About

Playa del Fuego, P.D.F. for short, is the Mid-Atlantic Regional Burning Man Event. Events are held every spring and fall, on Memorial Day and Columbus Day weekends in Odessa, Delaware.

Playa del Fuego is an experiment in collaborative community featuring art and music created by those who join us to participate. Attendees are known as participants. There are no spectators at Playa del Fuego; everyone collaborates in some way to create the event.

Inspired by the Burning Man event, it is a place for radical self-expression and an experiment in temporary community building. It is a place of acceptance, inclusivity, and respect. It is organized entirely by volunteers. Art and entertainment is created solely by participants.

There are no concession stands. No cash transactions (except ice sales) are permitted at Playa del Fuego - even bartering is discouraged. This is a sincere experiment in creating a gift economy. If you need something, ask for it. If you have it, gift it! There are no garbage cans: everyone is responsible for packing out their garbage or throwing it into one of the handy dumpsters. Playa del Fuego is a blank canvas: expect nothing...bring everything.

The event began with about 20 people on the beach in 1998 and since then it has grown in complexity and size. Our effigy remains a pony in honor of our origins on Assateague Island.

Playa del Fuego's Mission
Playa del Fuego, Inc. is a non-profit, participant-directed organization whose mission is to hold interactive events that promote artistic creativity and freedom of expression. PDF provides the framework and the infrastructure to allow artists such as sculptors, painters, musicians, DJs, fire performers, dancers, and any other creatively-minded individuals to come together to practice their unique form of self expression and create a viable volunteer-based community that exists beyond the boundaries of the event itself. A fundamental tenet of these events is the establishment of a zone that does not involve any currency-based commerce aside from the initial ticket purchase, thus creating a gift-based economy wherein all participants can exhibit, demonstrate, and educate others about their particular form of creativity.