Frostburn - A Burning Man Regional Event in The Winter

We have been known to host a variety of different events at our farm. One of the coolest events that we have had here was called Frostburn. It is a Burning Man regional event that happens in the middle of winter, February to be exact. We hosted it for a few years here on our farm in Western Pennsylvania.

In their own words: "Frostburn is a regional event that brings Burning Man's desert spirit to the winter tundra; a music and arts festival, filled with music, art, fire, dancing, food, and all manner of cold weather fun."

Due to the fact that this event takes place in the middle of winter, temperatures can be extreme. Frostburners need to be prepared, very prepared. You don't want to end up sleeping outside in a pile of snow. Luckily the Frostburners were extremely prepared.

Our farm was divided into "camps." Each camp had a theme, and typically a structure of some sort to keep people out of the cold. Some of the camps took days or even a week to set up. One of the camps was a sauna that they insulated completely with a wood burning stove inside. There was a Star Wars camp, where everyone was dressed as part of the theme. It was replicated after Planet Hoth (The Ice Planet.) There was a camp that had a complete bar that they would set on fire. Some of the camps fed you, there was one that provided hot soups to anyone with a mug or bowl. Many other camps had beverages to keep you warm. There were also camps with DJs or live music.

The idea of the weekend was to travel from camp to camp and get to know everyone. There was a schedule of events that were happening at the camps. You could go to one for yoga in the morning, one for happy hour, one to learn about essential oils, or one to eat dinner.

Most of the Frostburners had names that they used for burning events only. Many people were part of the "burner" community so they knew each other ahead of time. What was really surprising to me was what a community they had built. Everyone was welcome, and the people were very giving. I had someone come up to me and give me a beautiful stone necklace that they made, that is one of my favorite pieces of jewelry today. Someone else would hand you a beer, and another person a plate of spaghetti. No money was exchanged, just a price to get in to the event. Everything else was just traded or gifted.

The last winter that we hosted the event was extremely cold, and snowy. There was no shortage of places to stay warm. The Frostburners focused on radical self reliance, and they were also very serious about carrying out whatever you brought in. This was great for us as land owners, as there was very little cleanup.

The highlight of the weekend was the burning of the effigy "The Burn", which you can see in the first picture above. This structure was about 25 ft high, made out of plywood and other wood materials. At the top was a wooden snowman. This structure was burned to ashes which kept everyone pretty warm and looked incredibly cool.

What I have learned through these experiences is that the burning community is very warm and giving. They will accept you for whoever you are, and they know how to have a great time.

Enjoy some of my pictures from this event:

Me, on top of one of their domed structures that they were building

All of the campsites were staked out

This guy was called "The Stilted"Saint and he gave out presents in a big red sack

This was one of the sites being built. These 3 domes connected and each one had a different theme.

The sign for "Habitat for Insanity"

Yoda from Planet Hoth greeted visitors

This was a balloon installation. The balloons danced in the air the whole day. They were so cool.

Somebody's sleeping quarters for the weekend.

The effigy lit up before the burn

For more info on Frostburn: http://www.frostburn.org/