Labor Day fast approaches, which means only one thing in San Francisco (and an ever expanding radius): Burning Man is nigh. August 25th-September 1st to be exact.
The annual festival of freedom, expression, drugs and sunburns is like Mecca to those who regularly attend, and among the 60,000 odd revelers are (unsurprisingly) tons of gays.
Here are five gay themed groups who’ll put the camp in camping on the playa this year and where to find them.
Also noted are some queer events to look out for and when they’ll be happening. You can say you’ll keep to a schedule this year, but why bother lying to yourself?
Comfort and Joy @ 7:30 and Frankincense
Comfort and Joy is a queer community center for Black Rock City, hosting dozens of daily educational workshops, a variety of colorful performances, extensive blacklight kinetic art installations & several regional camps (from Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Diego, Oakland and San Francisco) as part of the Comfort & Joy village.
Events and workshops including yoga, makeup and painting workshops, live theater, spoken word events, cabaret performances, and annual themed parties like Honey Soundsystem’s Friday night Honey Dusted party.
Astropups @ 7:15 and Gold
Since 2000, the Astropups have been bringing a fun, frisky, and fabulous nature to the Burning Man Playa in the form of events, costumes, and personalities. Whether its reinventing your high school prom to better account for alternative life styles, creating a safe space for bears to shower with each other (and get intoxicated at the same time), or hosting greco-roman nude oil wrestling matches, the pups always seem to be a community gather spot.
Camp Beaverton @ 7:15 and Ephesus
Camp Beaverton is an intentional, experimental, and experiential Burning Man community theme camp. The goal is to provide a safe space for queer women on and off-Playa. They encourage education, participation, inquiry, conversation, and self-reflection on what it means to be “a Beaver”.
Camp Gender Blender @ 7:15 and Ephesus
This camp is designed to be a safe space for gender queers and trans people. You’ll find drag shows, workshops, play parties, and maybe a blended smoothie or two.
Glamcocks @ location unknown
No word yet on where these lovely fellas will be, but look them up in the map you’ll be handed upon entry into the festival. The Seattle-based camp hosts nightly sunset parties where dressing up is dressing down. A few years ago they made a documentary which gives you insight on the camp and the Burning Man experience as a whole. You’ll notice one Drag Racer Courtney Act getting down with the best of ’em. You can view that here.
And here’s a great roundup of events, courtesy of Dot429:
Monday
4:00PM at Gender Blender: Make-out Monday
8:00PM at the Down Low Club: Official Queer Burner Meet & Greet
9:00PM at Dickstracted Camp: Jazz Night
9:00PM at BloAsis Village: Queeravansary
9:00PM at GlamCocks: Furry Fantasia
Tuesday
1:00PM at Gender Blender: Your Own Silk-Road Ritual: Celebrate Caravansary
2:00PM at Camp Conception: Detox/Retox
2:30PM at Gender Blender: Sticks & Stones: Words that Hurt, Words that Heal
5:00PM at Paradise Motel: I dream of Jeannie Party
7:00PM at Camp Beaverton: Clit-Tail Lesbian/Queer Mixer
9:00PM at Camp Run Free: Roaring ‘20s (Sober Party)
Wednesday
12:00PM at Comfort & Joy: Healthy Friction Circle Jerk
1:00PM at Camp Beaverton: Boning Babes: an Introduction
2:30PM at BloAsis Village: Beard Care
3:30PM at Camp Conception: Beard Spa
5:30PM at Camp Conception: Miss Conception Pageant
6:00PM at Gender Blender: Blender Bar
7:00PM at Sun Guardians Camp: Monk Fetish Camp Party
7:30PM at FUR Camp: Homo Depot Party
9:00PM at Gender Blender: Sexploration! A Gender Blender Play Party
9:00PM at Comfort & Joy: Crisco Disco: Cowboy Cocksucker Night
Thursday
11:00AM at Sun Guardians Camp: Heart Circle
11:00AM at Gender Blender: Talking Trans with Tea
1:00PM at Camp Beaverton: Female/FTM Ejaculation
2:00PM at BloAsis Village: Sirius Happy Hour
2:00PM at Gender Blender: Trans Tea Time
7:00PM at Camp Beaverton: Clit-Tail Lesbian/Queer Mixer
8:30PM at Camp Conception: Ultrasound/BAAHS
9:00PM at Camp Beaverton: The Strap-on-a-thon
Friday
12:00PM at Comfort & Joy: BRC Gay Pride
1:00PM at Camp Beaverton: Fisting Workshop
2:00PM at Burner Buddies: Gay Pride After Party
3:00PM at Camp Conception: CC’s Women’s T-Dance
4:00PM at BloAsis Village: Beard Contest
6:00PM at Gender Blender: Caravan of Smoothies—The Gayborhood Party!
10:00PM at Comfort & Joy: Honey Dusted with BAAAHS
10:00PM at Comfort & Joy: Blitzy’s Full Moon Fire Conclave
Saturday
11:00AM at Sun Guardians Camp: Heart Circle
11:00AM at Comfort & Joy: Crack is Whack Party
11:00AM at Beaverton: Oval Ascension (Female Masturbation Party)
1:30PM at Comfort & Joy: Meditation Workshop
Post Burn at Camp Conception: Closing Party: It’s Over When It’s Over
Sunday
Post Burn at Comfort and Joy: Temple Burn After Party
Stache99
Funny I just watched the documentary “Spark: A Burning Man Story”
Not interested at all in going but was interesting to watch all the same.
DarkZephyr
Well, where are the hotties with the chains? They’re why I clicked!
BECQueerty
I’m so curious about this event. But, I hear it’s awful to get in/out; sand EVERYWHERE… I watched “Spark”, too. There also seems to be a loss of the free spirit that BM was originally all about. Obviously, there needed to be more organization with so many people attending. Just that it seems to be morphing into the “spring break” for fall… Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I dunno, so confused. I’m wondering, however, if there are so many people that want to attend this event now (60,000+), maybe they should break it up into multiple events to alleviate some pressure.
Tracy Pope
@BECQueerty:
I am an active participant at Burning Man for 11 years (I am not participating this year).
Leaving Burning Man is called Exodus and yes, it can be hellish. I’ve never experienced the usual entry caravans. I am part of a theme camp and a few of us are on the playa in advance to set up.
Each year is less and less like the previous years for several reasons, the least not being the size of the population because hey, it’s a party and EVERYONE loves a party(That’s sarcasm). It is BLM that caps the population.
The cost is over $300 for a ticket. There is no water, shade, food or bathrooms.
There is sand and dirt. And some amazing things to see and do.
Part of that ticket price is for Port-a-Potties. Hundreds. And never enough.
Our group spends well over $800 each above the price of our tickets for support of the camp but this does not include transportation cost there and back home. Ours is one of the smallest theme camps.
There are regional groups all over the world that hold events throughout the year.
There is far more to Burning Man than what mainstream media portrays. I’m impressed that Queerty didn’t go the route many of the other media outlets do and simply write about the wild side of Burning Man.
TVC 15
Blah, whatever.
Toaster
The schedule you have listed is a copy/paste from the Events 2014 on QueerBurners.Com without the appropriate reference. I wrote it and someone named Dot is taking credit for it. Shame shame… please make a note of it.
QueerBurners.Com and out Facebook pages are the mainline for Queer Burner Networking and Leadership information for LGBTQ++ Burners
http://queerburners.com/welcome-home/events