Got your New Years plans locked in? It looks like New Bohemia NYE at the Armory is where Bay Area Burners will be gathering to see in 2016. Production crews Opel & Vau de Vire are bringing out a combination of the best Burning Man talent to support like Opulent Temple, Distrikt, Dusty Rhino + Flaming Lotus Girls, Michael Christian, Kinetic Steamworks, the Scumfrog and Stanton Warriors.
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There is no dress code—the sky’s the limit on your creativity. That being said, New Bohemia is a themed NYE party where participants are encouraged to snazz up and get in the spirit of the cross section of worlds we are creating and bringing together inside The Armory. Not a hippy-paisley Bohemia mind you, but more along the lines of the Burning Man playa meets Moulin Rouge. A kinky, naughty twist is A-OK and encouraged, but, as much as we hate to say it, no outright nudity.
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Sorry, shirt-cockersporky piggers. This is not the party for you.
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If you haven’t seen a Vau de Vire Society show before, you’ve been missing out. This is from last year:
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Here’s what the promoters have to say on Facebook:
New Bohemia NYE 2016 is the 3rd Annual NYE’s event at the iconic Armory. It is, and has always been designed to be a special and co-created destination, bringing together the best of the avant garde and underground creative worlds of the Bay Area. A world like no other. You’re invited to part the velvet red curtains to find an SF twist on those timeless bohemian values of Truth, Beauty, Love and Freedom. Deeper, and higher into this castle find cutting edge sounds, SF’s most dynamic music collectives and the synergy of intentional revelry on the precipice of a new year.
Poets and performers, aerialists and DJ’s, burlesque dancers and live painters, acrobats and absinthe hawkers, Art Cars and visual treats, crimson busts and decadent costumes; are all to be found in different markets, plazas, private upstairs chambers and titillating dark corners and streets inside New Bohemia NYE.
We have amazing music, but we don’t go ‘mega headliners’, because we’re much more interested in creating a community based spectacle of art and talents amongst friends and the amazing people of our circle of friends. And – we wanted to keep the ticket prices accessible for a party this big and offering so much on NYE. . The curtain is raising again on the show worth getting excited about New Years Eve. Let’s ring it in together.
YES – we’re totally aware of of some of the previous venue kinks (pun intended) around lines, seating options, bathrooms, and security. Trust us that we care A LOT about making sure that even the things we don’t have total control over is 100% right for you on NYE. Our goal is to get you inside as fast as possible and enjoy an evening with friends in a World Like No Other and that everything clicks at a high standard all night. It’s a huge priority and you’ll be able to tell.
One of the VIP packages lets you take advantage of the Armory’s dual role as head (cough) quarters for kink.com, with your own film set to do with as you see fit…
What’s a Burner party like without Burning Man? Come along and find out…
If you’re in San Francisco, whether you’re going to Burning Man or not you might want to check these shows out. Always a fun crowd, and you’re supporting your fellow Burner fashion artists.
Lorelei says:
wanted you to know about a few Amazing Playa sales coming up for costumes to help Burner culture be able to radically express themselves to the fullest on the playa. These sales are like a box of crayons as they offer something for everyone from fairy, steampunk, hippie, leather feather, gypsy swank, tribal fusion and so much more. Carefully curated New pieces from all over the world to your local used thrift store scores. Not to be missed. These events are full of happy customers who were thrilled to get unique playa outfits at AFFORDABLE PRICES! Let your camp mates know & go together to coordinate your playa gear.
Burnal Equinox is coming up once again on Saturday, March 2nd, halfway between Burning Man 2012 and Burning Man 2013. There will be multiple celebrations of the Equinox in various parts of the world, under various names; Portland, Oregon, for instance, has their annual Halfway Home party.
There’s even a virtual Burnal Equinox held online as part of Burn2 in Second Life. . . which is a bit of a full-circle proposition, as Linden Labs founder Phillip Rosedale was originally inspired by his experiences at Burning Man, which he first attended in 1999.
As far as events go, the main hoopla seems to be in San Francisco, which has been holding Burnal Equinox events since 2006, and at the Nevada City, California event, now in its third year.
The San Francisco event, billed this year as an “art salon and mixer,” is themed. The 2013 theme for SF’s Burnal Equinox is “Technology as Savior,” which is explained in more depth here:
Through a multitude of technological devices we have expanded our sense of what is real, what is possible, how we relate and what we find gratifying. We can text one another instantaneously across oceans, meet online and converse with groups of strangers at any given moment about the trajectory of asteroids, express our opinions to political leaders via on-line petitions, and expand our social network of “friends” seemingly without limit! We watch reality shows about other people’s lives and create virtual versions of ourselves as we fly through the Interwebs in enhanced real-time. Miraculous devices have become so ingrained in who we are, how we work, think and relate that we could not imagine life without them or the immediacy and satisfaction they offer. And why would we?! Technology is SAVING our economy and way of life, even as it reinvents everything! That is its magic! That is the miracle! It reinvents itself and our relationship with it in mysterious and accelerating ways! There is no problem Technology cannot help with. Nothing Technology cannot and will not do to enhance our lives and save us from any number of impending destructions! Technology WILL SAVE US, even as it helps us relate to one another in better and more convenient ways!
The San Francisco event will be held from 7PM to 3AM at Public Works, 161 Erie Street, SF, CA 94103 (between Division & 14th St. in the Mission). Please note that this is a 21 and over venue. Tickets are $20 at the door, or $15 with donation of art supplies for Hospitality House’s art program, which puts art supplies in the hands of the homeless and indigent. Supplies especially needed are watercolor brushes and paints, watercolor 140’ paper, quality marker sets, canvases, working sewing machines with all necessary parts included, and craft and jewelry supplies.
According to Marketing and Community Outreach Committee member Coryon Redd, the Nevada City event, which is not themed, began in 2011 as a concert by the band Albino. At the urging of local burners, it was expanded into a full-blown burner event with the help of Gretchen Bond, director of the Miners’ Foundry Cultural Center in Nevada City, California.
Redd will be running an event at Burnal Equinox called “Jedi Training School.”
I also spoke with the Nevada City event’s archivist, Kathleen Hoffmann, who gave me this snippet of history: “Our event started in 2011 and has grown larger every year. In 2012 the event doubled in participation. This year we joined with Sacramento Valley Spark, a non-profit organization of and for the burner community.”
I asked Kathleen what she has in store for us. “This year,” she says, “the event is busting at the seams with bands, fire effects and performances, theme camps, art cars, gifting, performance artists and SHENANIGANS!”
From the Nevada City Burnal Equinox press release:
Gold Country Burnal Equinox will be a celebration of self-expression and creativity inspired by the Burning Man event, complete with art, fire performers, fashion shows, costumes, and theme camps. It all takes place at The Miners Foundry, located at 325 Spring Street in Nevada City.
Three stages of entertainment will feature live music, DJs, and performance art. Bring yourself and be yourself. Playa wear is welcome and encouraged. This all-day event begins at 2:00 p.m. and continues until 1:00 a.m. Tickets are $20 in Advance and $25 at the door.
Uchronia – Photo by Douglas Hope Hooper
Advance tickets are available online from Vendini and Nevada City Box Office. You can also call Nevada City Box Office for tickets at (530) 265-5462, or buy them in person at the Briar Patch Co-Op, 290 Sierra College Drive, Suite A, in Grass Valley.
If you are interested in contributing, volunteering, performing or have questions, please email burnale2013@gmail.com
