AfrikaBurn 2026: 27 April to 3 May

AfrikaBurn 2025
Image by Jacques Grobler

AfrikaBurn 2023
Image by Georgia Noble

Afrikaburn 2016
Image by Gita Claassen

Mutant Vehicles

Lost? You are here: Home > Event > Participation > Mutant Vehicles

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:

DMV Moop Guidelines

DMV Flame Effects Guidelines

DMV Safety Guidelines

DMV Flame Effects Emergency Plan

Things to consider

Your vehicle’s brakes and lights have to work, and it must be lit up at night – and in order to drive at night, you’ll need to have your Mutant licensed for night driving by the DMV.
Consider safety when designing your art car – whether people are going to be getting on and off it and whether it will be able to carry the capacity that you have in mind.
If your Mutant is going to have flame effects, make them go vertically – horizontal flame effects are dangerous and antisocial.
Never go faster than 10km/h when driving at AfrikaBurn. We repeat: 10KMH IS THE SPEED LIMIT
Pedestrians and bicyclists have right of way
We know (from experience) that it is usually old semi-working cars that get transformed into art cars, so please remember: AfrikaBurn takes place at a remote location that’s reached by a very long and bumpy dirt road. So when thinking about getting your MV out there make sure that you either tow it, truck it or are driving in convoy with a very healthy car with a tow rope and spares.

PLEASE NOTE:

You must register your MV well before you leave for Tankwa Town. Please don’t arrive at AfrikaBurn with an unregistered MV, as it will be grounded (which would be kak).

Register Mutant Vehicle

NOTE:

Registration of Mutant Vehicle info for our WTF Guide closes at the end of March.
Final registration date for mutant vehicles is midnight 5 April 2026.

To register your Mutant:

A wrangler will get hold of you after that via email. The conversation about your application will carry on through that email.

What to do with your mutant vehicle on arrival

Upon arrival, all MV’s must be brought to the DMV Testing Station at 6ish and Binnekring. There the DMV crew will check that your MV has been acceptably modified, and will then license you to cruise around in your creation. No license, no cruising – this applies to day or night driving (both of which require a license).

DMV SOOP Guidelines

Level 1 is a normal car stereo without sub woofers or engine squeaks or unicorn farts, etc. This level permits you to play in most areas unless it’s a silent zone near the temple or other silent art works.

Level 2 any amplified sound, like a taxi. This may only be played in special areas within the Binnekring and deep tankwa.

Level 3 large club or stadium size sound, ie: really loud. These system may only be played at full volume in loud zones with speakers pointing away from Binnekring.

Please be very aware of quiet zones, and the 2am sound cut-off zones, and silent art works; and which way your speakers point. Please consult SOOP map which will be explained to you when you do your final licensing at DMV.