AfrikaBurn 2026: 27 April to 3 May

Image credit: Simon Watson

Image credit: Simon Watson

Image credit: Simon Watson

Image credit: Simon Watson

Image credit: Simon Watson

Image credit: Simon Watson

Image credit: Simon Watson

Image credit: Simon Watson

Image credit: Simon Watson

Image credit: Simon Watson

AfrikaBurn will blow your hair back whichever way you choose to experience it. The more you do, the more fun you’ll have – guaranteed, because it’s a do-ocracy – a place where you’re welcome to start something, make something or do anything (within reason). Forget standing at the sidelines – jump in with both feet and get busy!

As a volunteer-driven event and organisation, AfrikaBurn offers many ways in which anyone can participate. A good starting point would simply to ask yourself what it is you’d like to do, and see where that skill or contribution would fit. Take a look at the following areas, find one that suits you, and then step up, rock up and prepare to have a lot of fun.

Image: Simon Watson

How can you participate?

For a start there’s a host of volunteer roles that need filling at the event each year – and there’s a full list below where you can read about those, and sign up. You can pick your own shifts, and choose what suits you.

If you’re not sure what you want to volunteer for, no problem – you can hop on over to the Volunteer Facebook page, and check out what they’re looking for right now, or get in touch with volunteer@afrikaburn.com and they’ll help you find your niche.

Vital Volunteering Roles

There’s many areas we need assistance with, but there’s three major areas with the most guts and glory. That’s Rangering, Sanctuary and DPW. Check them out below:

Tankwa Town Rangers are participants who volunteer a portion of their time at AfrikaBurn in service of the safety and well-being of the AfrikaBurn community. Rangers – also known as The Orange – act as non-confrontational community mediators, providers of reliable information, facilitators of public safety, and promoters of the eleven guiding principles upon which AfrikaBurn is based.

Day and night, pairs of Rangers can be found walking and bicycling throughout Tankwa Town, engaging with the community, enjoying the art, and helping participants respond to situations that can range from directing people to the nearest loo to finding lost children, managing burn perimeters, and supporting overwhelmed participants.

Rangers are not a security force. Our event has accredited security that are hired for the period, and they are there to lock down the gate if required and back up the Rangers under extreme circumstances. Within Tankwa Town. ‘law and order’ is maintained by two assumptions. First, Radical Self Reliance means that each participant is responsible and proactive in terms of their own well-being and, in terms of Participation and Civil Responsibility, proactive in terms of the well-being of others. Second, the volunteer-based Ranger organization takes responsibility for working with participants to identify risks, dangers, or hazards, then working with the appropriate departments to minimize, manage, or mediate them.

Becoming a Ranger entails coming to a five-hour training session and then signing up for at least one shift at the event. The more shifts, the more events, the more experience, and the more roles you learn, the more you can contribute to your AfrikaBurn community as well as your own communities and workplaces.

Rangers work within one or more of six organisational roles at the event:

Dust Rangers form the core of all Ranger services. These Rangers walk around, talk to people, visit, interact with AfrikaBurn and all its art, advocate for the 11 Principles, and apply them with compassion where and if needed. These Rangers are the eyes and ears for the whole Ranger crew. They know much about Tankwa Town because they see it all first!

Specialise in helping participants through difficult situations that have a strong emotional or internal component. Green Dots are patient listeners who seek to hold space for participants undergoing inner transformation or experiencing internal or emotional distress.

Fire Perimeter support burning art projects by managing a perimeter between participants and open flame. They work closely with the artists and Fire Safety to organise, train, and deploy Rangers around a burn site.

Knowledgeable and experienced support in the field for other Rangers by offering face to face advice, backup, and coordination support.

Supporting Rangers on shift. At Ranger Headquarters, Tortoise – the call sign for Shift Leads – monitors the Ranger radio channels. When needed, they secure resources to support situations and communicate with other departments to ensure timely response to incidents.

Ranger One is a very special role for seriously experienced and capable Rangers. As the top Ranger on duty, they advise the Shift Leads on complex issues and work with other departments to deliver the best response possible to difficult community situations.

With our city population growing each year, we need more Rangers in Tankwa Town than ever before. We are always looking for qualified Rangers to staff over four thousand hours of shifts during the event.

If you, or anyone in your camp or crew, are interested in stepping up, please feel free to join us at the various training dates planned throughout the year in various South Africa cities, or join us at a training at the event. We all hold the space together, and together can we hold it right.

Have further questions about Rangers? Mail us on rangers@afrikaburn.com

Interested in becoming a Ranger? Check out the following Training dates below.

These dates and times are still to be announced.

All training sessions happen in the Training Tent at Off-Centre Camp.

When they’re open, you’ll be able to click below to sign up for shifts. 

It’s a calm place of safety where anyone having challenging experiences in the dust (and at our events elsewhere) are able to be helped.

Participants can often become overwhelmed by the extreme desert conditions: wind, dust, soop (sound out of place), temperatures, intense partying and the stress of camping.

Radical self-reliance when things get hectic can look like leaning on camp mates, neighbours and friends, asking for help, and figuring out ways to prevent common challenges before they happen. Sanctuary, created by both the org and the community as a gift of support to Tankwa Town, is one of the places to come and ask for help.

Sanctuary offers a safe and supportive space at Off Centre Camp between Medics and Ranger HQ, to regain balance through peer support and practical help with wellbeing like rest, refreshments and care. Sanctuary also works with the operations team to put prevention strategies in place to reduce future community challenges.

There are 4 roles open to volunteers that meet the approval criteria:

  1. Tangle (peer support)
  2. HarbourMaster (shift lead)
  3. Space-keeper (zen wrangler)
  4. Door-keeper (greeter)

Shifts are 24/7 beginning when the gates officially open, and ending on the Monday of Exodus, 6 hours long:

6:00 to 12:00
12:00 to 18:00
18:00 to 24:00
24:00 to 06:00

To sign up for a Sanctuary shift you need:

  • to receive approval of your application
  • to complete Sanctuary training before your first shift. Orientation is provided when you arrive in Sanctuary for your shift.

NB: It would be super if you had previous harm reduction, medical, mental health, and/or psychological counselling experience (psychiatric nurses, psychiatrists, psychologists, registered counsellors and social workers most welcome).

Application for 2025 can be found here. 

DPW are our Department of Public Works, and they’re spoken about more over here

To make Tankwa Town function smoothly takes a small army of volunteer to fill over 3,000 shifts – and every year we have an amazing showing by many people, but there are always a lot of shifts left open that you could help with.

Afraid not: our event takes place on a private nature reserve, which means that no pets of any kind are permitted. RIP Maffy The Rat, 2011.

There are loads of reasons – firstly, it’s great fun and you get to meet loads of people. Volunteering also gets you involved in the do-ocracy that creates the magic of Tankwa Town. Volunteering also embodies the principles of gifting, civic responsibility, decommodification – and best of all you’ll feel great for doing it.

Please email the volunteer team – or alternatively, sign up at the event by heading over to the Volunteer booth at Off-Centre Camp to see what needs doing.

The great feeling that you are a huge part of team. You might also receive a MOOP bag and various items depending on how many shifts you complete.

Oh, and a network of close, connected friends from around the planet. People you’d never meet in the default, with whom you’ll do things that you never thought possible. 

Hell, yes! It’s the best way to learn about how things work, meet new people and complete your experience.

Absolutely: all the available shift descriptions can be found below. Still uncertain? Mail volunteer@afrikaburn.com

Sorry, no. Only by having volunteers fill over 3,000 shifts can we keep ticket prices as low as possible.

For sure – we welcome it. Get in touch with us at volunteer@afrikaburn.com to find out how.

Depending on what your skills are and how you wish to volunteer, we’ll find activities in your area and match you. Please email volunteers@afrikaburn.com and let them know of your wonderful offer.

Head to Off-Centre Camp 15 minutes before your shift starts and check in with the friendly Volunteer Booth crew.

Absolutely, yes. Head to the Volunteer Booth at Off-Centre Camp and find out what is still available.

One beauty about volunteering is you get to choose how you would like to gift your time. You’re welcome to volunteer for anything that interests you.

Shift times vary from 2 hours to 6 hours, depending on what you choose to do.

Yes in two ways, either by attending a briefing beforehand – which some portfolios do, and others you will be shown the ropes when you arrive.

Yes, and details can be sent to you. The details will also be here on our site and if you missed any of those, then go to the Volunteer Booth and find out when the trainings are scheduled.

For info on our Ranger Training dates click here, and for info on Sanctuary Training click on over this way.

Make contact with a Theme Camp by browsing the Theme Camps Group. Then ask them if you can join!

Sure – mail art@afrikaburn.com and they’ll get back to you.

Yes. We hold a few before the event in Cape Town and in Joburg. We’ll be putting those dates on our site, on social media and also will email you directly. You can also keep an eye on upcoming Volunteer Days at our HQ on the Volunteers At AfrikaBurn Facebook page.

Yes you may. You can either change it yourself through sign up genius on line before the event or come straight to the Volunteer Booth at Off Centre Camp. However please, no changes if there are less than 24hrs before your shift

Consider doing one at another time or looking at the many other volunteer roles available.

That’s easy. Sign up together or come speak to the Volunteer Booth crew at Off-Centre Camp.

 

When shift lists on our Participation page are open, you can check shifts and who else has signed up.

If you’re at the event and cannot remember come to the Volunteer Booth at Off-Centre Camp anytime – the shifts are on a notice board right next to the Booth.

Check up on the sign up genius page, when you log in, it will inform you of the shifts you have signed up for. Any problems please write to volunteer@afrikaburn.com or come along to the Volunteer Booth at Off-Centre Camp at the event.

Ranger Stiletto, photo by Sean Furlong

Sign up for event shifts here:

Working here means you’re the reception desk for arriving artists and theme camps, both registered and unregistered. You’d get to help them locate their designated spots (or find them one). This is a great way to meet the people that create the magic of Tankwa Town.

Volunteer here.

More information: art@afrikaburn.com

The Artefactory is a museum of all things AfrikaBurn. It’s a mélange for explorers seeking to learn its history, the 11 Principles, previous events, creative initiatives and Miss Nesbitt’s memoires, all of which are showcased in displays within a giant shipping container. It also features the best rooftop viewing deck where you can sit and watch things happen out of the blue.

If you have ever wanted your own night at the museum tale, or just wanted to be a part of telling this maginificent story, come work at the Artefactory for some curatorial cosiness. 

Volunteer here.

A shift in the Box Office takes you out of the desert elements for 4 hours and puts you into the hot seat at one of the Box Office windows, scanning the many burners arriving in the desert into Tankwa Town.

Some shifts are extremely busy, and some are quiet, so be prepared to work both eventualities. It’s always fun working a Box Office shift, and we invite you to join the Box Office furniture. You may even get a shirt out of it!

Sign up here.

For more info, send an email to: patsy@afrikaburn.com

CHILLAZ, situated at the epicenter of the Off Centre, exists as a hub and a platform for all artists, performers, and creatives looking for a stage in dusty Tankwa Town.

Chillaz is looking for volunteers to fill various roles during their event, including stage manager, technical support, fluffers, artist booker, and stagehands.

Chillaz Signup

Love the smell of LRP in the morning?! Why not hitch a ride on the back of a butterfly, a bumblebee or a unicorn? Come meet the builders, artists and creators, get to know them and be inspired to maybe build your own. So get on the highway, point yourself our way, DMV awaits.

Volunteer for registration here.

And if you’re a strong super shift lead, click here. 

Our DPW are responsible for creating the key infrastructure of the event: roads, signage, toilets and much more. Like getting your hands dirty? Your skills will be put to good use working with the DPW.

In order to take on the role of being DPW crew volunteer, you’ll need up to five weeks free time out in the Tankwa Karoo.

Read more about DPW herehere and here. The form is on one of those pages – consider finding it the first part of your application process. 

Beyond chopping vegetables and preparing meals, it’s an invitation to shape the communal spirit and radical self-expression that define AfrikaBurn. Join a family of like-minded individuals, where every task contributes to the vibrant tapestry of this temporary city in the Tankwa Karoo.

The application process for kitchen is the same as for DPW, so follow the links on those pages.

For more information, email kitchen@afrikaburn.com 

When people arrive with Tankwa stars in their eyes, this is the crew that processes them and their tickets. It’s a great way to meet loads of people, and share in the stoke of arrival. Sound good? It is good.

Volunteer here.

You shall not pass! 

Bubbly? Enthusiastic? Fancy welcoming the citizens of Tankwa Town with a smile, song or dance? Perfect. Get to dress up and welcome, orientate and inform people as they arrive.

Volunteer here.

Visit the Facebook Page

They dish out the coolest – and only – product sold in Tankwa Town. It’s a great way to meet people, and earn the undying admiration of thirsty and hot burners.

Volunteer here.

Ice Ice Baby

Every year, behind the scenes, the hard-working Kitchen Crew swings into action to keep the AB staff steady on their feet 24/7 by keeping them fed and well-hydrated.  Even if you’re a kitchen novice, come and help prep, serve, and of course, clean up.  You’ll have unique, behind the scenes, interactions with folk from all over the world who make AB happen.

Volunteer here!

Our Just In (e) booth is where all the missing things are collected. From lost cameras to lost minds, you can find it all here. Shifts involve manning the booth, receiving lost items and logging them and then reuniting people with found items.

Volunteer here.

Contact lostandfound@afrikaburn.com for more details. 

The Tankwa Karoo is a pristine environment, but all the stuff that hits the ground has to be removed, and despite the fact that AfrikaBurn is a Leave No Trace event, some people don’t read – or sometimes forget – the manual. Which is when MOOP happens. (Matter Out Of Place)! Got some karma to earn?

Volunteer here.

In keeping with our core principle of ‘leave no trace,’ we are firmly committed to the responsible management of waste.

The art of waste separation and recycling is a pivotal element of our overarching sustainability mission, and its success depends on the dedication and collaborative efforts of individuals like yourself.

Volunteer here!

Rangers aren’t the police or security, but rather there to make sure everyone has a good time and doesn’t get hurt. They’re active participants in the community, who promote awareness of what AfrikaBurn is all about and point out potential hazards. Rangers walk about, engage with the community and mediate where necessary.

So if you enjoy assisting others, guiding the odd burner through a difficult circumstance and generally enjoy keeping the peace, you’re Ranger material. But bear in mind you must be calm, flexible and have a sense of humour.

Meet up with Rangers here: Info & Training Page

Dust Ranger Shifts:
Please ensure you have completed Dust Ranger training before signing up to shift.
 
Senior Ranger Shifts:
Senior shifts are only open to experienced Senior Tankwa Rangers and those who have completed the relevant Tankwa Senior Ranger Training.

Learn a little more about them herehereand even here.

It’s the place where anyone can go if they’re having a hard time, or feeling overwhelmed. If it’s a physical or psychological challenge people are facing and it’s too much to handle, our Sanctuary crew will be on hand to assist in a calm, peaceful space. And you’re welcome to join the team. Contact Sanctuary here: sanctuary@afrikaburn.com

*Please note you need to have done Sanctuary training to be able to volunteer.

For info on Sanctuary (and a link to sign up, if you have the required skills), head back up this page.

Skollie Patrollie is at the heart of the dance of vehicles in the dust. They’re Tankwa Town’s self-managed volunteer traffic crew. They help keep people on and off the road, keep an eye on speeding nonsense, and generally are sensible in a crisis. 

Got a hankering for keeping things safe from a distance? Want to make sure our town is ship-shape?

Volunteer here.

In Ghost Rider we trust.

Voted ‘Most Satisfying Crew in 2022’, these are the peeps that roll around in the morning making sure that the loos are stocked and clean and ready to go!

It’s a SUPER fun few hours (especially on the days that we find deposits from the Gifting Fairies) and you get to rest easy in the knowledge that YOU have taken care of some shit for the day.

Throne crew shifts are here. 

More about toiletsthrones and greywater.

Ever wanted to spend some time at the nerve centre, and encourage people to sign up for shifts and help burners volunteer for what they want to do to make this event what it is?

Volunteer for volunteer shifts at the volunteer booth here.

Once we all get back from the desert and have shaken the dust out of our hair, then it’s (nearly immediately) time to gather again at our Decompression. It’s like a massive family picnic & jol, with art and music and all the cool things you find in Tankwa Town. 

Interested in helping out with Decompression? Mail decom@afrikaburn.com or mail volunteer@afrikaburn.com if you just want to help out.

If you’re looking for a theme camp, artwork or mutant vehicle crew to join, we’re busy working on a new solution to help people find their places. Please email art@afrikaburn.com, themecamps@afrikaburn.com or dmvreg@afrikaburn.com if you would like to volunteer on projects. They’ll be able to assist you. 

Our event and community are built on active participation. You’re welcome to raise your hand at any time and put yourself forward and get involved. Apart from our main annual event in the Tankwa Karoo, there are also others like Decompression and Streetopia where you could pitch in.

Visit the Portfolios Section for contact details and get in touch to find out how you can get involved in the organisation, or contribute to various ongoing projects. You’re also welcome to consider joining the organisation as a Member in order to provide oversight, guidance and input. Read up on how the organisation is managed, and how you can become a Member.

You can also fill out the Volunteer form online or email volunteer@afrikaburn.com and a volunteer coordinator will get back to you.

There are a bunch of other ways to unleash your imagination. So, if you plan on creating a Theme Camp, building an Artwork, bringing a Performance or driving a Mutant Vehicle around, we have loads of info about these below.

Art & Performances

Been bitten by the art bug? Got an idea to get out, and a dream to chase?
Let’s get you started!

Theme camps

Keen to create a community space where anyone can collaborate and participate? Check out more of the available info here. 

Mutant vehicles

Art car? Mutant Vehicle? Mobile artwork? 
If it’s got a motor and you can’t lift it with your arms, you need to read here. 

Fundraising

Raising money for your project can be hard. We’ve put together a host of tips and tricks to assist you on your funraiser.

Media & Photography

If you’re looking to take photos or videos at the event, please read through the media guidelines, and consider registering.

Decommodification

Your gift should not be a reflection of, or associated with, your Default job. In Tankwa Town, nothing and no one is a product. 

Firstly: 10KMH IS THE SPEED LIMIT

Mobile art? Damn right! At AfrikaBurn a piece of mobile art is called a Mutant Vehicle and they can include motorised …anything, really. Cars. Bikes. Couches. Bars. Jellyfish. Bees. Mice. Bunnies. Zebra. Pacman. You get the picture.

But to drive your mutant vehicle, it has to be significantly modified – and licensed by our Department of Mutant Vehicles (the DMV). If your car looks like a car, and doesn’t invite participation, it won’t be allowed to drive around.

E-BIKES?

The same applies to e-Bikes: any electrically-powered vehicle (scooters, trikes, tuk-tuks etc) with over 400 Watts of power must be mutated, and registered.

To find out more about e-Bikes, please see our policy here.

If you are thinking about bringing a Mutant Vehicle to AfrikaBurn please download and read the guidelines:

Mutant: Armadillo
Image: Reza Assar

DMV Safety Guidelines

DMV MOOP Guidelines

DMV Flame Effects Guidelines

Flame effects emergency plan

Theme camps are designed and created with the intention of welcoming, engaging and entertaining other participants. Think of them as little spaces within the larger village of Tankwa Town. You’re collectively creating a spaceship open to all who want to participate, and generating a fabulous project to share with the community.

You can do anything that tickles your fancy …

… a sunset margarita bar, an afternoon braai and ice-cream station, an epic party, a soulful sound experience, a massage centre, a chill space, offer comfort, a talk, a demonstration, lost mind insurance policies, a water fountain, a bakery, a dance class… what are you good at that others would enjoy, and that you’d like to share?

Your camp can be tiny, it can be enough for 2 or 3 guests at a time, or a dozen, or it could go full massive and be large enough to handle hundreds of people – no matter the size it’s all welcome, and we suggest you try and tackle a camp that suits your crew size, and your resources.

If you’re thinking about creating a theme camp, please read the following docs:

Theme camps are the pulsing heart of Tankwa Town. These criteria was worked out to enable everyone to have a clear parameter in which to operate. There is a summary at the end that can serve as a check list.

  1. What should you offer? Something…anything! Theme Camps must be interactive and have some visual presence. They should include activities, events or services for the Tankwa Town community. Clever, well thought out and unique camps are always well received – and simply providing a venue with sunset cocktails isn’t enough to receive placement on Binnekring Rd. If that’s what you want to do though, don’t be deterred, please go ahead, but we can’t reserve a space for you. Bear in mind that some camp crew should be at your camp at all times in order for your activities to be as accessible to others as possible – especially if located on Binnekring Rd.
  2. Daytime – only doesn’t cut it on the ‘Kring. A camp that is a hub of activity during the day but closed at night will leave gaping dark and lonely hole on Binnekring Rd at night. If you don’t have at least some evening activities planned at your camps (a fire brazier and a place for people to gather will go a long way), its unlikely that you will get Binnekring Rd placement.
  3. Be open for the full week. Your camp must be operational throughout the entire week of the AfrikaBurn event (Monday ‘til Sunday). Theme Camps that haven’t arrived in reasonable time will lose their placement and be moved to the private camping area. All registered Theme Camps are allowed early access to the site by utilising early arrival passes.
  4. Keep it tidy. A good MOOP track record will help a lot with requests for Binnekring Rd frontage. Should you have had a theme camp that received red on a past year’s MOOP map, your application for placement will be somewhat compromised. Keep it tidy means a lot in this context.
  5. Keep your SOUND promises. Should you be any kind of sound camp, you’ll need to agree upfront to a certain size sound rig and adhere to the Tankwa Town Sound guidelines for sound camps and also adhere to the sound requirements in the area the camp is placed. (you can check out our Sound Guidelines here).
  6. Play it cool. Theme Camps need to operate within legal parameters. If you’re gifting booze, it can’t be served to underage participants, at all. Not a drop. Seriously – this is a major headache for our Medics, Rangers and community in general. Don’t enable kids getting wasted – play it cool and ask for to see their band (under age kids wear special wristbands)  if in doubt: Tankwa Town may be a Temporary Autonomous Zone, but it’s still in the Republic Of South Africa, so you’re still subject to the laws of the land.
  7. Safety counts too. Our safety guidelines and requirements are important for the same reason as above. Theme Camp leads will be required to adhere to all the safety requirements laid out by our fabulous safety officer.
  8. Your track record counts. We know intentions are mostly always good, but there are some Theme Camps that have been serial “non-deliverers”. These will be viewed as such and the likelihood of placement will be affected by that. The reverse applies too: those camps that are serially amazing will always be considered favourably. Please note: though we can’t always place Theme Camps in the same place as previous years, we will try and accommodate placement requests wherever we can.
  9. Branding? Profit? You’re in the wrong town. This is very serious. AfrikaBurn is a tool for change in the world, and the principle of Decommodification is key to our desert experiment. Branding, promotion and activation of any products or services is just plainly not allowed and deeply uncool. Any Theme Camps operating as a branding or marketing exercise or using branding in any way will be shut down – or at the very least, asked to completely remove or cover up all branding. True story. Similarly, Plug and Play do-all-your-shit-for-you-for-a-fee-camps are a major no-no. Want to run a camp that coins it off guests? Interested in making a killing by supplying accommodation, services and catering? Find another place to do it – Tankwa Town is about relationships – not profits or products.
  10. Idealism. We’re after all an experiment in inventing the world anew, so if your whole camp is powered by solar and wind or other generated power, we’re going to be impressed. Similarly if you have any other innovations that you are using in or at your camp (like greywater evaporation contraptions, or innovative toilet designs), your efforts will be viewed favourably and have an influence on your placement.
  11. Creation/people/gifting/car ratio: Your theme camp space allocation will not be measured on the amount of people in your camp but the size of your gift. The ration is a balance between the number of campers, the offering of your camp and the number of vehicles that you need to run your operations.

The quick checklist for theme camps:

Theme camps should be:

  • visually stimulating
  • offer an interactive experience
  • have a theme
  • offer a service to the citizens of Tankwa Town
  • be neighbourly
  • follow safety protocols
  • have a good previous MOOP record
  • be operational and open to the public from the Monday of the event until the Sunday
  • follow our Plug Play & Profit and Tent Policies.
  • to adhere to the Sound Policy and work with our SOOP Rangers.

If your camp is massive with many people, don’t expect to be placed in the tightest part of Tankwa Town. Binnekring frontage is under a lot of pressure, so of your camp has many people and only a small offering to the public, please don’t expect to be placed on a busy frontage like Binnekring Road or 10ish Boulevard.

Whilst we’ll do our best to provide your camp with a great spot, placement is always at the discretion of the Theme Camp committee.

Repsonsibilities of theme camp responsible person/safety officer

YOUR TENT AND STRUCTURES:

  • Tent signed off by an engineer if larger than 100sqm
  • Scaffolding may not be higher than 2m without a structural sign-off

EQUIPMENT AND APPLIANCES:

  • Generator noise needs to be dampened effectively
  • Electrical cables/wires need to be lifted or taped or in a groove in the ground or covered with flooring
  • All branding on equipment & vehicles covered where possible
  • Sound equipment checked by Sound Ranger, and sound zones adhered to
  • Mutant Vehicles licensed at DMV (Registration to happen before arrival at the Burn)

FIRST AID AND HYGIENE:

  • First Aid Box on site and properly stocked
  • Always have hand sanitiser at your camp and on your body
  • RVs with toilets need to insure that they adhere to our wise waste initiative

FIRE SAFETY:

  • Portable fire extinguishers need to be serviced, and their certificate/s valid
    and compliant
  • Theme Camp must have a minimum of 2 x 4.5kg DCP extinguisher and 2 x buckets of sand (for petrol fire firefighting purposes) per 100sqm of tent
  • Please ensure that your extinguisher has been serviced within the last 12 months and is fully charged – if not, then the Theme Camp will need to make a trip to Ceres or Calvinia to purchase one
  • Excess fuel (in a fuel drum) and LPG (more than 90kg) need to be stored at the AfrikaBurn Fuel Dump. Please alert the Safety officer of your excess fuel. The AB Fire Department will come and collect it and deliver it back to you
  • Fuel storage:
    • Distance between Tent and Fuel – 5 metres
    • Distance between Tent and Fire – 5 metres
    • Distance between Fuel and Fire – 10 metres
    • Placed in a triangle.

EMERGENCY AND SAFETY:

All vehicles must be parked with their ‘nose’ to the street in case of emergency

GENERAL RESPONSIBILITY & ETIQUETTE:

If you encounter a vulnerable participant in your Theme Camp, please bring them to the Sanctuary, which is next door to the Medics or alert a Ranger

  • Proper lock-up area of alcohol after “closing time”
  • Be responsible when gifting alcohol, do not gift alcohol to under-age
    persons (check for yellow wristbands)
  • Make provision for safe parking area for Mutant Vehicle on camp site
  • Manage camp layout (ensure no vehicles are parked in the road)

The Safety Officer will come past and ensure that this is all in order before signing off your Theme Camp.

Thinking about joining or collaborating with a theme camp? Head over to the Theme Camp group and see if you can join one!

Once upon a time, there was a funky little desert kumbaya that got real popular as it grew up. But as things got bigger, some folks just wanted to rock up & enjoy the fruits of other people’s labour of love. They were keen on the action, but just weren’t up for working for it, or getting down & dirty in the dust. So they sought out ways to pay for their comforts, and some people were keen to provide that comfort, for a tidy profit.

The End? Nope – because that’s not how Tankwa Town works.

With growth in popularity, the AfrikaBurn event has experienced a rise in the commodification of our culture in the form of people and organisations that have utilised the event to turn a profit. These camps and package tours have various names: ‘Turnkey camps’, ‘Plug and Play camps’, ‘Concierge camps’. For our purposes here, we refer to them as Plug, Play and Profit Camps.

Camps of this nature compromise the experience of actively participating in the creation of  Tankwa Town, as well as the culture that it espouses which aspires to affect the world in a positive way. It results in people missing the fundamental point of the experience altogether and goes against the efforts of everyone else at AfrikaBurn that participate for the love of it – not the love of profit.

Radical Self-Reliance, Decommodification, Civic Responsibility, Gifting, Participation and Immediacy have been highlighted as the principles that stand the greatest chance of being compromised by Plug, Play and Profit camps. (see here for a detailed explanation of the guiding principles).

Through consultations over many years, our community has voiced the opinion that Plug, Play and Profit camps go against our 11 guiding principles and compromise the essence of the experience. And so our Theme Camp team have developed mechanisms to ensure that some basic rules of play are adhered to. The main mechanisms utilised are these:

  1.  The development of a Supplier Process (and Supplier Gate at our event site). Read about it here.
  2. “Good standing” evaluation criteria
  3. Withholding placement and listing of camps
  4. Withholding the right of a PPP camp operator to return to the event
  • The camp (private or a registered theme camp) advertises or engages in commodification. There is a range of these: product placement, selling services such as putting up tents, cleaning the camp, making the meals, where participants are waited on and add nothing to collective experience. There is no toil.
  • Your camp collaborates with concierge companies selling package tours (there is a range of these too) that involve transport, flights, hotels etc.
  • Your camp places clients of concierge / package tour companies in your camp.
  • If we received feedback from other AfrikaBurn departments or the community that you sold or advertised goods or services during AfrikaBurn.
  • Your camp turns a profit which is not used to fuel future creative projects.

What does that all mean? Read the Plug and Play Guidelines here.

To help you navigate the territory when it comes to camp plans, check out these handy flowcharts:

Click on either image to view a large & zoomable PDF version.



A easy to check reference guide is outlined below:

CAMPERS:

  • Check there are no staff serving you
  • Make sure of your duties in the camp
  • Make sure your package deal does not include a profit – insist on seeing the books if it’s not evident where the money goes.

CAMP LEADS:

  • Open Books
  • Full responsibility in terms of PPnP Policy
  • Ensure all campers have and know their responsibilities before arriving in the desert.

If you have plans to bring a Theme Camp, or a Mutant Vehicle or Artwork to the dust, you might have plans for fundraiser events in support of your projects. We encourage you to fundraise – and get creative in finding ways to source the materials you need to do the thing you want to do – and we have some important information for you around this.

First things first: please don’t use the San Clan emblem, or the date badge from our website, on your  promo material in a branding fashion. We’re a decommodified community and organisation, and wouldn’t want our identity used in a context that could create the impression that AfrikaBurn endorses, or is associated with, any brands.

If you use our identity it can create the impression that your event event is ‘organised by AfrikaBurn’, which can be problematic. More than that, your events are an opportunity for you to develop your identity as a Theme Camp, Mutant Vehicle, Artwork or Performance. Use that to your advantage.

Want a Handy Fundraising Guide?

As it happens, our crafty creative team has put together a helpful PDF that provides lots of valuable tips that will assist you in making the best decisions for your planned fundraiser. You can grab the Fundraising Guide here, read it, and share it with your Collective crew members.

Good luck with your fundraising! Get creative and think out of the box – there are many ways to raise funds. You’re resourceful – make it happen!

Are you bringing a camera to AfrikaBurn?

While we actively encourage our participants to leave their cameras and mobile phones at home, AfrikaBurn is such an amazing visual treat that you may want to bring your fancy-pants camera to Tankwa Town and try to take that Photo of a Lifetime™.

However, as AfrikaBurn is an event that is held on private land, you can’t simply arrive and start snapping away.

If you plan to take images and capture media in any shape or form at AfrikaBurn, and you would like to share that content anywhere outside of your own devices, then you will first need to read and understand our Rules and Etiquette Document and (possibly) also need to apply for media accreditation.

We take individual experience, personal space, and privacy very seriously at AfrikaBurn, and if you do not follow the guidelines, then you may find your own AfrikaBurn experience very uncomfortable. 

Are you planning to do anything with the images and content that you collect at AfrikaBurn when you get home?

If so, you must be registered and accredited as press or media.

We have very strong copyright and protection of personal information agreements within our ticket terms and conditions.

If you don’t register before arriving in Quaggafontein and are not accredited as press or media, upon discovery, we would ask you to delete all the images you have captured on-site and hold all your devices until you leave the event site.

This measure is in place to protect our participants and artists from having their creations used without permission.

There is further detailed information in the ‘registration and accreditation’ drop-down below, but in order to gain access to the event, you must get accreditation. If you are in doubt … please contact us and register (we love having accredited media on site and are very nice).

For example, if you plan to:

  • make a short film about your AfrikaBurn experience for your vlog or streaming channel
  • write and publish an article for a newspaper or blog
  • record participant interviews for radio
  • exhibit your photos taken at AfrikaBurn
  • publish your photos to your professional Instagram profile
  • use your content captured at AfrikaBurn in any commercial way
  • do anything other than look at your photos on your personal devices

You have to register and be approved as media using the form below. Once approved as media, unless you are an enthusiastic amateur, you must also sign the Tankwa Town Media Agreement document. This gives our community full control over how your content captured at the event can and cannot be used.

Despite the need for all the above, we absolutely love working with respectful and ethical members of the press, documentary filmmakers, photographers and creatives. All the images you see on this entire website have been gifted to us to use by past participants and have been captured and shared in a responsible manner … it’s just the right thing to do.

So, whether you’re a happy snapper with a point ‘n shoot, a professional photographer, or even taking shots for a media title, you need to be 100% respectful of people’s right to privacy. Even if they’re naked as the day they were born, the onus is on you as the photographer to request permission if the image you intend to record would in any way infringe on another person’s rights.

One important thing to bear in mind about AfrikaBurn is that it’s not a public event – it’s held on private land, with access limited to those who have tickets. This means that unless you have express written permission to publish people on photos or film, you can’t.

Why? Because it’s kak against the spirit of what we do to publish your fellow participants in the media without their knowledge – especially when the person you plan on photographing is naked or semi-naked. In the same sense that you wouldn’t want your photo taken and published without your knowledge, taking pictures of other people – no matter whether naked, fully clothed or asleep – without their permission is unacceptable. This includes images that could make their way onto social media sites or be featured in the mainstream press.

Suppose you’re taking shots of inanimate objects, art or landscapes. In that case, these considerations change – but in those instances, if you’re shooting an artwork or other creation, it’s good practice to attribute those artists and creators where possible. If you don’t know the name of an artwork, Mutant Vehicle, or Theme Camp, check out Quaggapedia for the details – or just ask someone. The team at our Arteria (located right next door to Off-Centre Camp) are at your disposal: you can always ask them for the ID on artworks and artists – and they have event guides available for you to use for the same purpose.

Though there are lots of festivities at AfrikaBurn, in essence it’s an arts event that attracts people from all walks of life who are involved in myriad projects that come to life in the desert. It’s not a music festival.

So, in your pursuit of your story, consider your focus. If you’re planning a video about pretty people making duckface on dancefloors, you’re really not adding anything to the smorgasbord of colourful content already available on the internet. However, if you plan to hone in on artworks, personal stories and the creative process? That’s the kind of storyline and content that does justice to the hard work and creativity that’s on show in Tankwa Town. It will be more popular.

If you’re applying for accreditation, know this: proposals that keep the essence of the event in focus are favoured above any other, as the art, mutant vehicles, magic, costume and décor created and gifted by the thousands of participants is where the real story lies.

If you’re only looking to capture the dancefloors at our event, perhaps consider other events – because (much as we love and respect the crews that pour their hearts into incredible immersive sound spaces) there’s a lot more to AfrikaBurn than sound systems, dancefloors, and sparkle ponies.

If you’re aiming to shoot a music video, promotional clip or get footage at AfrikaBurn that’s aimed at marketing a product, please be aware that permission and accreditation are not provided for projects of that nature.

Why? Because – in line with our principle of Decommodification – our community doesn’t seek to profit off each other or use our culture as a backdrop for commercial enterprise. This includes using AfrikaBurn, or the artworks and people who make the event what it is, as props.

So here’s the deal: as mentioned, personal use of photos, whether kept for private use or shared on social media, is fine – though the usual rules of consent and consideration still apply. However, with the rise of Instagram and Facebook, new aspects to using photos taken at AfrikaBurn are worth considering.

For example, can you take photos of people at AfrikaBurn to promote products such as clothing, costume wear or accessories by @ and # tagging them on social media platforms?

The short answer: no.

Just like a camping gear or clothing brand, or commercial film shoot of any kind, would never be permitted to come to the event and make use of the art, people and creative contributions as a backdrop or set for their shoot, so the same applies to influencer shoots – or shots shared after the event that seek to draw attention to the products featured in the image or video footage. There may be many other events where this form of promotional use of images is absolutely fine – but AfrikaBurn is not other events: it’s an explicitly decommodified space. In other words, nothing in Tankwa Town can be used as a photogenic background for any commercial entity, brand, service or product.

If and when this does happen, our Comms team will step in and request that the content be removed – and anyone leveraging our event or community by using them as a backdrop for a brand photoshoot (on Instagram or anywhere else) can be refused entry at future events.

Civil aviation regulations that apply to drones & UAV’s have rapidly changed over the last few years, with the result that any drone-mounted camera footage is now strictly controlled, especially near areas such as active airspace and over people and populated areas (both of which our city features).

Only drone pilots that are fully certified and permitted in line with CAA regulations are able to apply to shoot airborne footage in or near Tankwa Town.

Recreational drones are not permitted, under any circumstances.

If you have any plans to capture stills or film from a drone, you would need to follow the same registration process as all other registered operators of flying and aerial craft. For more info, read up on the guidelines on Quaggapedia.

Need to contact our team regarding film, photography, blogging or media? Email communications@afrikaburn.com

REGISTRATION & ACCREDITATION

To obtain accreditation, you must please fill in the form below, a part of which is to submit a detailed proposal of what you plan to cover, film or shoot at our event as part of your application.

All photographers need to be aware of our Media & Photography guidelines. You can read and download the Rules & Etiquette doc

Accreditation applications for our 2025 event close on March 26th 2025.

PLEASE NOTE: Accreditation for AfrikaBurn does not entitle the recipient to any benefits (including tickets), and the right to refuse accreditation applications is reserved.

Please note that if you are anything other than an enthusiastic amateur, you will please need to download, sign and submit the Tankwa Town Media Agreement to be able to gain approval. Tankwa Town Media Agreement
Click or drag a file to this area to upload.
Click or drag a file to this area to upload.
Your proposal should include information on the focus of your coverage, and details on where you plan to broadcast or publish.

PLEASE NOTE: proposals that focus on the culture, participants and creative process will be considered favourably. Stock photography or projects of a commercial nature will not be approved. PDF’s only, minimum 300 words.
Click or drag a file to this area to upload.
A blank Tankwa Town Media agreement can be downloaded here.
Tankwa Town Media Agreement
Whilst we’ll try to set up interviews and connect you with our team, there are no guarantees out in the dust.

Purpose

This information pack provides links to South African history, data and statistics, diversity theory and a couple of simple practical exercises, to help us better understand AfrikaBurn within the context of the Burn Community and AfrikaBurn within the context of South Africa and the African continent. It’s an opportunity to bring awareness to own power and positions that we carry as individuals.

Bolded links to articles are must reads.

Other links provide background and are recommended reading.

Table 2: Racism, micro-aggressions, white privilege and fragility

Article/video titles

Links

4 Ways White People Can Process Their Emotions Without Bringing the White Tears

Jonathan Jansen: Dear White Brothers and Sisters, We Need To Talk…

How microaggressions are like mosquito bites, same difference

Aamer Rahman (Fear of the Brown Planet) Reverse Racism

Eusebius McKaiser Not a racist? Then do something

Things White People can do to process their emotional responses to conversations about race

How I learned to stop worrying and learned how to love discussing race

Melanie Funchess – Implicit Bias

Why I’m no longer talking to white people about race

5 types of Becky’s

Check privilege when asking people of color for labor

Table 4: Perceptions of AfrikaBurn and Burning Man

Article/video titles

Links

Dancing in the name of capitalism

Hard Questions 1 – Devin Isaacs

AfrikaBurn: The unbearable burning of whiteness

Burning Man: A ‘’White People Thing’’?

Table 5: Disability

Article/video titles

Links

Disability rights

Accepted Disability Terminology

Table 7: Diversity, culture, power and identity

Article/video titles

Links

Diversity Continuum

Culture Iceberg

Power Flower

Rusty Radiator

Do you want to perform your music or DJ at AfrikaBurn?

That’s amazing; the gift of music is one of the greatest joys in Tankwa Town (just not in the quiet zone). Whether you DJ or sing, play guitar or penny whistle, your performance on Quaggafontein should be given freely and without any expectation of compensation (other than a big round of applause). This creates an opportunity for you to connect with the Tankwa Town residents on a much deeper level than if you’d booked the Sydney Opera House and performed for all your mates who like exactly the same tunes as you. 

When a performance or DJ set is gifted, it is given out of a sense of love and passion for the art form rather than for any other type of gain. This creates more meaningful and authentic experiences and is what delivers the magic that you only get at a Burn event (compared to Coachella or Glastonbury). 

It’s very important to our community that, as a decommodified space, you do not see the AfrikaBurn event as an opportunity to promote your DJ career or brand. While it’s essential to credit any creative performance appropriately, we encourage you to free yourself from any perception of the default world and perform entirely anonymously. 

AfrikaBurn is your opportunity to turn your phone off, take a break from promoting how great your life is, and “be here now.” If we’re not careful, AfrikaBurn could end up like the rest of the world, where advertising is so pervasive it doesn’t always register when we’re being sold to.

How cool would it be to go and see a random band called ‘The Churnups’ and then discover it’s the Foo Fighters? When you’re in Tankwa Town, we encourage you to be more like Larry Lurex instead of Freddie Mercury.

If you’re a superstar singer or DJ, use AfrikaBurn to take a night off and play the music you want to instead of the music your default world audience expects you to.

Photo: Gautier Berr

After the event, we encourage you to share any performance or DJ set in the default world in the same manner. If you really want to share your set/performance from AfrikaBurn, please don’t do it in a way that makes it look like you’re a resident act at AfrikaBurn to get opportunities in the default world. Use your gift to teach others why AfrikaBurn is so great as a decommodified and unbranded space. 

Have you heard of Bangers and Mash? Hopefully, only if you’ve been to AfrikaBurn … At AfrikaBurn, they throw legendary intergalactic dance parties in the dust, but outside of the Burn in the default world, nobody has ever paid to get into a Bangers and Mash venue or listen to Bangers and Mash perform. Bangers and Mash aren’t charging you extra for a VVIP ticket to their dancefloor at AfrikaBurn; they let anyone be a part of their soundscape (they also gift banging potato treats on their dancefloor).

Bangers and Mash 2023

Are you a promotor or artist booking agent?

Despite the numerous emails we get from booking agents, AfrikaBurn does not book or curate any performers or DJs at AfrikaBurn. If you want to perform, Radical Self Reliance is key to finding a place to perform your music. Your best way to perform at AfrikaBurn is to start a sound-based Theme Camp or creative project … If your dream is to play a piano in the middle of the desert at midnight, then we’re not going to stop you, but it’s up to you to bring a piano to Tankwa Town and take it all home again. 

You also don’t need to bring a massive rig or a double-decker bus to be able to play your music. You can start small and build your way up over time.  

Our top tips if you want to DJ at AfrikaBurn

  • Join all the AfrikaBurn community social media pages
  • Try to find a camp to join or create a new camp that has the type of performance you want to give in Tankwa Town
  • Don’t make ego-driven posts about how amazing your minimal hardstyle psytrance set is. 
  • Do be authentic about who you are and what performance you want to gift.
  • Don’t tell anyone if/when you will be performing at AfrikaBurn. Shit happens in Tankwa Town, and chances are that you’ll not be performing at a specific time
  • Don’t use AfrikaBurn imagery to promote yourself or your brand
  • Don’t use the fact you ‘played at AfrikaBurn’ to promote your club gigs for the rest of the year
  • Do play and have fun. 
  • Enjoy giving the gift of performance without expectation of anything in return.

The absence of commercialism at AfrikaBurn allows us the rare opportunity to gift rather than sell, to receive rather than buy. It allows us to try social currency instead of transactions.

Some words on this page have been sampled and remixed from Travis Lyle and Charlie Dolman

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