About FirePony Creative Society

AKA the Board of Directors  

Playa del Fuego is managed by FirePony Creative Society, which hosts PDF’s sister-burn, Constellation Burn (held on Indigenous People’s day weekend in October) and other programming.

​FPCS Vision

Attract, inspire, and nurture a diverse community to celebrate and encourage experiments in the creation of art, a culture of play, and the collective sharing of ideas and skills.

FPCS Mission

We build an interactive, experiential, sustainable environment that encourages a culture of play, artistic creativity and freedom of expression.

FirePony Board of Directors

FirePony Creative Society aka FPCS aka the Board aka the BOD aka FirePony is a group of volunteers that collaborates as the legal and fiscal entity responsible for production of PDF, Constellation Burn, Virtual del Fuego (VDF), and other programming.  FirePony negotiates the lease, files the taxes, secures event insurance, files the After Burn report with the Burning Man organization, pays the bills, and guides the future vision of our events. 

You can learn more about the Board of Directors and FirePony programming at the FPCS website.  

Board Role for PDF

PDF is a community run event. The organizational entity for the event is the Planning Committee (aka the PC). The event is sponsored by FirePony Creative Society (FPCS). As the fiscal and legal sponsors, the FPCS Board (aka the BOD) will

1. The BOD will negotiate a lease
2. The BOD will interface with land owners around event issues, such as gate security, land prep.
3. If/as needed, the BOD (in conjunction with Owners) will also interface with any LEO that arrives onsite.
4. The BOD will work with the PC to establish a budget for the event.

1. The expectation is that the event pays for all the expenses incurred by the event.
2. As long as the event pays its expenses, the PC can allocate funds as it sees fit. (assuming, of course, it’s legal and within our code of conduct)
3. Funds from sales will be held in FPCS accounts and released to pay for event costs as needed.
4. Any funds spent in excess of that in the budget may not be reimbursed, and could become the responsibility of the person who incurred them. (please don’t spend money unless it is approved by the PC. This ensures long term health of the event.)
5. IN CASE OF ONSITE UNBUDGETED NEED: Since onsite it would not be possible to conviene the PC, if a need arose onsite, the Treasurer plus 1 BOD member can approve a coordinator spend onsite from the PDF budget. Assumption is that the treasurer would have a rough idea if there is money available from the event to cover.
6. If the expense is more than is available in the PDF funds, a quorum of BOD members would be needed to approve dipping into other Organizational reserves to cover the expense.
7. The BOD will run the ticket sales for the event

1. PC will determine timing and volume of ticket sales
2. BOD will determine ticketing & payment platform

1. Current platform is Black Rock Tickets hosted at Tickets.playadelfuego.com
2. Payment is currently through paypal

6. The BOD will secure insurance for the event to be paid from the event budget
7. The BOD will hold funds between events for ARTS & Release that amount to the PC for art grants

1. PDF funds art from previous year ticket sales.
2. Currently the funding rate is 10%. The PC can choose to modify this number through its standard procedures.
3. Checks for art will be issued by a Board Member to the Artists
4. Contracts for the art will be signed by a BOD member
5. BOD will issue IRS 1099 forms to artists as required
6. The BOD will hold any excess funds from the event in a manner earmarked and agreed upon by the PC.

1. In the past, this profit has gone to a land fund, or future art grants.
2. Other options could be funding local charity, or local organizations such as fire-departments, or set aside for future event use, or the like. This is up to the PC.
3. The Event will incur a 10% of ticket sales administration fee for ongoing FPCS Organizational costs. This covers

1. Storage
2. Website Hosting
3. Conference call software
4. Newsletter software
5. Other organizational expenses

10. The Event will incur a 5% community and civic engagement art funding fee to further FPCS outreach and engagement through arts in the Mid Atlantic.
11. The BOD will have final say on issues involving liability and participant safety.

1. No Firearms, no fireworks (except when sanctioned/supervised in an art burn), no trampolines are allowed at the event
2. The BOD can refuse entry to any person. The BOD maintains a ban list enforced during ticketing.
3. The BOD will have final say on ejections.

1. Participants can be ejected for violating the code of conduct.
2. Participants can be ejected for violating the law
3. Participants can be ejected if in the judgement of the BOD, the person is a threat to themselves or others.
4. Anyone ejected will be further reviewed by the Conduct Committee post event to see if additional actions will be taken.
5. The BOD will file afterburn reports with Burning Man Project to secure PDF official regional status

1. The BOD will set a due date for Afterburn reports from the Coordinators/Departments of the event
2. The BOD, in Coordination with the PC Coord & Treasurer, will allocate and compile the Afterburn report and Annual reports for the Event.

14. The BOD will file business licence and IRS filings to ensure non-profit status of the event is maintained. This included 1099 forms for artist earning annually more than $600 in grants
15. The BOD will file any other legal documents as required by law

FirePony Creative Society is the trade name of Playa del Fuego, Inc., a 501(c)3 non-profit registered in Maryland.