If you’re going to Burning Man this year and come upon Hugzilla Camp, let me know!

What’s Burning Man?

Burning Man can be hard to describe. Their website says “Once a year, tens of thousands of people gather in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert to create Black Rock City, a temporary metropolis dedicated to community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance. In this crucible of creativity, all are welcome.”

The art installations can be breathtaking:

And creative costumes are customary:

This year, over 70,000 people are expected to be there, and they’d better be prepared for the desert! Once in Black Rock City, there is no commerce – you can’t buy food or supplies. At Burning Man, there is what’s called a “gift economy.” So you might happen upon a chocolate shop or a booth offering chair massages, but everything that’s offered will be a gift.

When I attended in 2010, a fellow gave me a beautiful hand-blown piece of art he made himself. I also fondly remember a man giving away iced margaritas served out of a blender/chainsaw contraption – very tasty in the desert heat!

How do you get around Burning Man?

It’s a little over two miles from one side of the Black Rock City to the other. That’s why bicycles are a must-have item to bring. How do you keep from losing your bike among thousands of others? You decorate it!

Another astounding way to get around is to hitch a ride on a mutant vehicle or art car:

 

What’s a “Theme Camp”?

Theme Camps are a big draw at Burning Man and are described as “…groups of Burning Man participants who come together to provide a service, entertainment, art, or other creative interactive experience for everyone at Burning Man.”

One camp this year will offer Karaoke. Another camp will provide fresh brewed coffee. Still another will entertain you with live, spontaneous game shows. Here’s a creative one:

There will be hundreds of camps, and the one I’m especially looking forward to hearing about is Huggzilla.

Huggzilla

Hugzilla offers a full bar, music, classes and a cuddle puddle described as a “sea of teddy bears.” 

Two of this camp’s posted values are to practice non-judgment and be respectful of boundaries. My hope is that intoxicants at the full bar don’t impact people’s good judgment in the cuddle puddle. If you visit, I’d love to hear how you think this camp does. (A bonus would be to see a photo of you with one of their giant bears!)