Events List

Looking for the go to list of activities for your time out on the pecan playa? You’ve come to the right place! From crafting time to consent workshops, this comprehensive curation of enticing enterprises can be found below.

Download the PDF below for all of the happenings at Flipside 2019: Sisyphean Celebration!

Flipside Flame May 2019

Welcome to the last Flipside Flame before heading out on land this year. This issue is primarily focused on the fabulous art pieces you will find on the pecan playa. Lots of good stuff here! Read on to treat your eyeballs to visual deliciousness. Be art installation savvy for your time at Flipside 2019: Sisyphean Celebration!

For more information, stay tuned to:

As a reminder, if you’re looking to contribute to Flame or Announce, please use the Flipside Flame/Announce Submission page. This will allow you to add a Public Domain or personal photograph to your BurningFlipside.com post. If you’re looking to add announcements to Announce or Flame for the first half of 2019, the following deadlines will apply:

June:

  • Announce – June 1, 2019
  • Flame – June 15, 2019

Your Content Lead,
~Erica~


What is in this Flame

  • Art Projects are Still Seeking Support!
  • Flipside 2019 Art Spotlight
    • Big Top Mountain
    • The Glitterbox
    • The Forge of Hephaestus
    • Lines of Flight
    • Sophie
    • Rejuvenation Chamber
    • The Beat

Important Dates

  • May 23, 2019: Burning Flipside

For more information on how to be involved year around, check out the Burning Flipside Calendar.


Art Projects are Still Seeking Support!

Are you feeling philanthropic these days? Check out the Art Projects Seeking Support Page! It’s a community bulletin board where artists can ask for assistance making their art project go. While we are a week out, I guarantee that our artists wouldn’t mind some extra cash thrown their way. Find out what projects need some love here.


Flipside 2019 Art Spotlight

Welcome to the 3rd annual Flipside Art Spotlight blog series! These are designed to bring some well-deserved attention to a pretty dang important part of our community and event: ART and the badass talents that create them! Flipside without the art would be a bunch of bored people in a field. These will be posted in the order received until the event.

Thank you, thank you for all your passion, ambition, love and sweat!

Please note: This is not the full list of art projects heading to the playa and additional posts will appear on BurningFlipside.com. Keep an eye out for more!


Big Top Mountain

What inspired you to create this art piece?

It came down to the Theme. I truly believe that the Theme for a burn is essential and matters way more than some do. It legitimately inspired this piece. A “Sisyphean Celebration” put me in the mind set of “unwinnable/unattainable” goals But also a fun aspect of it. My mind immediately thought, Carnival games. Truly unwinnable. Well, where do you have carnival games? A big top tent. The ball kept rolling in my head to the point of having a ramp along side of it and a“Sisyphus” rolling a ball up he ramp and before it burns, the ball rolls back down and the whole thing catches fire. [Read more here.]


The Glitterbox

The Glitter box (formerly the light box) was featured for several years at LumiNation. Visiting the luminarium structure inspired the light box. Initially, and for a few years, the lights were white blinky string lights with rows of CD’s behind them and refractive glasses for added effect. It’s a small, mellow space where people can transcend the mud and craziness and experience a moment of wonder, encircled by light. [Continue your discovery of this project here.]


The Forge of Hephaestus

The Forge of Hephaestus draws inspiration from a lot of places, but primarily from the allegorically dense theme of the burn this year, Sisyphean Celebration. Greek mythology is really rich with ideas and characters, many of which Sisyphus interacted with in one way or another. We chose Hephaestus, the god of Fire (sculpture, metalworking, masonry, and forges) because he was a patron of the arts and a bit of an odd duck. Of all the Greek pantheon, Hephaestus and Dionysus (wine, fertility, ‘ritual madness’) would perhaps have appreciated Flipside the most! [Get to know this project a bit more.]


Lines of Flight

What inspired you to create this art piece?

Last year Unbroken Spring, the Houston regional burn, was offering art grants and the art lead encouraged me to apply because they were familiar with some of my origami work and knew i had ideas about translating it into large scale sculpture. Lines of Flight was my first attempt at playing with scale using the form of an origami dove, chosen for both its aesthetic grace, simplicity, and reproduction ease. [View more pictures of this project on this post!]


Sophie

Are there any stories/lessons learned that came out of the creation of this piece?

I’ve learned a lot of safety lessons over the years, working in metal. Eye protection, ear protection, leather gloves. Nothing loose around your neck, an angle grinder could strangle you if your scarf gets caught in it. Bandana, I value the little bit of hair I have and burning hair smells awful. Always with the heavy closed shoes, pant cuffs *over* the tops of the boots, never tucked in, etc. I do have a bad habit of working in short sleeves (it gets hot in a metal shop in Texas, yo)…got the scars on my arms to prove it. Overall this was an enjoyable, comfortably paced work. The most annoying part was rethinking an aspect that was a PITA to change after the fact, it would have been so easy to do before it got “caged in” by the skinning. [There is so much more…]


Rejuvenation Chamber

What do you hope people get out of your piece?

The sun is down. You had a great day so far at the Flipside. Maybe you are a bit tired from all the wonderful interactions you had during the busy day? And the night is young! Music blasting from multiple directions, bright lights blinking everywhere. Or it’s way after midnight and your senses are a bit overstimulated and you are debating with yourself whether you are too tired to keep going? This is the time to visit the Rejuvenation Chamber!

As you step inside the enclosure, you find yourself in a beautiful tranquil space. The Rejuvenation Chambers you see there offer you the sensory deprivation experience which reduces stress, calms the nervous system, and helps one to enter a deep state of relaxation. After the overwhelming day you had so far, this sounds amazing, so when the attendant invites you to climb in, you decide to give it a try!

If this sounds interesting to you, please read on here.


The Beat

What inspired me?

This installation is inspired by the authors that shaped my worldview as a young seeker. The ideas and items presented capture my fascination with the archetype of “the writer”. Sometimes lonely, usually tormented and always a voice that defies and challenges. I have created this desk as an alter to that romanticized figure in my mind.

[I know you’re curious to learn about this piece…]

Shaven Apes Needs You!

From the desk of Lead Ape, Jamie Jack:

Aloha lovely Flipizens, Shaven Apes could use a few more helping hands and yours are the hands we want!

Shaven Apes’ job is to help artists/camps/individuals set up their art/shade structures/pirate ships/WHATEVER so that they can get to the party and the party can get to them and we can all get the most out of our time and community.

Fun? Yes!
Worthy allocation of time? Certainly!
Feelings of usefulness, inclusion, and participation? So Many!

So please, sign up, get a shirt, and let’s get this party started.

https://wiki.burningflipside.com/wiki/Shaven_Apes/Schedule

bestest regards from your friend in yellow, Jamie Jack

Announce May 2019

Welcome to the final Announce before we find ourselves home. We’re all ramping up for Flipside 2019: Sisyphean Celebration. Is it time to panic? I think it is time to panic! Where did all the time go? Where is my pee funnel? Have I packed my dancing shoes?! Shoes aside, this edition is chocked full of useful information – so make sure you get to reading. Volunteer positions need volunteering, and Disinformation needs Disinformationing. Find out more below!

For more information, stay tuned to:

As a reminder, if you’re looking to contribute to Flame or Announce, please use the Flipside Flame/Announce Submission page. This will allow you to add a Public Domain or personal photograph to your BurningFlipside.com post. If you’re looking to add announcements to Announce or Flame for the first half of 2019, the following deadlines will apply:

May:

  • Flame (Art and Community) – May 15, 2019 (Last Flame before Flipside)

June:

  • Announce – June 1, 2019
  • Flame – June 15, 2019

Your Content Lead,
~Erica~


What is in this Announce:

  • It’s May, Do you know where your tickets are?
  • RVs/Box Trucks/Trailers/Campers/Car-Camping at Flipside
  • City Planning Needs You!
  • Ice Volunteering!
  • Recruiting Exodus Badgers
  • Load-out is coming
  • Events and the Event: Disinformation
  • A Word of the Sanitation Department
  • FAQ to inform Flipizens of what Rangers do or can help with.

Important Dates

  • May 3-5, 2019: Flipside Work Weekend 4
  • May 17, 2019: Registration for Art Cars and Events closes
  • May 18, 2019: City Planning Needs Help on Land
  • May 23, 2019: Burning Flipside

For more information on how to be involved year around, check out the Burning Flipside Calendar.


It’s May, Do you know where your tickets are?

Check your email and https://secure.burningflipside.com ticket request page to make sure you have a different pdf called “2019 Burning Flipside Will-Call Receipt” for each ticket purchased.

Check the out www.burningflipside.com/events/tickets for how to transfer tickets.

Check out www.burningflipside.com/events/tickets/faq if you have problems, or just want to amuse yourself.

Email the Tickets from www.burningflipside.com/contact if the FAQ doesn’t fix things for you.

And finally, if you want to know more, check out this post for more details.


RVs/Box Trucks/Trailers/Campers/Car-Camping at Flipside

Are you taking your RV/Box Truck/Trailer/Camper or Car to camp in during Flipside?

Over 100 vehicles have been registered to be placed in theme camps at Flipside 2019. Your City Planning team tries to accommodate as many placement requests as possible; however, weather conditions on the Pecan Playa will determine where you can park.

Learn more here about what your camping experience may be like this year.


City Planning Needs You!

The hardworking folks at City Planning needs hands on the land! Saturday, May 18th! Come be the first to break 2019 ground, scope out the land, and size up your theme camp placement!

Check out the wiki if Signage and Flagging seems up your alley.


Ice Volunteering!

Please sign up for volunteering on May 8th at 7pm Austin time by going to Ice’s page on the wiki. A Google Forms link will go live at that time and will stay open until we fill all the shifts. This is first-come, first-served and the shifts fill up fast.

Volunteering is good for the soul. To learn more about getting those ice shifts to keep you cool, read more here.


Recruiting Exodus Badgers

Flipside can’t happen without the aid of its lovely citizens lending hands to make it happen throughout the event. This means we need you, yes you. If you should like to add your energy to helping the event run smoothly, look no further. Here is a great opportunity for you.

Think you would make a good badger and help people GTFO? Find the sign up sheet here.


Load Out is Coming

Want to drive a truck? A BIG TRUCK?? Well, has Transpo got a truck for you! The weekend before the event is Load-out! We gotta get the core infrastructure to the land, and Transpo needs able-bodied humans who aren’t afraid of a little Penske wrangling.

Thinking you’re going to be available? Load out dates are listed here.


Events and the Event: Disinformation

Want people to know about your hot pink jello sculpting class being held at your camp Saturday mid day during the event? Wish you could get people motivated to join you for a daily session of aquatic yoga? When the heck is the Grampage this year? Don’t forget to register your event(s) before May 17th so that they will be included on the Disinformation kiosks spread throughout the event site. Register your events here.


A Word of the Sanitation Department

Good day, producers of human excrement, urine, & other such bodily discharges worthy of release into a nearby port-o-potty. Flipside Ongoing Educational Program regarding Proper Port-a-Potty Etiquette has some reminders for porto using participants.


FAQ to inform Flipizens of what Rangers do or can help with.

Flipside is comprised of almost 3,000 participants over Memorial Day weekend not too far from Austin. We come together to share our gifts to the community- food and drink, art, performances, classes, and hugs and friendship to name a few. Some participants, gift their time to the community. On-site alone, over 6,000 hours are gifted to the community by volunteers to help our city be what it is.

The Rangers are one of eight safety departments Flipside has. Want to know a bit more about what they do? Read through this breakdown of what Rangers bring to our community.

RVs/Box Trucks/Trailers/Campers/Car-Camping at Flipside

Once again well over 100 RVs/Box Tucks/Trailers/Campers/Car-Camping have been registered to be placed in theme camps at Flipside 2019. Your City Planning team tries to accommodate as many placement requests as possible; however, please consider this general/gentle advisory on vehicles (large and small) inside theme camps:

Flipside’s Pecan Playa is not designed to accommodate RVs/Campers/etc in all places, nor in all weather. Some parts of the property are expressly prohibited for RVs/Campers/BoxTrucks/etc. While City Planning will incorporate your RVs, campers and car camping requests into your allotted square footage for your camp, many factors – including weather, mud, flood, bugs, hay, acts of biblical retribution and on-the-ground decisions – will affect whether an RV, camper, box truck or car can be parked within a theme camp boundaries or not.

All RV, camper and car-camping owners need to be prepared to camp in the designated RVs camping grounds in/near the Badlands, which is located on high ground near the gate. I highly recommend designing a back-up plan for yourself and your camp mates – and your theme camp if your infrastructure depends on an RV, camper or car – if your RV is unable to be parked within your camp placement. Granted, last year, we enjoyed hot, dry weather that allowed large vehicles to be placed in most camping areas, but Texas weather is notoriously fickle and May is a rainy month.

Previous years’ weather has been very wet and muddy, and volunteers on-site will have FINAL say on where an RV can be safely parked and not pose too much strain on our limited towing/roads/site ops resources. Back-up plans are highly recommended.

FAQ to inform Flipizens of what Rangers do or can help with.

Citizens of Pyropolis – Ranger Blue Bonnet

Flipside is comprised of almost 3,000 participants over Memorial Day weekend not too far from Austin. We come together to share our gifts to the community- food and drink, art, performances, classes, and hugs and friendship to name a few. Some participants, like myself, gift their time to the community. On-site alone, over 6,000 hours are gifted to the community by volunteers to help our city be what it is. I volunteer with Rangers which is one of eight safety departments we have. Please find some information about this department below!

Ranger FAQ

Who are Rangers?

Rangers are part of a volunteer safety team for Burning Flipside and are available 24/7 during Flipside. They walk in pairs around the city and interact with participants, camps and other volunteers.

How do I become a Ranger at Flipside?

Safetyside is the main training for all safety teams at Burning Flipside. It happens every April . At this event, you participate in different sessions to learn how safety teams work together, problems which might arise, and ways to handle those situations. First time Rangers are paired up with a mentor during their shifts. If you have done a training for UBS, Alma Burn, Myschievia, Freezer Burn, Oblivium, or Burning Man within the last year, you are eligible to ranger at Flipside. Please contact the Ranger lead to give him this information along with contact information of the lead. If you have not had a training within the last year but have rangered at least four shifts before and would like to ranger at Flipside, please contact the Ranger lead to let him know how many shifts you have done at which burns and the leads for those burns. There is a required on-site training on Friday. If you would like to Khaki/Ass-Khaki and you have done at least six dirt shifts (AK) or eight dirt shifts (Khaki) and have IS-100 training (https://training.fema.gov/is/courseoverview.aspx?code=IS-100.c), you can also do an on-site training on Friday. Email Rangerlead@burningflipside.com with your information or questions.

What do Rangers do?

Dirt Rangers walk around in pairs in the city and help everyone have a better burn. Each shift is six hours long and there are Rangers available 24/7 during the entire event. Pairs are assigned to different zones during their shifts.They remind folks to drink water, interact with camps, give out important information like weather reports and have a map to direct folks to where they want to go. Rangers also help mediate situations if needed. They are sober and always have a radio with them in case a participant needs other help. A Dirt Ranger might radio in for help if a branch falls in a camp; someone needs medical assistance; or a car needs to be towed out of the right-of-way and no one can find the owner. Dirt Rangers will help secure an area until someone else arrives to help. They might even ask you to help redirect folks to make sure they stay safe or don’t get in the way.

“Khaki” and “Assistant Khaki” (we call em Ass-Khaki) are Rangers who are at the Ranger HQ and they handle all the radio traffic from Dirt Rangers and help connect needed resources from other departments. For example, if a Dirt Ranger reports a downed branch which needs to be removed, Khaki will coordinate with site-ops who then has folks come out with the proper tools to remove the branch. It also works the other way. If a Flipizen goes to Ranger HQ to report something, Khaki will radio the nearest Rangers to have them check out the situation and help as needed. At the end of a shift, Khaki debriefs all the Rangers and helps transition from one shift to another. Khaki also keeps a log of all incidents which happen during a shift.

The Rangers may also at times interact with outside resources such as Medical, Fire, or Law Enforcement, should it be necessary.

There are some Rangers who have additional training from other departments. Green Dots can help with mental health issues; Blue Dots have basic first-aid; Red Dots have fire safety training and Silver Dots have training to help monitor sound levels.

Before the effigy burns, a couple dozen Rangers secure a burn perimeter. This ensures Flipizens are a safe distance away from the intense heat the effigy generates while burning and also from possible parts that fly off. There are also Dirt Rangers who wander through the city at this time too.

When should I contact a Ranger?

If you are concerned about your safety or the safety of another participant, find a Ranger. If you are unsure of the weather, ask a Ranger. Or, if you have excess food that needs consuming, we can radio for other volunteers to show up and help eat it. We are here to help connect you to resources you need!

How do I find a Ranger?

All on-shift Rangers wear a light-tan/khaki colored shirt which says, “Pyropolis Ranger” on it. Many also wear a khaki-colored Ranger hat with various burn patches on them. Some of them sport utilikilts or tutus. Others wear skirts or shorts and still other wear funky socks.They will be in pairs and have radios. Sometimes you can find them “Rangering the shade” which means they’re taking a break from walking, having something to eat and rehydrating while talking to Flipizens. You can always find Rangers at the Ranger HQ which is located next to PETs (medical tent) and Sanctuary (mental health tent) close to the effigy field. You can also stop anyone with a radio and ask them to radio for a Ranger and the closest pair will come over and provide needed assistance.

Remember, Rangers and all other volunteers are here to make Pyropolis better. Don’t hesitate to ask someone about their department if you’re curious. And never hesitate to ask a Ranger for help or just strike up a short conversation.

Blue Bonnet Clear.

City Planning Needs You!

The hardworking folks at City Planning needs hands on the land! Saturday, May 18th! Come be the first to break 2019 ground, scope out the land, and size up your theme camp placement!

City Signage needs a few kickA folks to help with installing the sweet new street & path signs to make the great city of Pyropolis safe & navigable! Sign up here: https://wiki.burningflipside.com/wiki/CitySignage

Flagging needs as many hands as they can get to accurately flag camps & path perimeters. Sign up here: https://wiki.burningflipside.com/wiki/Flagging

It’s May, Do you know where your tickets are?

Hello Flipiziens and curious onlookers!  It is I, Ste. Michelle, Ticket Distribution Lead, here to make sure you get to Flipside, provided you’ve done everything right.  

Where’s My Ticket?

All Tickets are will call.  They will be at the gate when you arrive at the event, provided you have a Will-Call Receipt.

Oh, then, Where’s My Will-Call Receipt?

Ticket opening happened a long time ago, so if you submitted a ticket request, and didn’t hear from me about your request being returned, you should have received an email containing your Will-Call Receipt.  If you purchased tickets in the aftermarket, you should have received an email with your Will-Call Receipt. Check your spam folder!

If you can’t find it, log into secure.burningflipside.com and click on Ticket Registration/Transfer link and look for something like this (minus the colored arrows):

(If you don’t have a login because you bought your ticket in the aftermarket, scroll down to the Aftermarket bit for guidance.)

Now is a good time to change the name on your ticket if, say, for example, you submitted a ticket request for Taylor Swift and she can’t make it.  That little pencil with the red arrow is the button to use!

You can download the Will-Call Receipt (in case you can’t find the original email, or they won’t you check outside email at your work where you have a printer) by clicking on the blue icon that the purple arrow is pointing at.  Or you can resend your email so it’s on your phone when you arrive at the gate.

Lost?  Email me!  You can use this form to contact “Tickets”:  www.burningflipside.com/contact

Aftermarket Sales

You can find out about buying and selling a ticket in the aftermarket here:  

Having Problems?  I have never transferred a ticket myself, so I have no idea what could go wrong.  Just email me if something went wonky, and I’ll figure out how to fix things. 😉 www.burningflipside.com/contact

Load-in is coming

Want to drive a truck? A BIG TRUCK?? Well, has Transpo got a truck for you! The weekend before the event is Load-in! We gotta get the core infrastructure to the land, and Transpo needs able-bodied humans who aren’t afraid of a little Penske wrangling.

  • You do NOT need a CDL, just a valid driver’s license
  • You need to be at least 21 years old

Driving dates are

  • Saturday, May 18 (all day)
  • Sunday, May 19 (morning for truck return)

After the event we do it again, in reverse!

  • Saturday, June 1 (all day)
  • Sunday, June 2 (morning for truck return)

If you can help with any of these, email Megs at transpo@burningflipside.com

Thanks, y’all! This event can’t run without volunteers like you!

Recruiting Exodus Badgers

Flipside can’t happen without the aid of its lovely citizens lending hands to make it happen throughout the event. This means we need you, yes you. If you should like to add your energy to helping the event run smoothly, look no further. Here is a great opportunity for you.

Exodus is in search or some diligent badgers to help out on Monday of the event. Badgers are responsible for going around the event gently telling and helping people to GTFO.

Perks of volunteering as a badger:

  • IT’S FUN!!!!!!
  • You get to ride in a golf cart
  • The shifts are short 3-hour shifts
  • You have the opportunity to stay until Tuesday if you need the extra day

Sign up with this link:
https://wiki.burningflipside.com/wiki/Volunteer/Exodus