Swingers With $54,000, Welcome to Billionaire’s Row

Thanks to Anonymous Burner for tipping us off to this. This seems like a new record for hotel room prices at a Commodification Camp, taking JT’s crown from last year.

Since this is a swinger’s club, Mistresses of Merriment are very much on the menu. Tickets to Burning Man? No problem.

Remember when the community was outraged about the Krug Dinner? That all seems so quaint these days. Welcome to Burning Man 2.0, this is the new normal. Radical Self-Reliance? It’s just a spectrum. Decommodification? It’s just one of the for-profit LLC’s. Communal effort? Hey, our sherpas work hard. Real hard.

 


from Do You Know George  (emphasis ours)

Screenshot 2015-10-20 09.44.31


For the sake of space we are going to assume that you have already done your research and have a solid understanding of what Burning Man is all about and the adventure that lies ahead. This page is dedicated to laying out an overview of the DYKG camp, the amenities it will encompass and a break down of the costs associated with participation.

The principal differences between our camp and any other DYKG event that you may have attended is the necessity for tickets (that are very difficult to procure) and the requirement that we fully establish our own infrastructure and support staff.

 

Therefore, unlike our other events, we will be holding a 15% deposit, until February 1, 2016. Once your tickets are secured the balance will be due to secure your campsite.  At that time, if you are no longer interested in attending, you may request a refund and your tickets and campsite will go to a couple on our waiting list.  If we are unable to secure the number of tickets requested your deposit will be refunded in full.

Several people have contacted us wondering about why the costs for this event are so much higher than they were expecting for a, “Hippy gathering in the desert”.

The economics of supply and demand play a big part in costs on the Playa.  Although cash transactions at the event are prohibited, the vast economic impact prior to the event are obvious.

Within a 500-mile radius of Reno, Nevada,  RV rentals are known to increase by as much as 4-times.  Part of this is based on the enormous demand of 70,000 burners communing on one location and, in part, because of the hundreds of man hours that go into cleaning each RV after the event in order to restore it to pristine condition.  For something like a tour bus, this can multiply into thousand of man hours, mechanical parts and even reupholstery before it can return to service in the Default World.

In the spot market, bulk water deliveries for our camp will range $1.00 up to $1.50, in 500 gallon increments.  Of course the waste water must also be hauled away and this will run another $0.20 to $0.25 per gallon.   (This is something to think about at home when you are taking a shower tomorrow morning.)

This same issue applies to electricity provided by giant diesel generators, each burning hundreds of gallons per day, commercial kitchens connected to 100-gallon propane tanks and all the fuel and man hours to move everything onto and off of the Playa.

If you were trying to think of a less hospitable, or economically more challenging place in North America to hold a seven day festival, you would be hard pressed.  That said, only because Burning Man is held in such an inhospitable region of the country has it been able to persist and even thrive for thirty years.


 

Image Source: Do You Know George

Our Camp Amenities

(2) Burning Man Tickets per Couple
Art Car
Bicycles
Central Pavilion / Shelter for Camp
Camp Bar & Coffee Lounge (Open Bar)
Camp Toilet Trailer w/ Key
Camp Meals (Twice Daily)
Central Electric Generator for RV’s
Diesel Fuel Deliveries for Generator
Gasoline Deliveries for Art Car
Gifting Project
Gourmet Chef
Late Night Snacks
Maid Service for Camp RV’s
Outdoor Furniture
Private Charter Flights (optional)
Propane Delivery for Kitchen
RV Delivery & Set-Up
Solar-heated Shower Trailer
Stocked RV with Snacks & Drinks
Support Staff for Camp & Kitchen
Themed Dinner Parties
Transportation To & From Reno, NV
Vehicle Passes
Volunteer Program
Waste / Sewer Collection
Water Deliveries

History of the DYKG Camp

In 2014 George first attended Burning Man with the purpose of exploring this unique event and seeing if it was something his friends would enjoy.

Following the instructions of his two “Burner” friends, George set out to do things “the right way”.  He started by purchasing a 1970 camping trailer in North Carolina and personally seeing to its restoration.  Then when his “silver pickle” was roadworthy he set our from Charleston, SC on a 5,600 mile round-trip odyssey.  After three days on the road he arrived Sunday morning and waited with thousands of others for the gates to open.   After that, the Playa took hold and what unfolded was too indescribable to even begin to touch on here.

In 2015, George began to organize fellow lifestylers and establish plans to provide a camp of their own.  Attending for his second time on 2015 his focus was on staffing, infrastructure and locating quality vendors.

Burning Man 2016 will see the first DYKG Camp, and will provide for all its members with private RV’s, gourmet dining and most importantly the elusive TICKETS!

Infrastructure Plans

A key component to the health and happiness of any camp is its infrastructure.  Specifically the plans to provide shelter, food, water, electricity, waste management and community structure and how they are executed.

Due to George’s incredibly diverse and talented network of friends, it was easy to find those with the skills and acumen to guide this project.  For our camp we will be converting several vintage Airstream trailers into specific-use vehicles.  Some of the conversions include: commercial kitchen, shower trailer, bathroom trailer and “bar car”.   This idea of re-purposing fits in perfectly with the idea of having a minimal footprint on the playa and reducing environmental impact.

For guests needing accommodations late model trailers, motorhomes and tour buses are available.

What To Expect…
As your hosts, we feel it is an important part of our responsibility to make sure everyone knows what to expect.  Whether or not you have been to a private event of this caliber before, we believe that passing along this information affords
everyone the opportunity to feel more comfortable and enjoy themselves more fully.

First and foremost, we don’t hold parties, we create elaborate multi-day events to entertain, entice, and indulge all of your senses.  Our events have a tendency toward the extravagance and are comprised of typically a half dozen to a dozen social events providing the opportunities to get to know others and take part in activities that you might not otherwise.

Privacy and discretion are cornerstones in the planning of our events.  We never publish our guest list, release anyone’s name or photos, nor do we disclose the exact location where our private events are held.  We are comfortable announcing the city, and at times the hotel where our guests will be staying; however, that is our limit.  What information about yourself you choose to share with others is entirely your decision.

Our guest list is always selective and limited to between fifty and sixty couples and a small number of un-escorted women.  The guest list is comprised predominantly of post-graduate professionals in their late thirties to late forties with certainly some variance on either side of that range.

A Welcome Dinner is typically held early in the event and generally achieves an attendance of thirty to forty couples.  So far, these private dinners have been held at internationally acclaimed restaurants and vineyards with preparation by Iron Chefs and other culinary geniuses of our time.  The Welcome Dinner lives up to its name in being a slow-paced delight to the senses while giving everyone a chance to mingle and indulge in welcoming conversation with new friends.  Cocktail dresses for the ladies and suits for the gentlemen are the perfect attire for this dinner.

Cocktail and Wine Receptions are an integral part of the event giving everyone a chance to make new introductions and catch up with old friends before heading off to dinner or other activities planned for that the evening.  This is an ideal time to make plans with others for daytime adventures or other epicurean pursuits.  Cocktail dresses for the ladies and jackets sans tie for the gentlemen are again the perfect attire for these receptions.

There are a variety of Social Events throughout the weekend.  Thus far, these have included such activities as a Frenchman Street Music Exploration, Hot Air Balloons, Private Vineyard Tours & Tastings, Exotic Car Road Rally, Private Jet Helicopters, 5-star Spas, and Parkour Training.  These opportunities are typically smaller groups and are unique to each event.  They are intended to indulge your desires while sharing an unparalleled experience with your new friends.

All of our events culminate in a either a Formal Ball or semi-formal party.  These are generally held at historic residences or private estates while others have been held in penthouses and other more unusual locations (think 7,000 sq ft Wine Cave).   Many of our previous guests have commented on how much they have enjoyed simply touring some of the country’s most significant manor homes and great estates.

The soiree is professionally catered with hors d’oeuvres, cocktails, and wine to seduce your palate.  Live music is regularly provided by Grammy winning musicians, international recording artists, and renowned singers to delight your ears and lure you to the dance floor.

For the ladies, formal full-length gowns are the perfect choice.  Gentlemen are encouraged to dress comparably in that perfectly tailored suit or tuxedo as the occasion dictates.

We try to emphasize to everyone that arriving punctually is important, and privately arranged transportation is provided.   Upon arriving, guests will have an opportunity to mingle and chat as they explore the property.  This is an especially ideal time to make those connections with whom you are interested in spending time with in a more intimate setting later in the evening.  This will help avoid any possible unwelcome situations later in the evening.

As the night progresses those that wish to are welcome to adjourn to the bedrooms.  We do maintain a strict Open Door Policy, which simply means that all of the bedroom doors are to remain open.  If there is someone already in the room, you are welcome to watch.  If invited, you are welcome to join in.  Everyone attending knows and understands that “No means no” and that “Pushy people will not be tolerated” and will be asked to leave.

While you may certainly expect a few invitations to play, for those not wishing to do so that evening, there is certainly no pressure.  Simply enjoy yourself, meet some interesting people, and perhaps exchange a few phone numbers and email addresses with those you are interested in seeing again.  If nothing else, when you and your escort arrive home that night you will certainly have plenty to discuss and fantasize about before calling it a night.

When planning your flight home, try to arrange for a late afternoon departure so you can enjoy one final gathering, Brunch.  What first originated at George’s manse as a casual meal with conversation frequently punctuated by ribald laughter about the prior evening’s festivities has continued to this day.   Satiated in the weekend’s prurient pursuits, the relaxed atmosphere will help bring closure to our brief time together, while providing you the chance to make private
plans with other couples whom you share a similar interest or passion.

As always, please feel free to ask us any and all questions.  It is from your questions that we are better able to serve as your gracious hosts.

Orgy On Up

Our post last year, The Ins And Outs of Organizing an Orgy, has been quite popular. The Orgy Dome organizers thanked us for promoting their fundraiser, they met their goal – “if you build it, they will cum”. This year they are raising money for Aphrodite’s Garden, a “couples flirt lounge”, where you can pair up before you dive in.

Nils_Bergslien-AfroditeLast year, 10% of Black Rock City’s population participated in an orgy at the dome. Presumably there are other orgies going on elsewhere too. This means that the population of orgiers, is at least twice the population of underage kids. “Burning Man is kid friendly” might be true for some, but “Burning Man is orgy friendly” is clearly true for everyone, families and grown-ups alike.

Here’s an interview with Lefty and Shade, the Orgyanizers.

Burners.Me: Burning Man says “no spectators”. What about the Orgy Dome? Can you go there if you like to watch, or does entering the dome mean you joined the orgy?
First people must understand what the definition of an “Orgy” is in sex positive culture. A gathering where two or more couples and/or groups engage in open sexual activity within the same space. This consensual, uninhibited indulgence of passions may, or may not, include group sex.  (see our web page www.andthenthersonlylove.com) An orgy is not synonymous with group sex. An orgy may contain group sex or it may not.  When more than one couple or moresome enters the Orgy Dome whether or not they play with others, they are participating in an orgy.
orgyWe practice enthusiastic consent.  Looking is OK, watching requires consent: It is ok and welcome to look around the room at all the sexy people in order to fuel your own sexual mojo.  If you want to intently watch another couple/moresome do their thing – to be an active viewer – then you need to ask.
This leads us into why we are creating Aphrodite’s Garden and expanding the Orgy Dome again.  For many couples this is a new experience or they just want to get out of their crowded RV or dusty tent and they don’t want to play with others. Other couples are looking for a new adventure and to explore new sexual boundaries, while others are polyamorous and actively looking for other like minded couples to play with.  But how do you tell them apart in a dark dome?  Aphrodite’s Garden creates an area for lovers to meet and flirt.  An idea for this year is to have “open to more” wrist bands for couples who are “open to more” to wear. This way effective communication can occur before people enter the dome.  Once inside, the new dome will be large enough to have separate sections for people who looking to join others and those who do not want to be approached by anyone they did not enter with.  No area is a free-for-all. You still must always ask and receive enthusiastic consent before you touch.
Burners.Me: Do you check the age of participants? Have you ever had any problems with underage people trying to sneak in?
 When people enter the reception area they are welcomed by our greeters.  We explain our rules with them and give them a small towel. We have safer sex supplies available as long as our supplies last and we are grateful for those who bring us condom or lube donations. If anyone looks underage we ask for their ID. If they are under 18 or they cannot produce identification we do not let them enter.
1995 mud orgy

before there was a dome: Mud Orgy, 1995

We cannot recall anyone under age trying to “sneak” in. Most burners are very respectful of our rules.  Even most singles who are informed that they are not allowed in without a partner are understanding.  There are a small number of singles (mostly men) who argue how un-burner we are for not letting them in. Those tend to be the same people who don’t understand why you would need to ask before you touch. If we were to let them in we would very soon have a Dome full of single men wondering where the orgy is.  Years ago we had an incident where two men slashed holes in two of our tents trying to get a look inside. They did not see anything, as our tent walls are insulated and decorated to keep the cool AC air in and dust out with felt curtains. But we chased them away too late and the damage to the tent structures was done.

Burners.Me: Do you get visited by the Health officials? Cops?
 We have not been visited by health officials. All we provide are big tents, no food or drinks, We just provide the space – the people who cum create the orgy.  I guess if you build it, they will cum. While cops walk by often, in our memory we were only visited by cops once when our founder Jennifer Steele was giving a class on “Getting to Know Your Asshole.” The Dome was packed and overflowing into the street.  So they stopped by to make sure everything was in order nothing was in public view.  She was just talking but no one could see inside past the crowd anyway.
Burners.Me: What do you do with people who seem intoxicated? 
With intoxication, if both or one look too intoxicated to make an informed consenting decision we do not let them in the dome and ask them to stay in our large reception area so we can monitor them to make sure they safely sober up.
Burners.Me: What do you say to people who say “Burning Man is just a big orgy in the desert?
There are 60,000 people at BRC and with a little over 7,000 people using the Orgy Dome we have a long way to go for a desert wide Orgy. But as we have always said to people in the default world – Burning Man it is what you think it is… and a hundred things more, you just need to open your eyes and look.  Bring supplies and leave expectations.
We hope these answers help you.  We greatly appreciate all the work you do for the BRC community.  Below is some info about our camp and the Indiegogo campaign. (http://igg.me/at/orgydome )
****
With Love & Fire,
Shade & Lefty
****
…and then there’s only LOVE is a place of fire, fun, and passion on the playa since 2003.
We are known for our 24 hour air conditioned Orgy Dome where all couples and moresomes can escape the dust and heat of Black Rock City. We are a part of the Black Rock Power Co-Op Village and are traditionally located on the corner of 4:00 and A.
We pride ourselves in creating a sex-positive, consensual space for couples and moresomes to play during their stay at Black Rock City.  The Dome is a safe, inclusionary, and exploratory environment.  All couples and moresomes who are adults, are welcome in the Dome – straight, lesbian, gay, bi, polyamorous and monogamous. We welcome the combination of love in all forms.
We estimate that around 7,000 people used our dome during Burning Man last year and we once again had lines to get inside, with couples waiting for others to leave the dome so they could fit inside.
The Playa is a wonderful place where people have life changing experiences.  For many people our Dome is one of them.  Many couples leave the Orgy Dome asking us where they can go to experience something similar.  We are proud of what we offer the residents of Black Rock City.
Due to increased popularity, we have been slowly growing and improving our dome over the last three years.  Thanks to generous contributors we expanded our dome in 2013. Good thing, as we had record numbers and we estimate that we will continue to grow.
Planning is underway for 2014 and we want to increase the size of the Dome again – sometimes bigger is better.  We are also looking at incorporating a meeting area for people who are open to more. We want to call this space Aphrodite’s Garden.  A place where couples can get in the mood or meet other like mined couples. Aphrodite’s Garden is a place where love can grow.
Every dollar donated counts!  Every penny we receive will go into making the Dome better for 2014 and years to come. Our ever growing popularity and the smiles and thank you’s we get is the fuel that keep us at ATTOL coming back year after year.

Baby Burner Tells All

by Whatsblem the Pro

Haley Dahl, 18, has been attending Burning Man since she was 9.

Haley Dahl, 18, has been attending Burning Man since she was 9.

Where the subject of children attending Burning Man comes up, controversy follows. Strong opinions run the gamut, from people who believe that radical inclusion necessarily means juveniles too, to those who look askance at parents who bring their children to an adult party in a hazardous environment, or even call the practice a form of child abuse.

We’ve explored this topic before, but there’s an important demographic that remains unheard in the controversy: children who grew up going to Burning Man.

Haley Dahl is eighteen years old, and has been going to Burning Man since she was nine. She lives in Los Angeles, where she rocks out with her band, Sloppy Jane.

I met Haley on the playa, and she promised to write to me after the burn and tell me all about her experience growing up in Black Rock City. This is what she wrote:

When I was a child and my family was still an unbroken unit, we would take trips to my Grandpa Yab’s country house in upstate New York every summer. I have only a few vague memories of these traditional family retreats; holding my Raggedy Ann doll in a bed that smelled like leaves, walking in the forest with my grandpa to go see butterflies, and a sense of normalcy that I at this point in my life feel totally disconnected from, because once upon a time in 2004 my dad approached me and said “so this summer we have a few options. We can either go to the country house, or we can do a weird mystery thing that I’m not going to tell you anything about.” And this was how nine-year-old me ended up at Burning Man.

We went, just my dad and I. I remember at that point there was still no cell phone service in Gerlach. We left the last gas station in Nixon and called my mom, her voice quivered on the phone when she said goodbye to us right before we went over a metal bump that signified the end of cell range. I’ll never forget the way she sounded, it was as if she thought that we were never coming back. And I guess, in a way, we never really did. We never went back to the country house. And as we passed through Gerlach, my dad pointed into the desert and said “that is where we are going.” And I said “you mean by the giant cloud of dust?” He looked at me and said “the cloud of dust is where we are going.”

When we got in it was dark. We went to Kidsville. The mayor was wearing a top hat and a diaper. We walked to Center Camp and we thought it was all of Burning Man, and we were totally blown away by it. We put up our tent, it blew away. We spent the rest of the week in the car. I had no costumes so I painted myself blue and wore a mylar emergency blanket as a toga.

The next day we walked around and I remember feeling so overwhelmed by all of the colors, the costumes, the art, it was a world I felt like I had made up in my imagination that had materialized in front of me. I teared up and it made my dad panic. He asked if I was doing okay and asked if I was going to need to go home. I looked up at him and said “thank you for bringing me here.”

Haley Dahl, age ten

Haley Dahl, age ten

I think Burning Man is an excellent environment for children if you are willing to be a parent. Not a fly-little-birdy-go-experience-life-Mommy’s-on-acid kind of parent, but the kind of parent that actually DESIRES to treat Burning Man like a family vacation. Let me explain that a little better; I have talked to a lot of adults who have said “oh, so your parents gave up their Burning Man experience for you.” That is not how I feel about it. My parents are not polyamorous drug-takers or heavy drinkers. They weren’t “giving up” the right to go to the Orgy Dome; they wouldn’t have wanted to go anyway. So it was pretty easy for them to steer me away from anything too raw. I think having attended Burning Man as a child was one of the best things that could have happened to me. It gave me a very strong sense of self at an early age, I entered middle school with self-esteem and totally did not give a shit if I was ostracized for it because I knew I was cool as shit. And in case you didn’t know, that is incredibly rare for a middle school girl.

THAT BEING SAID, I STRONGLY SUGGEST AGAINST BRINGING YOUR FUCKING TEENAGE DAUGHTER TO BURNING MAN. Bringing your child to Burning Man as a child is awesome because they get to spend their early developmental stages being told that it’s totally fine to be an individual. Once your kid is a teenager, especially a girl, I think it’s advisable to take a few years off.

People really like to act like Burning Man is a really safe environment where everyone has evolved past normal human bullshit. That just isn’t true. I’m an attractive young woman who has lived in both Los Angeles and New York, places known for having high scumbag populations. It is safe to say that I have experienced more blatant sexual harassment confrontations at Burning Man than I have anywhere else I have ever been.

Because I attended Burning Man as a child, I grew up pretty fast mentally, and because of hormones in food (or something) I grew up pretty fast physically too. I was an old fourteen, and that was around when Burning Man started becoming less safe for me. People like to pretend that because it’s Burning Man it’s totally okay to catcall and/or be aggressively sexual towards women. That is not okay, especially if the woman is in fact a fourteen-year-old girl.

I remember being drunk and in one of the big dance camps and making out with some random guy. I said “how old are you?” he said “I’m twenty-five.” I said “I’m fourteen.” He paused, looked slightly surprised, and said “I won’t tell if you won’t. . .” and thus began a long saga of disgusting men taking advantage of my naivety and teenage drunkenness.

Haley Dahl, age eleven

Haley Dahl, age eleven

Fast-forward two years to my (now ex) douchebag post-2009 burner boyfriend in his five-hundred-dollar fire-spinning attire drunkenly spitting at me and screaming in my face about how I didn’t know how to experience Burning Man because I wouldn’t let him be free and sleep with other people.

The main problem with growing up at Burning Man is that Burning Man grows up with you. It’s not the home it used to be. The increase in popularity and rise in prices has turned it into a playground for bourgeois assholes who like to act like taking ecstasy and cheating on your wife with a nineteen-year-old white girl wearing a bindi and a feather headdress is enlightenment.

I will always wonder if Burning Man has really changed so hugely since my childhood, or if I am just seeing different sides of it because I’m older now. I’m sure it’s a combination of the two, but ever since Bad Idea Theater closed I’ve spent all of every night at the Thunderdome. . . because if I wanted to go to a fucking rave I would just go to downtown L.A. and pay ten bucks instead of five hundred, you know?

Anyway, by the time I was seventeen I was bored of drugs. Now I’m eighteen, I’ve quit smoking, I don’t drink much, and I go to the gym every day. I never go to parties and I’m not even going to college because my career has already started. If there is anything that Burning Man has robbed me of (other than a fucking normal life), I’d say it robbed me of my twenties. I watch Fraser. Enough said.

Do you have a first-hand story about growing up at Burning Man? Tell us all about it in the comments after you check out Haley’s band, Sloppy Jane, playing the Whisky a Go Go in Hollywood: