Burning Man Project describes the Ten Principles as cultural guideposts, not a script or a set of commandments. The practical pattern is simple: participate without entitlement, respect another person’s boundaries, and remove every trace of what you bring.
Official guidance: The Principles include Radical Inclusion, Gifting, Decommodification, Radical Self-reliance, Radical Self-expression, Communal Effort, Civic Responsibility, Leaving No Trace, Participation, and Immediacy.
Read the culture before you arrive
- Choose one contribution you can sustain without neglecting survival or cleanup.
- Ask before touch, photography, recording, entering a personal space, or changing an agreed interaction.
- Disclose ingredients and relevant risks in food, drinks, body products, or other gifts.
- Carry a personal MOOP container and pick up small debris before dust hides it.
- Remove packaging at home and avoid materials that shed, scatter, or become impossible to recover.
- Schedule daily camp sweeps and a final grid sweep with tools for metal, stakes, and tiny debris.
Consent is active and specific
Official guidance - 2026: Burning Man Project describes authentic consent as freely given, reversible, informed, enthusiastic, and specific. Silence is not consent. A person who is sleeping or too intoxicated to decide cannot consent.
Consent for one act does not grant consent for another. Permission to take a photo is separate from permission to post it. A yes can become a no at any time. When uncertain, stop and ask.
Gifting is not a transaction
The official Gifting principle describes a gift as unconditional, without an expected return. A useful gift can be art, labor, attention, repair, shade, music, cleanup, or a clearly labeled consumable. It does not need to be an object.
Playa tip (community practice - not an official requirement): Design one gift that remains safe and delightful on the worst day, not only the best day. Include the time, cleanup, ingredient disclosure, and consent it needs.
Leave No Trace is operational
Official rule: Everything brought to the playa must leave. Do not put trash, wipes, tampons, or other objects in portable toilets; only human waste and single-ply toilet paper belong there. Gray water must not touch the playa.
Count stakes and anchors in and out. Secure loose material before wind arrives. Use a daily five-minute sweep to catch debris while it is visible, then perform a careful final sweep.
Common mistakes
- “Everyone does it” replaces a clear yes.
- A gift hides allergens, intoxicants, recording, or an expected exchange.
- Participation becomes work others must clean up.
- Sequins, feathers, glitter, paper, or fragile decor shed into the city.
- Cleanup is deferred until people, daylight, and vehicles are leaving.
Test before departure
Explain the contribution, consent boundary, and cleanup plan to someone who was not involved in making it. If they cannot tell what happens, what could go wrong, and who restores the space, simplify it.
Sources
- The 10 Principles Burning Man Project
- Consent and Sexual Misconduct - Survival Guide 2026 Burning Man Project
- Leaving No Trace - Pro Tips Burning Man Project
- What to Pack and What to Leave at Home Burning Man Project