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Still coming down from last week’s Burning Man, or curious what you’ve been missing all these years? Well, a little sliver of the Nevada desert is coming to our rainy city.
The nonprofit Precipitation Northwest and Portland’s Burning Man community is hosting BurnOn, a Burning Man Decompression event and art show, at Cathedral Park on Oct. 18.
Portland’s BurnOn plans to root itself in Burning Man’s first principle, radical inclusion, inviting attendees of all ages to experience art installations and immersive works, live performances, and fire after dark (burn ban permitting). True to Burning Man’s ethos, there will be zero vendors, and guests are encouraged to bring food and drink. This year’s BurnOut event is free, but $5–$25 donations are welcomed to help cover the event costs, including permitting and bathrooms.
While artists are still being confirmed, guests are encouraged to not only attend, but get involved. “Portlanders are very much encouraged to bring their own creativity to the event within the bounds of what is permissible in a family friendly setting in a public park,” says a BurnOn producer known as Partybutt. “Costumes, portable art and general creative good times are strongly encouraged.”
For those under a rock not at Black Rock, Burning Man is a weeklong immersive event focused on “advancing a more creative, connected and thriving society,” noted by the Burning Man Project, the organization behind the event. Originally started in 1986 on Baker Beach in San Francisco, the event has since moved to the Nevada desert and grown to attract tens of thousands from around the globe (and the internet), still culminating with the burning of “the man,” a giant wooden structure.
Decompression events are generally held a few weeks after the burn ends in September and October as local reunions. Precipitation Northwest, a burner-run nonprofit based in Portland, will be running the officially sanctioned Portland event, and also hosts an annual Oregon-based Burning Man called Soak in Tygh Valley.
GO: BurnOn at Cathedral Park, 6635 N Baltimore Ave. Noon–10 pm Saturday, Oct. 18. $5–$25 suggested donation.
