Info that essentially stays the same event to event: principles, history, policies, survival guide, glossary
The following items are banned from all FirePony Creative Society events:
Last updated April 2025
Amplified, projected or otherwise man-made noise or music shall be permitted between the hours of 10am and 12am, unless approved by the Sound Coordinator for 24 hour sound.
Beginning at 2:01 am, all subwoofers (any device capable of emitting sound below 100HZ) shall be turned off and all sound shall be no louder than 90db(A) at a distance of 100’ from the source of the sound, or at the Access Area boundary, if the boundary is closer than 50’ to the source when measured with a national commercially accepted Sound Level Meter or SLM (Type S2A).
The FirePony Creative Society Board of Directors has ultimate authority to turn down or off any and all sound as deemed necessary for the security of the event.
Once upon a time, we were far enough away from the rest of the world that we were provided some insulation from worrying about how our event impacted the community around us.
Over time Playa del Fuego has found itself with a variety of neighbors who have a variety of tolerance levels for sound playing 24 hours a day.
PDF has joined the list of regional events that are trying different measures and sound policies in order to find the right balance between the needs of the Burners who come to PDF and the community around the event.
The Playa del Fuego (PDF) Sound Policy is intended to protect the longevity of PDF events by establishing standards for the control of noise pollution extending beyond the boundaries of said events.
This policy applies to any individual, group, instrument, or device (instrument, installation, speaker system, generator, etc.) producing audible or sub-audible sound within and during a PDF event.
Special considerations are given for extreme sound levels and “burst noises” (e.g., fireworks, cannon shots). These sounds can cause instant hearing damage at certain levels and need to be addressed carefully.
The Sound Coordinator and/or Sound Patrol is responsible for PDF wide-compliance with the Sound Policy and has the authority to turn down or off any and all sound as deemed necessary, with deference to members of the BOD, or to a quorum of the BOD if the Sound Coordinator is a member of the BOD.
The FPCS BOD has ultimate authority to turn down or off any and all sound as deemed necessary for the security of the event.
The Sound Patrol are volunteers tasked with enforcement of the above restrictions during a PDF event with the authority to temporarily turn down any sound causing a perceived violation of the sound policy, reporting as necessary to the Sound Coordinator for further intervention or policy dispute resolution.
Camp Leaders, individuals designated by a Camp Leader, or an individual bringing amplified sound to a PDF event responsible for sound levels generated by their sound system who will remain readily available within earshot of said system while it is in use.
Any attendee of a PDF event who perceives a violation of the Sound Policy from an individual or camp may invoke “The Sound Rule,” as described in the Procedures section below.
Any camp or individual who wishes to have amplified sound between the hours of 12 AM and 10 AM must apply through the Sound Camp Application form on the PDF Web Page before the Theme Camp Placement deadline.
The Sound Coordinator and their designees may limit the number of approved applications as they see fit.
Anyone who suspects another individual or camp is in violation of the Sound Policy and may pose as a disturbance to the event’s neighbors or attendees may approach them calmly and neighborly with their concern in a good faith effort to find a solution.
If a solution or compromise can not be reached, please report the issue to the Sound Patrol, Sound Coordinator, FPCS BOD member, or Ranger (such that they may contact the responsible parties by radio) as quickly as possible.
Individuals and Camps are required to comply with any Turn-Down or Turn-Off order as made by a member of the Sound Patrol, the Sound Coordinator, or a member of the FPCS BOD.
This order may be made for any reason from Sound Policy violations to formal complaints lodged against the event from local residents or county officials.
Sanctions for violations of the Sound Policy may include, but are not limited to:
…as deemed necessary by the FPCS BOD.
Sound-related incidents at Playa Del Fuego can be submitted through the FirePony Creative Society Conduct Incident Reporting Form.
Playa del Fuego and FirePony Creative Society understand that photography and video art is integral to radical self expression; however, we require that all participants obtain explicit consent of their subjects whenever capturing and/or publishing photographs, images, likeness or videos (content) taken at the event. In addition, the following details apply, as adapted from the waiver:
Use of Images and Likeness of people:
As a participant of Playa del Fuego, or related activities, you may be photographed.
Direct and unambiguous consent is required before photographing or recording any participant at PDF.
Any persons identifiable in an image, film, or video, must express direct and unambiguous consent to be photographed or filmed.
Photographers must destroy any image or video at the subject’s request, even if prior consent had been granted.
It is prohibited to take any photos, videos, or create likeness of any camp or a person that has posted a “No Photos” sign or at any event where a “No Photos” policy has been announced.
No use of images, film, or video obtained at the event may be made without prior written permission from FirePony Creative Society and the written permission of any persons identifiable in the images, film, or video, other than personal use.
Additionally, the event holders, producers, sponsors, organizers and/or assigns may not use any images, film, or video obtained at the event without prior written permission of any persons identifiable in the images, film, or video.
“Personal use” of images, film or video means to share with friends and family, to display on personal websites (as long as your website does not sell any other product or service, and as long as your website does not purport or appear to be an official website of Playa del Fuego, Constellation, or FirePony Creative Society), to display on photo sharing websites, and to display at art exhibits or similar exhibits. Social networking sites such as Instagram, Tik Tok, Twitter and Facebook are deemed “personal use” only if the display of the images, film or video on these sites are not used for the promotion or distribution of images with the intent to publicly display them beyond one’s immediate network of friends and family members.
FirePony Creative Society is a joint ownership in the copyright for images obtained at the event so that in the event any third party displays or disseminates any of my images in a manner not authorized by this agreement, FirePony Creative Society can enforce against the third party any restrictions concerning use of the images, and participants appoint FirePony Creative Society as their attorney-in-fact to execute any documents necessary to effectuate such assignment. FirePony Creative Society agrees that it will not utilize this joint ownership to enter into any licensing agreements for the images.
Leave No Trace is an important but simple principle of our community. The goal is to leave no trace of our amazing event. If possible, to leave things in better condition than we found them.
There are No Public Trash Cans and No Dumpsters at PDF: Pack It In – Pack It Out!
Leaving no trace means picking up ALL our trash including cigarette butts, poop, feathers, sofas, bacon grease, beer cans, glitter, and sequins when we leave.
Leaving no trace means not harming the environment by burning something improperly, or altering or destroying trees or existing structures.
Leaving no trace means not leaving problems for other people to clean up, including leaving trash in “public” places like near the porta-potties.
At all times, at all places on the site, you are responsible for the trash you create.
NO dumpsters are provided at the end of the event: please create a plan to take your garbage with you when you leave.
Please see the Survival Guide for tips on leaving no trace.
Please Note: The Tamaqua site has no water. You are responsible for bringing enough water for the duration of the event and for packing out the water you can’t disperse when you leave.
Water leaves a trace and should be used thoughtfully. Each participant should have a plan on how to disperse the water properly in place, and haul out what you can’t disperse.
Grey water is water that has been used for cooking, washing, dishwashing, or bathing and contains soap, detergent, food scraps, or food residue.
While greywater is a lot less harmful to the environment than wastewater from toilet facilities, which is called black water, greywater is still technically sewage and can run-off or leach through the soil to enter waterways and aquifers, resulting in algal blooms or other water quality issues. As a participant at Playa del Fuego, it is part of your responsibility to properly dispose of your grey water. Be kind to the environment – do not dump anything that would cause harm!
Having a plan will make water management easy, and a good plan has two components: disperse and pack out.
By using biodegradable soaps for both yourself and your dishes means that the majority of your water waste will be dispersed.
Disperse: In general, small amounts of “light” grey water (such as shower water and strained dishwater that used biodegradable soap) can be sprinkled around on the ground so as not to make a puddle.
Greasy food particulates, oils of any kind, and fuels of any kind are never to be disposed of on the ground.
Pack out: All other grey water and greasy messes must be packed out. Packing in an empty 5 gallon bucket with a lid is an easy way to have space to carry out any grey water that can’t be properly dispersed.
If you are an Artist interested in Burning Art at PDF, there are some things you should be aware of. Below is a list of materials that we have to prohibit from all fires at PDF, as well as safety guidelines that we must require of you in order to prevent damage and/or disasters at PDF. Please be aware that if you do not follow these guidelines, you may not be able to burn your art.
**If you have questions, contact the Burning Arts Coordinator or Fire Safety Lead BEFORE you burn**
If as an artist you have questions or concerns, please contact pdf-arts@firepony.org
FirePony Creative Society (FPCS or FirePony) strives to keep the number of rules to a minimum. However, we do have a few policies that have been developed to keep the burn happy, healthy, and safe. You can click the links below or use the above menu flyout to find the page you are looking for.
Below is a glossary of burner & Playa del Fuego terms and abbreviations. Alphabetized for your reading pleasure!
# • A • B • C • D • E • F • G • H • I • J • K • L • M • N • O • P • Q • R • S • T • U • V • W • X • Y • Z
The views and opinions expressed on this page are probably mostly true and correct, but definitely not entirely, and are provided as much for entertainment as education.
10 Principles – Burning Man’s version of the 10 Commandments, wherein you are permitted to covet your neighbor’s wife but not to litter or participate in cash activities like vending. And so very much more.
11th Principle – sometimes cited as Consent, also formerly “Don’t Be That Guy”
Burn – slang for a Burning Man-inspired event like ours. Burns are not music festivals. A few differences being: at burns there are no spectators, programming is all participant-driven, burns follow The 10 Principles, and the pretty pretty people at burns aren’t dancing ankle-deep in a pile of beer bottles and cups. Usages include, “Have a nice burn,” & “Happy Burn!”
Burner Time – Due to many participants’ strict observance of Immediacy, things don’t always happen when everyone is expecting them to happen, even the person making them happen, so don’t worry about it. AKA: approximately, eventually, “It’ll happen when it happens.” Does not apply to volunteer shifts!
BOD – Board of Directors. A group of unpaid volunteers in search of a hot tub in which to sit and think. The Board of Director oversees FirePony Creative Society, the non-profit which also organizes Constellation. They also handle all the boring legal parts of the event like taxes, insurance, liability, and future vision.
Borgocracy – a portmanteau of BORG (itself an abbreviated acronym for Burning Man Organization) and bureaucracy, because having a party in a field requires a surprising amount of paperwork
BPE – Burning Pony Express, the email newsletter that notifies the community of important information about Playa Del Fuego.
Comp Tickets – There are no comp or free tickets at PDF. Not even for volunteers, artists, DJs, the Planning Committee, or the Board of Directors. There are, however, Reserve Tickets.
Consent – Consent is an affirmative, unambiguous, and conscious decision by each participant to engage in mutually agreed-upon activity. While consent is generally spoken about in terms of sexual activity, it should also be obtained before taking pictures of others, hugging, entering a camp’s private space, &c. The consent has to be ongoing throughout any encounter, and enthusiastic consent is best!
Constellation – the autumn burn produced by FPCS; formerly known as Fall PDF until it moved to a new location; usually held in October the weekend of Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Coordinator – A super-volunteer who doesn’t just work a shift, they run an entire department like DPW, PARKING, THEME CAMPS, or GATE.
Dark/Dark-thirty – An approximate time for the Pony Burn or other event, roughly corresponding to nightfall/civic dusk/astronomical twilight, but acknowledging the imprecision of Burner Time and how hard it is to predict when the cats will be herded
DJ Comps – Everyone keeps asking if we have this particular DJ, and we’ve never even heard one of their sets. If they want to come to PDF, they need to buy a ticket like everyone else.
DPW – Department of Public Works. The nice folks (plus Karnak) who set up and break down the event structures and handle logistics like where the shitters go. They are the first folks in and the last folks out, and would still be underappreciated if we spent the entire weekend thanking them!
A field somewhere in Delaware – where we used to have a spring and fall PDF, before it turned into a bog. RIP to all the shoes, lighters, and cars eaten by the mud.
FirePony Creative Society (FPCS) – a Maryland not-for-profit corporation recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)3 which produces the Burning Man Regionals Playa del Fuego and Constellation.
Gate – The Gate is the portal through which you enter the event. The gate turns valid IDs into official wristbands during specific hours posted elsewhere.
Greeters – The exuberant people yelling “Welcome Home” just past Gate. They also help orient people, educate about principles and consent, and may squeak a pig at you. 🐖
Karnak* – do not accept pancakes from this man.
The Mayor – PdF is a temporary city, and our city has a Mayor! The Mayor is a Board member that has agreed to make themselves available for questions and discussions all burn long. The mayor wears a Mayor hat.
MOOP – matter out of place; anything that is not indigenous to the natural environment you are in, e.g. litter, cigarette butts, glitter, feathers shed from a costume,
Participation Station aka “Volunteer Central” – It has volunteer schedules and sign-ups, lost & found, an emergency radio, copies of the WWW Guide, and a few shady seats. A good place to go with a question.
PDF – Playa del Fuego (nothing to do with document formats unless we’re being punny)
The Planning Committee aka The PC – The Planning Committee makes the nuts and bolts choices that run the event. The Planning Committee is comprised of the coordinators and literally anyone and everyone who attends a Planning Meeting conference call. Please hold all “nonsense and shenanigans” for the alloted time at the end of the meeting.
The Playa – Slang for the area where a burn takes place, derived from the Spanish word for beach. Alternatively, the ground itself at the event.
The Pony – The Pony is the effigy that is burned on Saturday night at approximately Dark or Dark Thirty. The very first PdF was held on the beach on Assateague Island, where wild ponies roam (and steal food). To honor that history, the effigy burned on Saturday is always Pony-themed.
Quiet Time – the interval between midnight and 10 am when Thou Shalt Bump Thy Bass Softly. See Official Sound Policy for actual rules.
Rangers – helpful mediators who rove about in khaki with radios. They are neither cops, your mom, nor required to wear utili-kilts (just generally inclined).
Registrar of jokes – due to the profusion of inside jokes that inherently exclude people, all jokes must be appropriately registered because Radical Inclusion
Reserve Tickets – Reserve tickets are tickets set aside with a participant’s name on it. The participant still needs to purchase that ticket during the reserve ticket sales round. These are used to ensure that people essential to the smooth operation of the event get a ticket. Everyone approved for a reserved ticket must still pay for it. Art Grant recipients also receive reserve tickets because art is central to our mission and artists are bound by contract to be present at the event.
Rotate Your Turtles– Don’t forget to rotate your turtles! Turtle rotation is necessary to maintain proper volunteer coverage… somehow. We’re not sure about the actual cause-and-effect at play here, but it’s definitely important.
Secret Rim Text – a verbal inclusion on the annual Swag Buttons given to volunteers at Participation Station. This text appears on the side of the pin, in the thin margin where the design wraps around the edge, and is frequently silly, snarky, or indicative of the best bad joke of the year.
The Temple – The temple is a structure built as an art piece that is meant to be a contemplative space. The temple is typically burned on Sunday night. Note: not all burns will have a temple.
Temporary Autonomous Zone (TAZ) – a concept first described by Hakim Bey in his manifesto of the same name, a TAZ is an impermanent gathering of people operating beyond the quotidian system of authority and expectation to create a different way of living.
VIP Hot Tub – (a) one of the fictitious perks the BOD and other elite members of the community gain access to in recompense for their service, or (b) (slang) the code name for the dumpster we’re not allowed to have AND ABSOLUTELY DO NOT HAVE!!!
Volunteer – hopefully, YOU, you lovely creature! Volunteers run this entire event, from planning & set-up to clean-up, “Welcome Home!” to GTFO Monday, posting snarky glossaries on the website to doing whatever legal and financial stuff the BOD worries about so the rest of us don’t have to. Volunteering is a great way to meet other participants. Studies show that volunteers are on average 63.7% more attractive, both romantically and platonically. If you’re not sure what you want to do, stop by the Participation Station to learn about all the ways you can make this event happen.
WWW – the What?Where?When? A guidebook of events and happenings at the event, as submitted by participants. You should print a copy before you arrive. Interesting fact: the written abbreviation is significantly longer when spoken than the words themselves.
Below are descriptions of the many many departments it takes to run Playa del Fuego. If you are interested in more information you can email the department directly.
Skip to: 🎨 Art Grant Committee 📣 Communications 👷♀️ Department of Public Works 🥁 Drummers Conclave 💃 Fire Conclave 🔥 Fire Team 👩🚒 Burning Art & Response Team 🚧 Burn Line Perimeter 👋 Greeters 🧊 Ice Sales 🏮 Lamplighters 🩹 First Aid 🦯 MOOP/Leave No Trace 🦺 Parking 🙋♂️ Participation Station 📍 Placement/City Planning 📅 Planning Committee/Event Coordinators 🤠 Rangers 💕 Sanctuary 🚸 Signage 🔊 Sound 🎫 Ticketing ❓ What/Where/When?
Join PDF Leadership
Want to take your volunteering to the next level?
Consider joining event leadership as a department coordinator.
The mission of the Art Grant Committee is to promote participatory and unique art at Playa del Fuego through funding. Art enables humans to grow and thrive and learn and love. The best art projects provoke thought, feelings, movement, participation by all who wish to join in. Art Grant Committee is dedicated to providing small grants to help defray participants’ cost of creating art for Playa Del Fuego.
Volunteers are always needed to administer and manage the grants. Working on the Arts Grants Committee is a great way to help bring art to the event by doing a little bit of desk work months before the event.
The Comms team collects key information about the event and shares that with the community, drafting the PdF newsletter known as the Burning Pony Express, and promotes deadlines for applications, submissions, ticket sales, &c. through the BPE, the PDF website, and social media. This team’s responsibilities include keeping the website updated, collaborating with the WWW team, the PC Meeting team, and any other team that involves printing or distributing event information to the community, and ensuring that information the Survival Guide and Safety Plan is accurate and approved by all involved team members.
The PDF Department of Public Works (DPW) is responsible for operations and the infrastructure which creates the event. The DPW are heroic, determined, hard-working, responsible, creative, interesting, dedicated, unusual individuals, working together toward a common and vital goal.
If you volunteer with DPW, you will work hard – but you’ll have fun, too. DPW builds the event and tears it down afterward. Without them, the event would not happen. The majority of volunteer time with DPW occurs at the beginning and the end of the event, for set-up and break-down.
Fire, drumming, and dance have been primal, fundamental elements of human experience, going back as long as people have been gathering intentionally to engage in celebration and ritual together. The Fire Drummers Conclave exists to bring together a body of drummers to provide a rhythmic backdrop for our community’s Fire Conclave, create atmosphere, and raise energy and crowd engagement during the effigy and temple/large art burns. Our intention is to create a sense of being a unified collective drumming organism, free of egos and rampant showing off, and we invite anyone with a drum and a desire to participate to join us regardless of age or experience level. If you’d like to participate, bring yourself, your drum, and something comfortable to sit on over to the Burn field and join in!
Friday afternoon: (time and location TBD) FDC core drummers meeting & practice/drum circle.
Saturday: Those who wish to drum gather 45 minutes before the Effigy Burn is scheduled to begin to arrange into a semicircle 3 rows deep along the perimeter established by the Fire Safety team, Fire Drummers Conclave lead will discuss any special instructions and requests from Fire Conclave and the Effigy team and demonstrate the starting rhythm and stop signals.
Sunday: Fire Drummers Conclave gathers again to provide drumming for the large art/temple burn, same deal as the night before!
Before we burn the effigy, our Fire Conclave performs to the enchanting rhythms of the Drum Conclave. The entire event gathers to watch the Fire Conclave perform and excitement builds in the dark night. The Fire conclave features amazing performances with poi, hoops, fans, ropes, fire breathing (weather allowing), and more.
Fire performers and safeties must wear natural/fire-safe clothing and BE SOBER to perform/safety. Performers: Bring your own prop, and breathing fuel. White gas (for performers) and fire blanket (for safeties) provided. See volunteer schedule for this year’s meeting time & place.
The Fire Team has 2 main components, the Burning Art & Response Team (BART) and Burn Line Perimeter Team (BLiP)
BART is here to keep you safe, one burn at a time. The mission of the Burning Art & Response Team is to provide experienced support for artists both pre-event and on-site, and to ensure all fire use or installation is in safe operating order for being in operation around our burner family.
They are the first line of defense in any incident in which a fire would occur, and they help advise and assist artists who are burning approved art during the event.
Experienced Fire Artists and Firefighters are always desperately needed and we encourage anyone who is interested to reach out to join the team.
When there is a large-scale piece of art to burn (typically the Pony on Saturday evening and the Temple and any additional art burns on Sunday evening), you will need to have a perimeter established around the installation to protect participants from potential injury and hazards. That’s where BLiP comes in. We will establish and maintain the appropriate perimeter for the piece until the Fire Team/Fire Fighters give the all-clear for participants to circle the fallen piece. Volunteers are required to be sober for these shifts and should report to the burn site one hour prior to burn time to receive instructions. Having a large voice and not being afraid to use it is also extremely helpful. You will need to stand for the duration of the perimeter establishment and the extent of the burn, which can be well over two hours. You may “take a knee” during the actual burn so as not to block the view of those behind you, but must be ready at any time to move and stop any wandering participants that cross the established perimeter line.
Greeters are responsible for welcoming the community home and the education and acculturation of all participants. A great burn starts with Greeters! Greeters create a fun atmosphere and present information to all participants about the 10 Principles, consent guidelines, leave no trace, where the porta-potties are, and much more!
This department coordinates all aspects of the purchase and delivery of the ice before the burn as well as accepts the delivery and organizes the handing it out during the event.
Gather together in the evening to perform the ritual of lighting up our nights the same way they do at that thing in the desert; and then gather together in the morning to take down the lamps and prep for the next evening. Lamplighters bring light to the darkness so the rest may party all night long!
If you enjoy helping people and are CPR certified, the Playa del Fuego First Aid department needs you to volunteer! First Aid Volunteers (FAVs) function mostly as band-aid distributors, who happen to also be trained in the lively art of CPR. They are NOT your doctor, and they are NOT here to give you medical advice!
To be a FAV, you must possess a valid CPR certification, and participate in the provided training. First Aid Orientation is always Friday night of PDF at 6 pm at the First Aid Station and covers site-specific information and protocols. If you are unable to attend the scheduled orientation, please email the department lead prior to the event.
PLEASE SHOW UP TO YOUR SHIFTS ON TIME AND SOBER! THE SAFETY OF YOUR FELLOW PARTICIPANTS IS RELYING ON YOUR BEING PRESENT (and that’s a pun!)
Requirements: Must have a valid CPR card, and then must have attended First Aid Orientation (offered Friday night of each burn at 6 pm at the First Aid Station).
Description of Job: Working a First Aid shift essentially means doing what you’d normally do at PDF while also being responsible. Half of your shift will be holding down the fort at the First Aid station and the other half will be roving the event. Participate! Relax a bit! Walk About! First Aid is about being visible and available if you are needed, whether that’s at the station, or while traveling around the event itself. FAVs must be sober on shift and dressed appropriately to talk to outside authorities at any time while on shift. FAVs must begin and end each 6-hour shift at the First Aid station to pass along and retrieve information from the next/previous shift and to pick up and retrieve their radio. FAVs get a high visibility vest to wear during their shift.
Requirements: Minimum credentials equivalent to or greater than Advanced EMT/Paramedic… this includes RN, NP, PA, MD, etc… if you think you qualify, please contact firstaid@playadelfuego.org
Description of Job: All the description of a FAV still applies here, except that when a FAV needs to consult with a more experienced participant they call you! A FAV Shift Lead is an experienced FAV who can get the help and/or guidance that is appropriate for the situation at hand. Added bonus, they get to wear a cool Shift Lead vest!
Easy peasy, grab a glove and walk around and pick up MOOP. There is usually not much, so it ends up with a bunch of people going along PDF’s Public Areas from 10 am to Noon, setting a good example and reminding theme camps along the way to Leave No Trace in their areas, too. Throughout the event, volunteers can go to the Participation Station for cleaning supplies and then MOOP sweep of all public areas. On Monday pack out, volunteers work to Leave No Trace for the entire event.
Parking Volunteers are the badass mofos of the PdF volunteer world! They park cars and direct traffic. At night, break out your best blinkie and glow-wear and bring along your LED flow toys for fun.
Participation Station is Volunteer Central, a central hub of activity for the burn. Volunteers on shift at the Participation Station help recruit volunteers for empty shifts, help participants sign up for shifts, answer questions about the event, go on volunteer fluffing sprees, and occasionally called upon to step up to cover no-shows.
This department is responsible for creating and sharing a map of each event, marking off the grounds before each event starts, and helping folks find their reserved spots when they arrive. In the months prior to each event, we oversee the theme camp, sound and vehicle applications, and we get input from other departments. When all the info is collected and applications closed, we piece together the magical puzzle that is the PDF map, including Theme Camps, Art, Dept HQ’s, roads, open camping areas, burn fields, potties, and other key spaces. We publish and distribute the map and key info to applicants and organizers. We come onsite early and mark off the grounds and Theme Camps. We answer placement-related questions and field any last-minute layout changes.
Contact us: cityplanning@playadelfuego.org
This team of super volunteers herds all the cats by coordinating departments, liaising with the Board, running the Planning Committee calls, and being the center point for Event Production at a high level. The Coordinators manage the event, the Secretary manages the PC calls and agendas, and the Treasurer wrangles the department budgets.
What are Rangers?
Rangers are members of the Mid-Atlantic burner community who volunteer some of their time in the role of non-confrontational community mediators. They are empowered by the community and the FPCS board to address safety concerns, mediate disputes, and help resolve conflicts when they cannot be resolved by the persons involved. Rangers are also often the first elements of the event organization on-scene in the event of an emergency, and carry radios to connect them with other volunteer departments and resources. Rangers encourage self-reliance, individual accountability, and shared responsibility, using non-confrontational communication whenever possible to encourage cooperation and help create a safe environment.
Rangers are not cops, nor enforcers, nor your mother. Rangers are part of how the community makes sure the Burn is a safe space in which to radically express ourselves and exercise our principles.
Dirt Rangers are the Rangers on the ground. Dirt Rangers are the eyes and ears of the city, patrolling the event in pairs, and connected by radio to other Rangers and Ranger HQ. They’re caretakers and mediators, sources of reliable information, making themselves available to participants who need help, and keeping an eye out for situations that deserve attention. Dirt Rangers at PDF work 4-hour shifts. You can Ranger at PDF if you meet any of the following criteria:
Khaki is the call sign for the Ranger Shift Lead. Khaki briefs Dirt Rangers at the beginning of their shift, pairs up Dirt Rangers and assigns them to patrol areas, receives and logs radio reports, provides support to Rangers in the field, coordinates incident responses, and debriefs at shift’s end. Khaki is the Dirt Rangers’ go-to resource for whatever they need. Khakis at PDF work 8-hour shifts. Khaki shifts are reserved for more experienced Rangers. If you’re interested in signing up for a Khaki shift but have never Khaki’d before, contact the Ranger Leads.
Every Ranger is required to attend an onsite briefing/orientation prior to their first shift. A schedule of Ranger training sessions (before and during the event) and onsite orientations will be published as soon as they are confirmed.
Sanctuary is a safe space where people can hang out and take a break from the rest of the party. This is a neutral, no-judgment zone. We primarily work towards providing positive vibes and redirecting negative energy for those experiencing mental or spiritual distress, in addition to being a good listening ear, providing energy alignment, sage blessings, hot tea, and bad dad jokes. We graciously welcome volunteers who want to give back to the community on a spiritual level that is separate from Rangers and First-aid.
The signage department takes requests from other departments for needed signs at the burn. Some examples from burns past include: directional arrows, signs describing the principles, signs for each department. The signage department also takes inventory of what signs we have already made and might need to replace after a burn.
Sound Patrol volunteers are responsible for making sure the levels of noise created at Playa del Fuego do not adversely affect the event’s relationship with the surrounding community. This is accomplished by monitoring overall sound levels throughout the event and limiting the number of loud camps, events, and installations during overnight hours. Great volunteers for this are folks who like to stay up late looking for the best places to dance, or you just like wandering around the event in the wee hours, the Sound Patrol can use you! Patrol solo, or with friends. You will be given (and shown how to use) a Decibel Meter, Two-Way Radio, and cheat sheet with everything you need to know on your journeys!
As a ticketing volunteer, you will be responsible for checking people into the event, giving participants wristbands, and ensuring that the waiver is signed. In addition, volunteers will check wristbands and Re-Entry passes for cars going in and out of the event.
WWW is responsible for all aspects of creating, printing, and transporting the What Where When guides. This department takes event submissions from the website and turns them into the What Where When, the guide to participant events.
The Art Grant Committee considers applications to fund projects in all creative media that will be brought to Playa Del Fuego.
Art Grant application deadline- Sunday, February 15th, 2026 CLOSED
Art grants can be used for materials, operational costs, and transportation for projects. This includes, but is not limited to the following types of items:
Some items that may be evaluated on a case-by-case basis and be partially funded include:
We do not currently fund:
*Note that these guidelines apply to all art at Playa Del Fuego, not just granted projects.
For grant applications involving art that is built to be burned or that features a flame effect such as a propane poofer, extra information must be provided on safety plans, storage of combustible material, and other special considerations.
PDF’s Fire Team will be involved in the Art Grant process and must sign off on all projects involving fire of any kind. Applicants may have to provide additional information about safety concerns or rework the design if it is deemed unsafe.
For the burn itself, you will need to be in contact with the Fire Team for on-site scheduling and a safety plan.
Details about burning art can be found in the Burning Art Guidelines.
The Playa del Fuego Art Grant committee evaluates applications and selects recipients of art grants. The committee is made up of a team of volunteers of community members, including one member of the Board of Directors.
The Committee considers each project based on criteria such as creativity, feasibility, interactivity, and budgetary considerations.
If anyone who is part of the Playa del Fuego Art Grant committee applies for an art grant or is an immediate family or household member to (or even good friends with) someone that applies, they are expected to recuse themselves from discussing and voting on that project.
For more information on the Art Grant Committee and to get involved, please contact pdf-arts@firepony.org.
The total grant budget is TBD, but as of 2022, 25% of the current event’s ticket sales are allotted to funding art thru grants.
Depending on the number and scale of applications in a given year, applicants might be offered partial funding so that we may fund as many projects as possible.
The payment of granted funds to the artist will vary from project to project. A separate schedule of payments is developed for each project. The initial disbursement after contract signing but before the event will range from 0 – 50%. A performance deposit of at least 50% will be withheld from all grants until after the event to ensure contract requirements are fulfilled.
If an artist does not deliver their project to the event, they may be denied future funding requests, and we may request that any grant funds issued are returned. If circumstances in your life render you unable to complete your project as planned and bring it to Playa del Fuego, we strongly encourage you to be forthright and communicative and to facilitate its completion by another member of your team or bring it to a future event.
Art grant funding is taxable. Any grant recipient that receives $600 or more in grant funds from FirePony Creative Society (this includes Playa del Fuego and Constellation) in a calendar year must report the money to the IRS. Grant recipients of over $600 will have to submit a W9 form and will receive a 1099 form at the end of the tax year.
You will not have to submit receipts to FirePony Creative Society for your grant but you may want to retain them to help offset any tax liability. We cannot give specific legal or tax advice, but encourage you to consult with a tax specialist if needed.
Each grant recipient will receive up to two reserved tickets, which will be available for purchase during the Reserve round of ticket sales. Additional reserved tickets may be allocated at the discretion of the Art Grants Committee (AGC).
Please be advised these are not free or complimentary tickets. Everyone buys a ticket to attend, including the BOD, coordinators, and all volunteers. It’s an important ethos of our shared event, and also how we fund so much art!
If the full cost of a ticket could prevent you from attending and you would like to request a reduced-cost ticket, please fill out a Ticket Aid Application:
2026 Ticket Aid application deadline: 9pm on Sunday, February 15th, 2026 CLOSED
Minors are able to apply for and receive art grants, but only with the permission and signature of a parent or guardian. Minors can not enter into a contract with FirePony Creative Society, so a parent or guardian must act on their behalf for all legal and financial matters.
Depending on the nature and size of your art you may be granted early arrival, which will allow you to arrive before the gates open on Thursday afternoon.
Early arrival can be requested thru the art grant application, or by communicating with the Art Grant Coordinator, but must be pre-approved before arrival, and include all ticketholders who will be arriving early.
Check out the Early Entry FAQ for more information.
All questions and inquiries should be sent to pdf-arts@firepony.org
Early entry is challenging to the organization, so it is typically only granted for high need situations. The days leading up to the event are when the city gets laid out. It is hard on city planning to accurately place camps before Thursday. On the other hand, we recognize some camps/projects need more time to be all that they can be. So we’d like to be flexible and will work with you. Early entry time is for event setup. If you get early entry, you are expected to use that time to setup and not for shenanigans!
At this time, early entry is determined on a case by case basis. Things that may qualify you for early entry:
To get approval for early entry, contact cityplanning@playadelfuego.org
In addition, if you volunteer for the first shift when gates open, you can arrive 2 hours early to get yourself/your campsite situated before reporting for your shift. You do not need additional approval for this 2 hour early entry, other than having secured a volunteer slot.