Playa del Fuego
Encyclopedia
Playa del Fuego, also known as "PDF" by its participants, is a regional event inspired by the annual Burning Man
festival in Nevada. The event is held in Delaware twice a year, with the spring event being held over Memorial Day
and the fall event being held over Columbus Day
weekend. Most of the planners and participants come from the Baltimore
- Washington DC metropolitan area and surrounding states including, but not limited to, Maryland
, Virginia
, Delaware
, Pennsylvania
, and New Jersey
; though more than a few come from as far away as New England
.
Playa del Fuego is a camping event that celebrates art for art's sake and espouses a gift economy
where no vending, sales or barter are permitted. Visual and performance artist
s from all over the mid-atlantic
region and the East Coast
create a temporary community
for the weekend. Participants share a wide range of talents from sculpting, painting
, music, theatre, and DJing, to alternative forms of expression such as games, performance art, and circus talents such as juggling and fire spinning.
The event adheres to the ten principles of the Burning Man
event in Nevada. Among these are the LNT (Leave No Trace
) philosophy, an environmental policy whereby participants are obligated to remove every piece of refuse that they generate while at the event, taking it with them when they leave. The themes of radical self-expression and radical self-reliance are also borrowed from Burning Man. In addition, the event is considered a "no spectators" event, meaning that all attendees are expected to actively participate in its creation, staffing, and general philosophy.
According to the official website, it is "a celebration of the spirit of radical self-expression, community, and participation". The event is planned and run completely by volunteers. The volunteer areas include: The PDF Rangers, Gate Crew, DPW/Moop, Participation Station, Stage (DJs), Lamp Lighters, and Sound Patrol.
Gates open for Playa del Fuego late Thursday afternoon of the event weekend. Playa del Fuego culminates with a bonfire on Saturday night; however, instead of a human effigy
as at Burning Man, a wooden pony is burned in honor of the event's origins on Assateague Island
in Maryland
. A Fire Conclave and Drum Circle directly precede the main burn. In recent festivals, a secondary burn has taken place the following night, during which other works of "burnable art" are burned. The event ends on Monday at noon.
. Eventually, the event grew too large for that location and moved to private property in the Odessa/Townsend area of Delaware
to accommodate the hundreds of participants who were attending the event.
Tickets currently cost $50.00 USD each (though a few hardship ticket scholarships are available by application), and are sold in two releases, with half the event tickets sold in the first release, and the other half sold in the second release. Online ticket sales end when the second release sell out, or two weeks before the event, whichever comes first. Any tickets that did not sell online are sold at the gate, where they usually sell out.
Tickets sales for the Spring PDF begin mid-March on the event website, and ticket sales for the Fall PDF begin in mid-August each year.
Burning Man
Burning Man is a week-long annual event held in the Black Rock Desert in northern Nevada, in the United States. The event starts on the Monday before the American Labor Day holiday, and ends on the holiday itself. It takes its name from the ritual burning of a large wooden effigy on Saturday evening...
festival in Nevada. The event is held in Delaware twice a year, with the spring event being held over Memorial Day
Memorial Day
Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War...
and the fall event being held over Columbus Day
Columbus Day
Many countries in the New World and elsewhere celebrate the anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas, which occurred on October 12, 1492, as an official holiday...
weekend. Most of the planners and participants come from the Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
- Washington DC metropolitan area and surrounding states including, but not limited to, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, and New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
; though more than a few come from as far away as New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
.
Playa del Fuego is a camping event that celebrates art for art's sake and espouses a gift economy
Gift economy
In the social sciences, a gift economy is a society where valuable goods and services are regularly given without any explicit agreement for immediate or future rewards . Ideally, simultaneous or recurring giving serves to circulate and redistribute valuables within the community...
where no vending, sales or barter are permitted. Visual and performance artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
s from all over the mid-atlantic
Mid-Atlantic States
The Mid-Atlantic states, also called middle Atlantic states or simply the mid Atlantic, form a region of the United States generally located between New England and the South...
region and the East Coast
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
create a temporary community
Temporary Autonomous Zone
T.A.Z.: The Temporary Autonomous Zone, Ontological Anarchy, Poetic Terrorism is a book by anarchist writer Hakim Bey published in 1991 by Autonomedia...
for the weekend. Participants share a wide range of talents from sculpting, painting
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
, music, theatre, and DJing, to alternative forms of expression such as games, performance art, and circus talents such as juggling and fire spinning.
The event adheres to the ten principles of the Burning Man
Burning Man
Burning Man is a week-long annual event held in the Black Rock Desert in northern Nevada, in the United States. The event starts on the Monday before the American Labor Day holiday, and ends on the holiday itself. It takes its name from the ritual burning of a large wooden effigy on Saturday evening...
event in Nevada. Among these are the LNT (Leave No Trace
Leave No Trace
Leave No Trace is both a set of principles, and an organization that promotes those principles. The principles are designed to assist outdoor enthusiasts with their decisions about how to reduce their impacts when they hike, camp, picnic, snowshoe, run, bike, hunt, paddle, ride horses, fish, ski or...
) philosophy, an environmental policy whereby participants are obligated to remove every piece of refuse that they generate while at the event, taking it with them when they leave. The themes of radical self-expression and radical self-reliance are also borrowed from Burning Man. In addition, the event is considered a "no spectators" event, meaning that all attendees are expected to actively participate in its creation, staffing, and general philosophy.
According to the official website, it is "a celebration of the spirit of radical self-expression, community, and participation". The event is planned and run completely by volunteers. The volunteer areas include: The PDF Rangers, Gate Crew, DPW/Moop, Participation Station, Stage (DJs), Lamp Lighters, and Sound Patrol.
Gates open for Playa del Fuego late Thursday afternoon of the event weekend. Playa del Fuego culminates with a bonfire on Saturday night; however, instead of a human effigy
Effigy
An effigy is a representation of a person, especially in the form of sculpture or some other three-dimensional form.The term is usually associated with full-length figures of a deceased person depicted in stone or wood on church monuments. These most often lie supine with hands together in prayer,...
as at Burning Man, a wooden pony is burned in honor of the event's origins on Assateague Island
Assateague Island
Assateague Island is a long barrier island located off the eastern coast of Maryland and Virginia. It is best known for its herds of feral horses, pristine beaches, and the Assateague Lighthouse. The island also contains numerous marshes, bays and coves, including Toms Cove...
in Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. A Fire Conclave and Drum Circle directly precede the main burn. In recent festivals, a secondary burn has taken place the following night, during which other works of "burnable art" are burned. The event ends on Monday at noon.
History
PDF began with a small group in 1998 on a beach at Assateague IslandAssateague Island
Assateague Island is a long barrier island located off the eastern coast of Maryland and Virginia. It is best known for its herds of feral horses, pristine beaches, and the Assateague Lighthouse. The island also contains numerous marshes, bays and coves, including Toms Cove...
. Eventually, the event grew too large for that location and moved to private property in the Odessa/Townsend area of Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
to accommodate the hundreds of participants who were attending the event.
Timeline of the Assateague Beach Burn
The Assateague Beach Burn was the progenitor event of Playa Del Fuego.| Season/Year | Dates of Event | Location | Participants | Description of Effigy | Historical Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Summer 1998 | 8/1 to 8/2/98 | Assateague Island | ~20 | The first effigy was a "Burning Man," facing and pointing west toward the Black Rock Playa. | First ever Assateague Beach Burn. |
| ii | Fall 1998 | 10/24 to 10/25/98 | Assateague Island | ~30 | Burning Woman effigy with square breasts. Artists: Glenn and Ursula. | |
| iii | Spring 1999 | 5/22 to 5/23/99 | Assateague Island | ~30 | Burning Man effigy; medium: cardboard. Artist: Lizard. Burning Man effigy; medium: popsicle sticks, scrap wood. Artist: Andy Wing. | |
| iv | Summer 1999 | 7/24 to 7/25/99 | Assateague Island | n/a | Burning Man effigy supported by tripod; medium: solid wood blocks. | |
| v | Fall 1999 | 10/23 to 10/24/99 | Assateague Island | ~60 | Burning Man effigy, arms raised. Artist: Kevin. |
Timeline of Playa Del Fuego (since 2000)
| Season/Year | Dates of Event | Location | Ticket Price | Participants | Theme camps | Description of Effigy | Historical Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | Spring 2000 | 5/11 to 5/13/00 | Assateague Island | No tickets | 70+ | n/a | Burning Man effigy, arms raised, fire shooting from each hand. Artist: Kevin. Also 5 popsicle stick men. Artist: Andy Wing. | Regarded as the first "Playa Del Fuego" by event historian Andy Wing because this was the first time that the Assateague Beach Burn was extended to a 3-day event. |
| II | Summer 2000 | 8/4 to 8/6/00 | Assateague Island | No tickets | n/a | n/a | Unknown | |
| III | Fall 2000 | 10/13 to 10/15/00 | Assateague Island | No tickets | n/a | n/a | Burning Man effigy. | |
| IV | Spring 2001 | 4/27 to 4/29/01 | Assateague Island | No tickets | 150+ | n/a | "Leaning Man" effigy, 20 ft tall. Artist: Fred. Also 5 popsicle stick men, each 6 ft tall. Artist: Andy Wing. | Last Playa Del Fuego held on the beach at Assateague Island. |
| V | Fall 2001 | 10/19 to 10/21/01 | Odessa, DE | Unknown | 230+ | n/a | First time that a "Burning Pony" was placed atop the ceremonial bonfire in honor of the event's historical roots on Assateague Island. | First time Playa Del Fuego held in Odessa, DE. First time tickets are sold and event is insured. |
| VI | Spring 2002 | 5/24 to 5/27/02 | Odessa, DE | Unknown | 382 | n/a | n/a | |
| VII | Fall 2002 | 10/11 to 10/14/02 | Odessa, DE | Unknown | n/a | n/a | n/a | |
| VIII | Spring 2003 | 5/23 to 5/26/03 | Odessa, DE | Unknown | n/a | n/a | n/a | This was the legendary "Mud Burn." |
| IX | Fall 2003 | 10/10 to 10/13/03 | Odessa, DE | Unknown | n/a | n/a | n/a | |
| X | Spring 2004 | 5/28 to 5/31/04 | Odessa, DE | Unknown | n/a (sold out) | n/a | n/a | First time tickets were sold out. |
| XI | Fall 2004 | 10/8 to 10/11/04 | Odessa, DE | Unknown | n/a | n/a | n/a | |
| XII | Spring 2005 | 5/27 to 5/30/05 | Odessa, DE | Unknown | 625 (sold out) | n/a | n/a | |
| XIII | Fall 2005 | 10/7 to 10/10/05 | Odessa, DE | Unknown | n/a | n/a | n/a | |
| XIV | Spring 2006 | 5/25 to 5/29/06 | Odessa, DE | Unknown | 800+ | n/a | n/a | First time event was extended from 4 to 5 days (beginning on Thursday). pyramid of exotic hardwood (aka pyramid of porn) burned on friday |
| XV | Fall 2006 | 10/5 to 10/9/06 | Odessa, DE | $35 | ~800 | n/a | Sculpture of horse bucking back, lit with giant zippo light and fuse. major pyrotechnics. mounted on shipping container with the 3 wise monkeys made of steel, revealed as it burnt down. artist monk e burnswell; medium: natural wood and plywood. | Rain and mud Friday and Saturday, beautiful sunshine Sunday. |
| XVI | Spring 2007 | 5/24 to 5/28/07 | Odessa, DE | $35 | 800 (sold out) | n/a | Pegasus taking flight; medium: natural wood and wicker. | Burn took place during a fantastic night time electrical storm which surrounded the playa with lightning strikes. fall of the house of burner burned on Saturday night with a fire so bright you could "see it from space" |
| XVII | Fall 2007 | 10/4 to 10/8/07 | Odessa, DE | $35 | 800 (sold out) | n/a | 7 pony head totem minor pyrotechnics also lit with single match; medium: natural wood, plywood and paper mache'. artist monk e burnswell | |
| XVIII | Spring 2008 | 5/22 to 5/26/08 | Odessa, DE | $35 | 1000 (sold out) | n/a | Silhouette cut-out of a horse head; medium: plywood. | Ticket cap increased by 25%, and still sold out. First Totem Burn on Sunday night. |
| XIX | Fall 2008 | 10/9 to 10/13/08 | Odessa, DE | $35 | 1000 (sold out) | n/a | Seahorse; medium: natural wood and driftwood; minor pyrotechnics. | |
| XX | Spring 2009 | 5/21 to 5/25/09 | Odessa, DE | $35 | 1000 (sold out) | n/a | Silhouette cut-out of a horse rearing up; medium: painted plywood and wood scales. | Second Totem Burn on Sunday night. |
| XXI | Fall 2009 | 10/8 to 10/12/09 | Odessa, DE | $35 | 1000 (sold out) | n/a | Huge rocking horse (multicolored); fully interactive prior to burn; medium: painted wood; pyrotechnics. Artists: Amira and The Wineman. | |
| XXII | Spring 2010 | 5/27 to 5/31/10 | Odessa, DE | $50 | 1275 (sold out) | n/a | Exterior: My Little Pony (pink); Interior: Skeletal demon dark horse (black); medium: painted wood effigy and pedestal; ignited by flaming arrows; pyrotechnics. Artist: The Connecticut Oakburners | Ticket cap increased by 27.5%, and still sold out. Ticket price increased nearly 43% to help create a fund for future purchase of land. New ticket purchasing system used. First year that the back gate was staffed for entire event. |
| XXIII | Fall 2010 | 10/7 to 10/11/10 | Odessa, DE | $50 | 1275 (sold out) | n/a | Large Pegasus with Movable wings created by Barrel of Fun | TBD |
| XXIV | Spring 2011 | 5/26 to 5/30/11 | Odessa, DE | $50 | 1275 (sold out) | 40 | Two story "pony tower" with a pony on both the first and second stories; artist Gordon B. McCracken medium: thick beam construction for tower, plywood ponies. | Tallest effigy in PDF history. |
Event Size and Ticketing
As of Spring 2011, the ticket cap is 1,275. Tickets offered for sale on the PDF website generally sell out quickly. The primary factor which prevents the ticket cap from being increased to meet demand is the availability of volunteers to staff various aspects of the event. As the volume of volunteers (people x shifts covered) increases, the ticket cap is increased. Other factors taken into account when raising the ticket cap are availability of space for parking and the impact of noise on surrounding residents.Tickets currently cost $50.00 USD each (though a few hardship ticket scholarships are available by application), and are sold in two releases, with half the event tickets sold in the first release, and the other half sold in the second release. Online ticket sales end when the second release sell out, or two weeks before the event, whichever comes first. Any tickets that did not sell online are sold at the gate, where they usually sell out.
Tickets sales for the Spring PDF begin mid-March on the event website, and ticket sales for the Fall PDF begin in mid-August each year.
Ethics
Several themes and/or ethics are encouraged during the event, based on the ten principles of Burning Man . These include:- Leave No TraceLeave No TraceLeave No Trace is both a set of principles, and an organization that promotes those principles. The principles are designed to assist outdoor enthusiasts with their decisions about how to reduce their impacts when they hike, camp, picnic, snowshoe, run, bike, hunt, paddle, ride horses, fish, ski or...
(or LNT) - everyone at the event is asked to clean up after themselves so that when the event is done, the campground's state has not deteriorated. - Gift EconomyGift economyIn the social sciences, a gift economy is a society where valuable goods and services are regularly given without any explicit agreement for immediate or future rewards . Ideally, simultaneous or recurring giving serves to circulate and redistribute valuables within the community...
- no sale or barter is allowed at the event. Participants are asked to bring what they can and gift as they are able. - Radical Inclusion - everyone is welcome to be a part of the event.
- Radical Self-Reliance - do what needs to be done and do not be a burden to others.
- Radical Self-Expression - be yourself, however you wish. Allow others to do the same.
- Communal EffortCommunalismCommunalism is a term with three distinct meanings according to the Random House Unabridged Dictionary'.'These include "a theory of government or a system of government in which independent communes participate in a federation". "the principles and practice of communal ownership"...
- work together to make the best possible. - Civic ResponsibilityCivicsCivics is the study of rights and duties of citizenship. In other words, it is the study of government with attention to the role of citizens ― as opposed to external factors ― in the operation and oversight of government....
- do the right thing. - Participation - no one attending is an observer; no spectators.
- Immediacy - participants are to become part of the event and explore their inner selves in relation to the event and surroundings
- Decommodification - rejection of corporate advertising, branding and sales of any kind.
External links
- burningman.com - official burningman website