DISTRIKT Camper FAQs

How do we register as campers and for shifts? And when will we be able to do this?

You must first complete a camper onboarding form and pay your camp dues.

Mid-July we will be emailing all of the registered campers and having them sign up for shifts on playa. We have a master spread sheet that shows shifts by area - Bar, MOOP, Bike Battalion, etc. You will be required to sign up for several shifts - and shifts across all of the types of work we need to do as a camp. So, you can’t just sign up for bartending - while this is one of the best jobs on playa, we also need all hands to help for less glamorous tasks - and if we do those jobs as a team they are far more fun.

If you are arriving later in the week (ie - Friday), you must still sign up for the necessary number of shifts. And all campers are required to stay for Sunday strike.

What is Sunday Strike? Is it required?

Yes!! We need all hands on deck for our camp strike Sunday September 1st. We build DISTRIKT in one week, then must take it all down in one day (yes, the reverse GOD maneuver). And much of strike will involve MOOPing to make sure the playa is in better shape than when we arrived.

We strike during the day and then all head out to the Temple Burn that evening. This means that if you are planning to head off playa Monday or Tuesday, account for long lines at Exodus and plan your flights out of Reno accordingly - especially if you are flying from outside the US. Spend some time in Reno or Tahoe to decompress. And shower.

MOOP - what is the deal?

This is THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF OUR WORK PLAN. Last year we received a Yellow/Red rating by BMOrg for our camp, and MUST improve this year or else we will not be a placed camp in 2020. We have a huge plat - 200’ x 550’ - and up to 6,000 people dancing per day. Each morning we will have MOOP teams that go across our public spaces in addition to Sunday Strike. You are also responsible for MOOPing your personal camp space, and packing out ALL of your personal trash.

What about those dumpsters from last year? What were they for, and will they be back in 2019?

We rented two dumpsters in 2018 for our bar and construction trash - NOT for camper trash. Our bar generates enough trash to fill a 24’ truck - and we must take all of this off playa - hence renting dumpsters. We are not sure if these will be on playa this year, due to outside services restrictions, so it is even more important to pack out ALL of your personal trash. All of our KORE have driven the trash trucks off playa at some point, and it is a thankless job - and would make an episode with Mike Rowe hit high ratings.

Do we have an electrical grid to hook our RVs/ShiftPods/Yurts into that is available for campers?

We cannot provide campwide electricity. Our first priority is our sound system for the stage, then our bar and reefer truck. We allow a small number of campers to be on the grid if they are part of our build team, as this group is on-playa for up to two weeks. We also have a plat that is too large to trench and run the electrical lines across for the entire camp. If you have an RV, bring your own generator.

What about Pump Out?

Same as above - we cannot provide or guarantee pump out. We have a tetris-like private camping area with some internal roads for emergency access, but do not have pump out access because of our camp size. If you arrive on playa later in the week, you will end up in the last available spaces.

Will there be camp showers?

We have had showers in years past, and planning to have DISTRIKT-only camper showers again in 2019. You MUST provide your own water.

Water - what about the 1.5 gallons/day/camper?

You must also provide this for yourself and bring it into BRC. We have looked into providing camp water, and with 150+ campers it is cost prohibitive and would cost more than buying your own water in Reno. We would also incur additional fees from outside services and Nevada State health inspections. We are just too large of a camp. And we don’t have anywhere to put a 5,000 gallon water buffalo inside our space, or regulate who has access to it.

Food - are meals provided?

We provide meals for our build team, as it is a much smaller group, and these folks donate a week of their vacation time to work all day building DISTRIKT.

We do have several dinners provided during burn week - usually M/W/F/Strike. These are simple - tacos, spaghetti, sandwiches, bacon. We are also looking for volunteer teams to provide these meals for camp, and have metrics on how to easily cook a meal for 100 people. This will also count as one of your shifts. Email JenH@distrikt.org if your crew is interested in volunteering to cook a meal.

What do my camp dues pay for? How is our budget planned for DISTRIKT?

DISTRIKT is a registered non-profit organization made up of volunteers - we do not pay ourselves for the work we do year-round or pre-playa. We raise our funds in three ways: donations, fundraisers, and dues. Straight donations and fundraisers pay for our stage, storage of our trucks, booze for the bar, and our sound rental on playa. Fundraisers are held across the US and our DJs donate their time and skills playing - we don’t pay them.

Camp dues are used to pay for our infrastructure on the playa for our campers - dedicated camp space, showers, some meals, a private kitchen and lounge area, and the cost of building, transporting, and storing these amenities. Our kitchen area has microwaves, grills, and a sink for greywater disposal (yes, you must bring your own water). Please bring your own reusable plates/mugs/silverware to cut down on trash.

I’d like to DJ at DISTRIKT! Or - my mom/BFF/college roommate is an amazing DJ in Berlin, and wants to play a closing set.

We use the principle of radical participation for choosing the DJs who play the limited number of slots during burn week. We do not pay our DJs - or pay for them to get to the playa. They donate their time and talents in some way building and supporting DISTRIKT year round, and have an established relationship with us. We don’t want the biggest names - we want the biggest hearts who are a part of our extended family.

Our Music Co-Leads (and camp founders) Ben and Kramer review all of the DJ submissions and choose our lineup each year. Also, our line-up is NOT published prior to the burn, as Burning Man is not a music festival.

I want to camp with DISTRIKT, but can’t make it to build prior to burn week. Or - I want to build!!

Just to clarify, build and time prior to when gates open is NOT required to be part of camp. We are only allowed to have a small number of approved campers on playa by BurningManOrg.

How do you choose the build team?

Our build team is made up of our Kore Folks and special designated roles (design fabricator, electricians, sound team, build meal managers, and those who drive our trucks and bar materials to the playa from SF and our ranch).

We choose our build team based on their skills and ability to work as a team, and how much effort they have contributed the year prior on playa and off. Build is a work week, not an easy way to get passed the gates or time to party.

Contact

General

info@distrikt.org

Bookings

music@distrikt.org