you a ride in one of our trucks to bring the trash and your gear to the bus depot.

If you can't quite manage all of this but are still super keen to camp with us, write to us at [email protected] and let's have a chat. We can sometimes be flexible, particularly for people traveling long distances or facing travel restrictions. Camp Contact is an ideal camp for those traveling from afar, and we aim to bring a great community together who share our commitment to offering classes and workshops to the citizens of Black Rock City.

While we encourage most campers to arrive by Sunday, if you are not able to come until later in the week, arriving later in the week can also be helpful. We ask that you get in touch with the Chef & Kitchen Team Leads to find out what fresh produce, groceries, or infrastructure items you might be able to bring with you (expenses reimbursable).

We have been on Playa since 2005 and have developed extensive institutional knowledge about how to make a theme camp work and how to make living in Black Rock City a rewarding experience. We've also built extensive camp infrastructure to make a week in the desert more comfortable, enjoyable, and fun. As part of living with Camp Contact and sharing the gifts of Contact Improv and other programming with the community, we offer back a space with many amenities and a supportive community.

The first step is to register above.  You can also email us at [email protected] to express your interest. Please let us know if you are available to help with pre-Burn projects, if you have any infrastructure you would like to offer, and anything you would like to add about how you would like to participate in Contact Camp (including if you would like to teach).

At present, we are accepting applications for campers to join us.  Once you've been accepted into camp, the second step is to submit your Financial Energetics contributions. Your contribution helps cover expenses such as: dance structures, living structures, kitchen, drinking water, food for breakfast, lunch, & dinner, showers & shower water, schwag, insurance, village dues which cover electricity, gray water disposal, & art, year-round storage of camp infrastructure, transport of stuff, first aid supplies, decorations, lights, web site hosting and other miscellaneous expenses. For campers staying in tents, we provide a vast aluminet shade structure that feels 10 degrees cooler as soon as you walk under it, where you can place your tent.  We provide approximately 10' x 10' of space per person.  We also accommodate campers staying in RVs, Hexayurts, teepees, and other structures, and we have some Hexayurts with air conditioning to rent. We also offer power for RVs and air conditioning units for tents.

Your contribution helps provide the resources that allow campers to enjoy the desert comfortably, and to offer gifts to the rest of the playa. Our camp ethos is to make it easy to live in the desert so that we have more than our basic human needs met, allowing us to offer gifts of healing, workshops, play, dance, and energy to our fellow campers and the entire playa.  We have showers, a kitchen, shade structures for tents, yoga, workshops, and ecstatic dance.  

Since early commitments make planning easier, the minimum contribution increases over time. Please submit your payment as soon as possible (within two days) after registration.

Camp provides drinking water, showers, and cooking facilities, as well as food for all meals, though you may want to bring snacks and other beverages.  Please note that the drinking water may have a slight chlorine taste, and you may want to bring your own drinking water in as desired. 

If you're interested in camping with us but not participating in the meal plan, you can deduct $175 from your registration fees.  You are welcome to use our fridges for your personal food storage (Pack it tight), spices, condiments, oils, as well as our stoves (during non-meal prep times). If you want to make other arrangements, please be in touch, and we'll see what we can accommodate.  There are some things you'll want to bring for yourself, and other things you might think you need but don't. 

The listed camp dues are listed as a range.  In particular, if it's your first time camping with Camp Contact, we ask that you pay at the higher end of the range; if you can contribute more, you are highly encouraged to do so. These additional contributions help fund infrastructure improvements and supporting others who need financial assistance to attend. If finances are hard for you, please contact us to see if scholarship discounts are available.  We expect to welcome approximately 100 campers, although this number may be adjusted as the event approaches. Campers from previous years are especially welcome, as are their friends, and we are open to newcomers.  

If you are on Facebook, please join our Facebook Group.  Once you're registered, we will send you the link to our Telegram Group, where we coordinate, and we'll invite you to our camp meetings via email as a Google Calendar invitation.