Policies and guidelines
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
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
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
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.
FirePony Creative Society (FPCS or FirePony) strives to keep the number of rules to a minimum, however certain types of behavior serve only to harm other participants, the event itself, and/or the community. Radical inclusion means that strangers are welcome to participate in our community; it does not mean tolerance of harmful behaviors.
This document identifies behaviors and actions that will not be tolerated at any FPCS sponsored event, including Playa del Fuego (PDF), Constellation, the Mid-Atlantic Leadership Conference (MALC), and recipients of grant funds through the Community Art and Civic Engagement (CACE) program.
In addition to the conduct detailed below, participants of any FirePony Creative Society-sponsored events are expected to comply with all federal, state, and local laws.
The FPCS Conduct Committee is the mechanism by which reported conduct incidents are investigated. Information and resources regarding the Conduct Committee can be found on our website https://firepony.org/conduct-committee/
Incident reports can be submitted through our Incident Report Form found on all of our websites:
https://firepony.org/code-of-conduct/
https://playadelfuego.org/code-of-conduct/
https://constellationburn.org/event/event-policies-and-guidelines/code-of-conduct/
Participants may report any incident in which another participant engaged in any Prohibited Behavior as detailed in the Code of Conduct at one of our events.
The FirePony Creative Society Conduct Committee may consider investigating incidents that occurred outside a FPCS sponsored event such as Protective Orders, racist activity and Hate Speech, patterns of abusive behavior like stalking or harassment, history of prior misconduct, criminal charges, and / or violations of the Code of conduct or similar policies at other events. Information regarding the Conduct Committee can be found at https://firepony.org/conduct-committee/
The following types of behavior are unacceptable at FirePony Creative Society-sponsored events, including, but not limited to, Playa del Fuego and Constellation, and may result in a Conduct Committee Review:
Non-consensual and unwanted contact with the body of another, especially of an aggressive or sexual nature, regardless of claimed intent. Unwanted sexual attention, including sexualized comments or jokes. Non-consensual intoxication (includes gifting intoxicants without disclosure and putting a drug into someone’s drink without their knowledge). Also includes non-consensual demeaning speech, predatory behavior, and aggression, as well as doxxing, blackmail, and the taking of photographs or video without the express consent of those involved (see “Media Without Consent” below). FPCS supports body autonomy for all participants and direct and unambiguous enthusiastic consent is expected of all participants at all times.
Any conduct, depiction, video, image, audio, gesture, symbol, art, item, and/or discussion (“content”) that consists of abuse, threats, intimidation, animosity, attacks, or incitement of attacks against an individual or group of people and is defined in terms of race, ethnicity, national origin, gender expression, religion, sexual orientation, immigration status, disability, health status, economic status, location, or any identifying characteristic. Hate Speech includes slurs and any content that incites the hatred or violence against these groups as well as praise and/or glorification of terrorism, organized crime, hate groups, and/or dangerous individuals or groups, including any/all Nazi and White Power content, symbolism, items, or expression (including the Confederate flag).
Hate Speech that is shared in an educational, historical, satirical, or artistic manner with the spirit of challenging it or raising awareness is allowed; however the intention surrounding that content must be clearly evident (such as WWW or sign at the art piece explaining the intent) and the participant must be willing to engage in respectful discussion with the community about their content if they request it.
Any conduct that intimidates, abuses, menaces, or threatens participants and/or has the intention to exclude, silence, shame, or degrade a participant (or group), or incites others to do so. Includes all manner of stalking and harassment, including conduct such as intimidation, verbal assaults, threats of violence or harm, unwanted degrading or shaming speech, unwanted humiliation, and repeated unwanted contact, both in person and electronic.
Any conduct or content that puts others in serious danger, including personal attacks and violence, unsafe or intoxicated operation of any vehicle (includes your personal vehicle, golf cart, art car, and bicycle), unauthorized fireworks, unsafe flame art and/or burning art, not maintaining general fire safety protocols (such as spinning fire without a designated safety or improper storage of fuels), and/or violations of any safety and fire policies provided by a FPCS sponsored event.
All participants, volunteers, coordinators, board members, landowners, etc. gain entry to our events by purchasing a ticket, signing the Code of Conduct, and presenting a valid ID at the gate. Vendors, such as ice delivery or the porta potty cleaners, are under contract with FirePony Creative Society and are allowed on site to fulfill their contracts. Any other entries are unauthorized and will be considered trespassing. Aiding or helping an unauthorized entry get into a FPCS sponsored event will also be considered trespassing and will subject that participant to repercussions.
All participants are to stay within the boundaries as shown on the map. Venturing beyond the boundaries of the event is considered trespassing, and the neighboring property owner(s) may involve law enforcement. Trespassing on private property will result in an eviction from the event and will subject that participant to repercussions.
Includes theft, destruction, and vandalism of any property, including FPCS infrastructure as well as landowner, vendor or participant property. Consent applies to things as well as bodies. If it is not yours, leave it alone, unless you have the consent of the owner of the property.
Direct and unambiguous consent is required before photographing or recording any participant at a FPCS event. Direct and unambiguous consent is also required when sharing any video, photograph, or content depicting a participant taken at a FPCS sponsored event on social media. Absolutely no media, content, video, image, description, or depiction of a FPCS event may be used for commercial purposes without prior written consent of the FPCS Board of Directors.
Other types of behaviors that are prohibited include but are not limited to possession of a firearm, serving alcohol to someone under 21, impersonating a volunteer, repeatedly breaching a fire perimeter, harassment of wildlife, negatively impacting the surrounding community by dumping trash in local dumpsters, trespassing, operation of a drone, or egregious violations of a FPCS sponsored event’s sound policy or ban list, including bringing animals that are not service animals. For Playa del Fuego that list can be found here https://playadelfuego.org/ban-list/
Participants in violation of this Code of Conduct at any FPCS sponsored event may be removed from that event, depending on the severity of the transgression. All removals from the event will result in a Conduct Committee case to review for additional repercussions, up to and including the suspension from participation in one or more future FirePony Creative Society-sponsored events (such as Playa del Fuego and Constellation). Other actions, such as a formal warning or the removal from volunteer position(s) are also possible.
Transgressions that violate federal, state, or local laws will be escalated to the appropriate authority.
The prohibited behaviors outlined in this document are a non-exhaustive list. Nothing in this document is intended to or shall waive the right of the FirePony Creative Society Board of Directors to restrict the access of an individual or entity to any FPCS sponsored event as it may determine, in its sole discretion, is warranted.