"In order to preserve the spirit of gifting, our community seeks to create social environments unmediated by commercial sponsorships, transactions, or advertising."โ from the 10 Principles of Burning Man, written by Larry Harvey (2004)
What it means
No ads, no logos, no brands, no sponsorships, no transactions. For one week, you are not a consumer.
Cover the logos on your rental truck (it's tradition โ and the org asks you to).
Experiences are not for sale. Nobody is monetizing your attention out there.
๐ข How the Turtles live it
Our camp gives everything and sells nothing. Even our tech is decommodified: the camp agent is open source, not a product. We move slow and bite new technologies โ adopting them on OUR terms, not because someone's marketing department said so.
First-burn tips
It takes ~2 days for your brain to stop looking for things to buy. Enjoy the detox.
Tape over brand logos on your gear if you can โ it's part of the aesthetic and the ethic.
'How much do I owe you?' is the one question that gets you funny looks out there.