In this fair dinkum episode of the podcast we continue our conversations with SBA board members, Leanna and TJ, and chat with them about "Pilot Burn," the inaugural event for their newly formed organisation, Sunburnt Arts. Following a community restructuring and a departure from their previous Matong site, the team is thrilled to host this genuine and intimate 500-capacity-person gathering from May 15th to 18th in the breathtaking Capertee Valley, a spectacular canyon located a few hours west of Sydney. The team transparently discuss the logistical triumphs and hurdles of starting from scratch on a private farm, highlighting the mobilisation of shipping containers for infrastructure, the rollout of a new ticketing and volunteer platform, and the essential need for community participation and self-reliance. Ultimately, Pilot Burn serves as an emotional, back-to-basics test run designed to foster community trust, establish a respectful relationship with the new landowners, and lay a solid, scalable groundwork for the future of our regional burn culture.

In this episode we review the 2026 Kiwiburn: A Work of Heart event with a panel of kiwiburners (Hippathy, Kym, & Shelley) to talk about the burn from their own perspectives. The panel reflects on the muddy yet magical Kiwiburn 2026, aptly themed "A Work of Heart". Despite the unpredictable weather and persistent rain, the challenging conditions actually fostered deep community solidarity by forcing participants to hunker down in shared spaces, eventually rewarding kiwiburners with spectacular rainbow displays. The discussion highlights the beautiful duality of the burner experience: the poignant, collaborative effort behind a faceted heart temple that provided a vital space for collective grief and healing, contrasted with the hilarious chaos of interactive telephone art, a dramatic Effigy lift malfunction, and the perennial Argentinian-style BBQ cookup that brings-in community. Ultimately, the episode captures the community's profound resilience and creativity, while candidly acknowledging ongoing logistical challenges like volunteer burnout and the need for future leadership.

In this episode, PACT (People’s Art Collective of Tasmania) founding members Lara, Kat, and Karl share the origin story and success of Tasmania’s inaugural regional burn, Aurora 2025. Driven by a desire to establish a localised event rooted in Burning Man principles, the group successfully navigated the challenges of forming a democratic non-profit organisation focused on consent, safety, and decommodified community art. The inaugural November event, held on a stunning conservation property, drew around 250 attendees and featured unique Tasmanian elements, including a beautiful Thylacine (also commonly known as the Tasmanian tiger) effigy. Looking ahead to Aurora 2026, the collective remains dedicated to sustainable, grassroots growth, fostering skill-sharing with other Australian burns, and preserving the profound, co-created spirit of their emerging community.

In this special conversation episode about the regional burning man network around the world we have invited a knowledgeable, long-time burner and community contributor, Jarred Taylor, to talk about their recent think-piece titled “Is it time for Burning Man Regionals to Glow Up?”. We unpack and do a deep dive into this well-received write-up; chat about the key ideas and themes of the article; and take an anthropological look at festival and burner culture – underlining the philosophical, behavioural, psychological, and spiritual aspects of the burn experience. Drawing on their own extensive experience attending and organising international burns, Jarred explains how the global network of over 110 official and unofficial regional events has outgrown its dependency on the central Nevada-based Burning Man organisation.

In this candid and spirited podcast episode, community leaders Marcelo, Tereasa, and TJ (who insists on the title "King Dingaling") reflect on the turbulent but deeply rewarding evolution of Australia's Burning Seed community into its new organisational entity, Sunburnt Arts. Driven by personal artistic awakenings - from Tereasa's community-supported "mystical music box" to TJ's humorous appreciation for the board's tax benefits and dry finger biscuits - the trio highlights the vital shift away from the former privately-owned "Red Earth City" structure toward a collaborative, membership-based model. Following the unfortunate cancellation of the 2025 "Metamorphosis" event, which was derailed by poor ticket sales and a structural governance disconnect between Sunburnt Arts and Sunburnt Events, the newly elected seven-member board is now focused on radical accountability and addressing volunteer fatigue. By streamlining chaotic infrastructure and championing transparent, bottom-up decision-making, this dedicated team is determined to learn from past missteps and sustainably reignite the magic of the East Coast burn. This podcast episode focuses on the pivotal SBA/Burning Seed community townhall meet back in July 2025.

This episode we review the 2025 Underland Pop! event with a panel of burners from varied experiences. The conversation features host Stevan speaking with four guests - Dylan, Jenny, Sacha, and Lydea - who share their experiences from different roles at the event. The discussion covers Dylan's journey as a first-time burner who designed and built the serpent effigy, Jenny's role leading the Artery art grants program, Sacha's work at Center Camp and civic infrastructure, and Lydea's involvement with gate, sanctuary, and the Toad Hall theme camp. Key themes include the importance of participation and volunteering, the inclusive family-friendly atmosphere with 10% children attendance, the powerful ritual of the temple burn, the growth of theme camps and art installations, and the community's values around consent, radical expression, play, and creative collaboration. The podcast also explores topics like onboarding new burners, future planning considerations including an extra event day, photography etiquette, AI's role in artistic expression, and concludes with gratitude for the volunteers and community members who made the event possible.

This episode features four board members of The Third Degree - Ruth, Dale, Caer, and Tyne - to explore the NSW Central Coast's family-friendly regional burn. Discover how this intimate 400-person event evolved from a pandemic-era one-off at a scout camp into an intentional experiment in radical inclusion and in accessible burner culture. The conversation covers the event's distinctive features - running water, hot showers, radical inclusion for families and disabled participants, and mandatory volunteer shifts that transforms attendees into active participants - while exploring how their innovative approaches to consent culture (piloting the BED framework), burnout prevention (three-year rotation system), and accessibility (low-income tickets, disability accommodations), and the challenges of building elaborate temple and effigy structures under tight timelines. Board members also share personal burner origin stories, discuss the post-COVID fragmentation of Australia's burn community, and explain how The Third Degree serves as an incubator for testing innovations like emergency pager systems and consent protocols that can scale to larger events, all while maintaining a collaborative (magic of participatory culture), transparent governance structure focused on sustainable growth and making burner culture welcoming for newcomers who might find the overwhelming intensity of larger events or larger-scale burns intimidating.

In this episode we review the 2025 Kiwiburn: Trash Renaissance Fair event with a panel of experienced kiwiburners and a first-time kiwiburner from Australia. We discuss some of the things that went right and talk about what went wrong. A reflective episode to learn, raise awareness, educate, and archive for future reference. We also discuss the fun and magical moments; the arts, theme camps, events, workshops, the burns and the shenanigans; and also the controversial or uncomfortable conversations coming out of Kiwiburn 2025.

This podcast episode features a conversation with Lumos, a well-known participant in the Australasian Burning Man community. The discussion covers Lumos's experiences at various regional burns, including Modifyre in Australia and Kiwiburn and Raglan Burn in New Zealand. Lumos shares stories about the unique traditions, such as bug-themed effigies, role-playing, and the "naked hippie fire run." The episode highlights the importance of community, volunteerism, and adaptability in organizing and sustaining these events. It also explores the benefits of using established campgrounds, the evolution of burner culture in the region, and the close ties between New Zealand and Australian burner communities. The conversation concludes with reflections on art, inclusivity, and the ongoing growth of regional burns.

In this episode we chat about the 2025 Underland event with a panel of community volunteers and crew members from Centre Camp, Site Planning And Maintenance, LNT, and the Sandfolks. We discuss some of our highlights; the shenanigans; the effigy and temple burns; offer some improvements for the next event, and provide some behind-the-scenes after reports with heaps of ranger and volunteer talks and ingishts.

This episode of the podcast features a discussion with members of the Brisbane and Queensland burner community about the Simplifyre event, a scaled-down, community-driven version of the traditional Modifyre burn. The hosts and guests reflect on the event’s origins, challenges, and successes, highlighting the importance of rebuilding community after pandemic disruptions and burnout, the influx of new participants, and the evolution of organisational structures. They discuss the logistics of the event, including its new location, simplified format, and focus on inclusivity and sustainability, as well as the significance of art, theme camps, and the effigy burn. The conversation also explores the broader history of the Modifyre and Australian burner scene, the value of regional and national collaboration, and the ongoing efforts to foster engagement, learning, and resilience within the community.

This episode explores the Independent Burning Advisory Group (IBAG) and the NSW Burns Community Survey. The conversation covers the background, methodology, findings, and implications of the survey, as well as related community insights. Hosts discuss how the survey was created to understand the needs and challenges of the local burner community after the Burning Seed event was cancelled. Key findings reveal an aging, neurodiverse, and highly committed community, but one at risk of burnout. The survey identified five main community personas and highlighted a desire for future events to be accessible, inclusive, and community-focused. Challenges include event timing, site selection, and balancing volunteer and paid roles. The episode ends on an optimistic note, with hopes for a large, inclusive event and continued community engagement.

In this episode we take a look at the making and organisation of the 2025 Embers-not-a-burn where we chat with the key organisers and burners who made the event possible. We reflect back at how the renegade event unfolded and the co-created, and the co-lab efforts from the community. We also talk about some of the highlights and interesting moments; discuss the shenanigans and silliness; all the learnings and community thoughts; and the burning points from the embers experience on that fateful King's birthday long weekend.

This episode explores the early years and founding of Blazing Swan, a regional Burning Man-inspired event in Western Australia, through the stories of three of the original founders in Cat, Frank, and Hana. The conversation traces their personal journeys into burn culture, the challenges of organizing the first events, and the formation of a vibrant, inclusive community. They recount the process of finding a suitable site, overcoming logistical and weather-related obstacles, and building strong relationships with local residents and First Nations people. The founders highlight the importance of communal effort, creativity, and the evolution of event principles, such as the addition of consent. The episode also reflects on memorable moments, the growth of the event, and the lasting impact of Blazing Swan on both participants and the wider community.

This podcast episode is a lively roundtable reflection on "Embers Not-A-Burn," a community-organized event that arose after the cancellation of Burning Seed. Hosts and guests share stories of how the event came together quickly, the challenges faced (like cold weather and long travel), and the strong sense of community, creativity, and silliness that defined the experience. They discuss the venue, theme camps, art, volunteering, and the importance of the Burning Man 10 Principles, while also featuring voice messages from attendees, recounting memorable moments, pranks, and debates about what makes a true "burn." The episode concludes with gratitude for the community and excitement for future gatherings.