The AfrikaBurn festival is a seven-day artistic extravaganza of musical performance and creative expression.
The festival's main aim is to promote the communal effort. It encourages eccentric, expressive costumes and twisted artistic creations, and is popular for attracting local and international visitors who gather and create a mythical atmosphere in the Stonehenge Private Reserve.
The festival is a gift economy, where gifts are given without any expectation of anything in return. AfrikaBurn encourages promotes a set of 11 principles that inform the experience.
What You Can Expect From This Year's Afrikaburn
This year's theme invites people to create their own theme and it was set to stimulate pure creativity in the attendees. At AfrikaBurn you can partake in mobile art, this is called a Mutant Vehicle and according to their site, these can include anything that is motorised.
Theme camps are intended to be particularly colourful, with surrealistic arrangements and the heavy use of textiles. Art installations should all be interactive and encourage onlookers to come for closer inspection – or even attempt to trade pieces for their own possessions.
With regards to participation, anyone can participate as all are welcome to jump in and take part in any way they wish to. Everyone has creative freedom to get involved in choosing what best suits them, from chants to plays and think pieces. There are differently curated projects that one can select from.
It is encouraged that you pack only the essential items required for survival in an extreme desert environment.
The camp is divided into zones according to different activities with only one sound zone - the loud zone. The blue zone is more tranquil and most appropriate for families, and the red zone is more vibrant, with frequent loud performances and the availability of alcohol is based on gifting by other themed camps, and those under the age of 18 need to wear specific wristbands which indicate they are underage and therefore not allowed to be offered alcohol.
This year the Clan Effigy is scheduled for the 27th and it is dedicated to the burning of the San Clan, a sculpture mimicking San rock art, which represents unity and community. Its flames illuminate the sky and can be seen for miles around.
What You Ought To Pack
It is encouraged that you pack only the essential items required for survival in an extreme desert environment. This is because embarking on this journey not only requires some serious consideration but also because it is imperative that participants are prepared for the journey.
Getting there
The event is situated in Stonehenge Private Reserve, just over 300 kilometres from Cape Town. Getting to the event location will require you to drive on the longest stretch of road in South Africa with no petrol stations, and no cellphone network coverage. Most travellers use their own vehicles for the trip.
Correction: An earlier version of this blog incorrectly stated that everything is bartered at the event with the relinquishing of material possessions, that performances are expected, there are minimal petrol stations along the road to the event location and that you pack everything you own. This has since been corrected.