AfrikaBurn 2025

May, 2025

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It’s been 11 years since we did Burning Man and we’ve always wanted to give AfrikaBurn a try too. We were extremely fortunate that friends from our skiing trips are very experienced and were organizing a camp that we could join. Even better, they had plans to build a porcupine mutant vehicle and we were amped to join in.

Travel

We prefer using RVs for these trips but unfortunately we broke down (blown fuse leading to a “gearbox failure” message) about an hour from arriving. This led to 4 hours of waiting and arrival after dark.

Waiting for help at the "padstal".
And then on the way back the same thing happened again! We were walking distance from a fantastic little restaurant so the wait really didn’t seem so bad this time. Some bad luck, but we were able to make it all work out.

Spikey

The camp had decided to build a porcupine mutant vehicle – an enormous endeavor, but one that turned out better than anyone could have expected.

Spikey was built over an old tractor and two trailers, with a metal frame and hundreds of palm and bamboo quills. We hooked up tons of synchronized lights and built a DJ booth on the trailer to play sets out on the playa. The result was a vehicle that looked almost organic, which moved subtly with the music. We were extremely proud.
Each afternoon we'd drive Spikey out onto the play to play a set. Here I am on "ranger" duty making sure things go smoothly. Note the little window for the driver to see out of.
Ranger duty in the afternoon. Getting Spikey back well after midnight was even more interesting!
Spikey's gently swaying quills and shifting lightingh was a fantastic sight.
Spikey's body was a DJ booth and we had a generator in the tail driving a series of excellent speakers. Lots of fun was had.

Camp Life

We joined an incredible team and collectively we lived a very comfortable camp life. Most of the group were folks that we had already traveled with – whom we knew were great. And so it proved here again. So much fun, with such lovely people.

Each day a team was assigned to produce a big lunch for everyone. Generally that would be the only big meal of the day.

And they were also very organized! The experienced folks ended up building amazing infrastructure. We had a little tent city under a bedouin cover, a really nice kitchen setup, freezers, heaps of beanbags, and even fantastic camp showers. People took turns preparing big group lunches, it was easy to make coffee, we had camp music. Life really was good in the Spikey camp.

We were in an RV (one of three lagered alongside our camp) so we had our own fridge, beds, toilet (if needed), and privacy. We really did live quite a comfortable life.
Exploring the playa with some of our crew. Fantastic guys!

Creativity, fun, and beauty

Among the draw cards for these trips is to be a part of the creativity, beauty, and free spirited fun that is a Burn. We again loved being around art scattered through the desert. Joining into theme camp life and parties. Chatting to friendly strangers out on the playa. Watching the various burns. And, of course, partying late into the night either in camps or alongside incredible music vehicles out on the playa.

One of many art installations out on the playa.
My favorite installation was this giant sphere. Sadly it burned at 6am while I was asleep, but the photos I've seen looked incredible
People had written notes, or names of those lost on the wood. I found it very moving to write our Poppy's name knowing that it would all soon burn.

As last time with Burning Man, I again really loved a few solo exploration walks. Just immersing myself in the vibes and checking things out. Just going with it.

Loved this potjie pot too. We were there to watch this burn.
Burns are always great too. Thousands gather to watch.

One of the underrated elements of these trips is the fact that there is absolutely no signal there. Obviously this is great for having people feel present. Folks are texting on the side, taking out their phones at the smallest sign of boredom. But also, you simply can’t plan and coordinate. It’s possible to get lost. That’s a good thing!

We really were in the middle of nowhere. The starkness of the desert was stunning.
Each evening was a BLAST. We'd head out to the art cars or various camps and have an amazing time dancing in the desert night.

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