Already know all about FUR and just looking for the link on how to join camp FUR?
FUR is full for 2023, but read about what it takes to camp with us next year!
Now, chances are you have landed here because you want to know more about camping with FUR. Well, let’s start with a simple FAQ.
Who are we?
Q: What is FUR?
A: FUR is a theme camp at Burning Man comprised of furies and their friends. Our goal is to create an interactive space where we can create art and interact with everyone at Burning Man as a theme camp and through the art & interactions we create.
Q: What is a furry?
A: Anyone who associates or identifies with the sub culture that has an interest in anthropomorphic art and culture.
Q: I’m not a furry, can I still camp with you?
A: Not everyone who camps with us identifies with furies. We have friends who have other interests who camp with us. Before you send us a random email asking to camp with us, I’d ask yourself, why do you want to camp with FUR? Do you have an interest in this furry culture/scene, or do you have friends who are camped with FUR you want to camp by? If not, then why us?
Camping with FUR
Q: What are the requirements of camping with FUR?
A: We are a participatory theme camp at Burning Man, which means we are not just there to party and enjoy the event, but as Burning Man is all about participation, we are there to create content and contribute to the event so that others may enjoy it. As such, we create projects and content together as a theme camp. The following is the criteria for camping with FUR.
- If you have never camped with FUR in the past, you will need someone who is camping with, or has camped with FUR in the past to vouch for you. This person is essentially your sponsor, and if you fuck up, they may also be held accountable.
- Camp dues are $200 per person. This goes towards group projects and infrastructure. We are open and transparent about where the camp funds go. Once your application has been accepted, we will send you details on how to paypal or mail this to us.
- Dues are due by July 1st. After that, dues go up to $250. If paid after August 15, dues are $300.
- Everyone is expected to participate in the camp strike, cleanup, which happens on the last day (Sunday) of the event. Those who skip (or sleep through) strike will have an additional $50 added to their dues the following year.
- Each person will have a team role. This could be anything from Leave No Trace lead, to Stage Manager, to Build Lead, to Lighting Lead, to Heading up an Event, and beyond. We’ll work with you to make sure that you are only doing something you enjoy. First timers, we’ll either make sure you have something easy, like making sure the generator stays full of gas, or we’ll pair you with a team that has a lead so you can learn more about that role.
- For those in the Bay Area, we will have work parties, attendance to at least 2 of those is mandatory. People outside the Bay Area that live together, we encourage you to also have your own work parties. This is not only a good way to prep for the event, but lets you get into the spirit of when we’ll be camping together on the playa.
- Also mandatory will be attending and helping with at least 2 events on the playa. This can be as a lead, but it can also be just helping out with an event, as help is always needed!
Our goal is to not only make sure the work load is evenly distributed, but also to account for the fact that not everyone lives in the Bay Area and will be able to make it to an work party, and that there are also those who may have obligations on the playa and may not be able to spend as much time at camp during the event. Note that this is a work in progress, and we welcome feedback!
Q: Can I bring my art project to show at FUR?
A: Hell yes. One thing we are happy about is being a place where you can showcase your art. We welcome it and will appreciate it. But, while we are a place you can show your art, we are not a camp that will fund your art project, or supply resources (beyond electricity) for your art. We’ll provide the space where your art can be seen by many hundreds of people over the week, but that’s about it.
Q: What do I do now if I want to camp with FUR?
A: Add your name to the Intent to apply to camp with FUR page. You will then be emailed a link to the full application in April. We’ll touch base with you about the rest.
Q: What else should I know about FUR?
A: As a placed theme camp, we will have a limit on size and the amount of people we will have space for. This is generally enough space for approximately 34-39 people, as well as art pieces, installations, etc.
As an interactive theme camp, we have a responsibility to do more than just set up our camp so we can run off and party all weekend and just have a space to sleep when we’re done exploring. As our camp placement relies on us creating interactivity, so we will also determine who we have space for by the level of contribution to the interactivity of FUR. For past campers, we have a great idea of what you can do and like to do. We will always strive to have space for new campers and playa virgins though, as while we might not know what you can do, it’s often that fresh energy that helps to rejuvenate what we do, and we’ve been surprised more than once by how much of a rock star some first time campers have been in the past!
A quote from another theme camp – “Participation means more than experiencing the art that others bring to share. It means finding a way for you to share your gifts—individually and as a camp. At our camp, we have a pretty intense acculturation process where I hammer home the expectations of participation. The reason for this is not that we need all those hours of labor to build the camp and share our gifts (although we definitely do). The reason for the mandatory labor is that after so many Burns, I can confidently state that the more you participate, the better your experience will be. Attending an awesome party is nothing compared to co-hosting one.”
Survival on the playa
Q: Do you have a kitchen?
A: No. But, we do have a private camp only space where you are welcome to cook and do your food prep. At best, we may have a table and some chairs. You’ll need to provide your own stove, food, everything. Note, to keep it clean, do not store food or coolers here. And there is absolutely no camp trash can. Take it back to your private space and keep this area cleaner than when you arrived.
Q: Will you set up shade for my tent?
A: No. Radical self reliance. We are not a turnkey camp, we don’t provide services. The best thing to do is to find others in the camp, and form little camps within fur where you share your kitchen/shower/shade/etc with some close friends you already know you get along with.
Q: I don’t have a group, can I camp solo?
A: Yes. As long as you are self contained and self-reliant.
Q: How do I know what belongs to who?
A: Space and privacy can be broken up into 4 categories. Private space, Group Space, Theme Camp Space, Public BRC Space.
Private space would be stuff that one you (and your close friends if you choose) share. Such as your tent, your sleeping bag, your toiletries bag.
Group space would be stuff you share among those who are a part of your group. Your kitchen, your shower, your shared shade space.
Theme camp space is stuff you plan to share with everyone in FUR, but not the general public. This can be a camp only event to get to know others. Can be a shared shade space set up in private in the back, and so on. An example would be the tower we bring. For liability purposes, this is not open to the general public to climb on. We welcome those who are a part of FUR to climb on it, as we trust you to not be some skitzo freak high on PCP who wants to climb tall things to jump off of.
Public BRC space. This is stuff open to everyone who stops by and visits. The art installations in the front of camp, the public shade structures, the public events hosted by people in camp. This is the core of what makes us a theme camp, our ability not only to get ourselves to the desert, but to also create something to share with everyone else at Burning Man.
Q: Who will clean up after I leave?
A: Everyone will be responsible for removing their own garbage, cleanup, and MOOP (matter out of place). When you pack up to leave, go over your area with supreme detail. I recommend a zip lock bag to put your moop in. Any fiber of carpet, any piece of zip tie, any particle of dried food, it needs to be removed. Once you clean up your own area, look around other areas and help remove any moop left elsewhere. Once you finish that, go further our and moop some the public areas of Black Rock City. On the street, in the deep playa, etc. Everyone cleans a little bit, then one person isn’t left cleaning everything. Failure to clean up after yourself will mean you are automatically excluded from camping with FUR in the future.
Q: Where does all this MOOP come from?
A: From you. From around you. Clean up as you go. General rule of thumb, do not let it touch the ground. Always have a little bag on you where you can put your garbage. Don’t put any garbage down on a table, as winds pick up and blow things easily. If some moop blows by you in the wind, don’t just look away until it blows away, go pick it up! Consider it paying it forward, as while you may not realize it, somewhere, somehow, you made some moop that just blew into someone else’s camp.
Q: I have this giant bag of chips and a gallon of liquid cheese, I want to give to everyone because I know everyone will eat it.
A: Great. Do so. But DO NOT leave your gift laying around. If you plan to stand next to it for 3 days, then that’s fine, but when you leave the immediate area, you take your “gift” with you. Otherwise, your “gift” becomes someone else’s nasty waste to deal with. That’s no longer a gift, that’s now you saying fuck you to everyone.
Q: Weeeee, I’m a sparklepony!
A: Weeeee, I have a flame thrower!