Introduction

Land Acknowledgement

We gather for SideBurn on the traditional territories of the Haudenosaunee, the Anishinaabe, the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte, the Huron-Wendat, the Mississaugas, and other Indigenous peoples from across Turtle Island. We are grateful to have the opportunity to work and build community on this land.

This Year’s Theme: Chromatic Carnival!

Imagine stepping into a world where every corner explodes with colour, a kaleidoscope of vibrant hues that dance across the landscape. Each camp and installation becomes a living canvas, with bold, electric shades splashing across every surface like a giant, immersive festival of light.

From the moment you arrive, you’re enveloped in a playful atmosphere where the energy of creativity and self-expression pulses through the air. By day, sunlight refracts through translucent art pieces, casting rainbows and radiant beams that transform the environment into a shifting chromatic wonderland.

At night, the carnival comes alive in a blaze of neon and LED displays, where lights flicker and glow in chaotic harmony, painting the sky with dynamic hues. Participants are encouraged to become part of the art, using movement, light, and sound to shape the visual experience in real time.

The Chromatic Carnival theme invites every participant to embrace the joy and freedom of self-expression through colour. Whether through glowing installations, interactive sculptures, or wearable art, this vibrant, ever-evolving environment will be a feast for the senses—where the spirit of community and creativity is reflected in a dazzling, ever-changing tapestry of light and colour.

Learn more about the event.

The 10 Principles

As an officially sanctioned regional Burning Man event, SideBurn subscribes to the 10 Principles as guidelines. They are:

1. Radical Inclusion: Anyone can be a part of Burning Man. We welcome and respect the stranger.
2. Gifting: Burning Man is devoted to acts of gift giving. The value of a gift is unconditional. Gifting does not contemplate a return or an exchange for something of equal value.
3. Decommodification: In order to preserve the spirit of gifting, our community seeks to create special environments that are unmediated by commercial sponsorships, transactions, or advertising. We stand ready to protect our culture from exploitation. We resist the substitution of consumption for participatory experience.
4. Radical Self Reliance: Burning Man encourages individuals to discover, exercise and rely on his/her/their inner resources.
5. Radical Self-Expression: Radical self-expression arises from the unique gifts of the individual. No one other than the individual or collaborating group can determine its contents. It is offered as a gift to others. In this spirit, the giver should respect the rights and liberties of the recipient.
6. Communal Effort: Our community values creative cooperation and collaboration. We strive to produce, promote, and protect social networks, public spaces, works of art, and methods of communication that support such interaction.
7. Civic Responsibility: We value a civil society. Community members who organize events should assume responsibility for public welfare and endeavor to communicate civic responsibilities to participants. They must also assume responsibility for conducting events in accordance with local, Provincial, and federal laws.
8. Leave No Trace: Our community respects the environment. We are committed to leaving no physical trace of our activities wherever we gather. We clean up after ourselves and whenever possible leave such places in a better state than when we found them.
9. Participation: Our community is committed to a radically participatory ethic. We believe that transformative change, whether in the individual or in society, can occur only through the medium of deeply personal participation. We achieve being through doing. Everyone is invited to work. Everyone is invited to play.
10. Immediacy: Immediate experience is the most important touchstone of value in our culture. We seek to overcome barriers that stand between us and recognition of our inner selves, the reality of those around us, participation in society, and contact with a natural world exceeding human powers. No idea can substitute for this experience.

Let’s get started!