How to Join A Theme Camp

START LOCAL

If there's a local burner community, there may already be camps you can connect with. Bonuses include being able to help them with year-round activities and going to local burns.

Caveat: not everyone is privileged to be in a major city with a vibrant burner community. If you can't find a local camp, there are plenty of camps that either are open to adding non-locals, or who already have campers from all over the place. You can find existing communities by joining social media pages searching by [location]+Burners, such as the Portland Burners Facebook Page, making a post, and attending local events such as Woosday.

CONTRIBUTE

Think about what skills you can bring to help build the community you're looking for. This could be building/providing infrastructure, supporting/creating in-camp events, and more! 

KNOW WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR

What intention do you want to focus on for your first SOAK? If you want to prioritize listening to music and dancing, a camp focused on healing arts and massage may not be a good fit. If you're low-key & looking for deep connection, then a large bar camp may not contribute to your intention set. Not every camp will be a match for your logistical needs, your personality, and the way you want to burn, so it's best to figure that out before reaching out.

EXPRESS WHO YOU ARE

Knowing if a camp culture is a good fit is a two-way street. Be authentic with your presentation to a prospective camp! This could look like "I am a 32-year-old cis-female-identifying lesbian, native of Michigan now living in Portland. I work in healthcare and have lots of experience building infrastructure and carpentry in my free time. I value human connection and creating space for others to explore their passions. My hobbies include hiking, camping, volunteering, and leaving rubber duckies in unsuspecting places."

BE TRAVEL-FLEXIBLE

Camps looking for folks, especially if they have tickets to allocate, are very likely looking for people who can come early or stay late to be part of the transportation, build, or strike. Make sure you have the bandwidth to contribute to the theme camp’s mission before signing up!