Episode 18: Lumos (A Conversation With)

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 organising 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.

Host: Stevan ‘Silent Disco’ Lay

Guest: Pete ‘Lumos’ Wyatt

Produced by Stevan Lay

Theme music by Will & Kate

Camp Kariong | Third Degree: 4th Dimension | 4-8 September, 2025 | Central Coast, NSW, Australia

Photo credit: Stevan Lay

USEFUL Links:

kiwiburn 2008 • kiwiboom: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLMB8gpEH8c

Combust In Unity: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21fslxiXEQQ

Bug King: https://www.modifyre.org/post/modifyre-2018-review-reflections-from-the-bug-king

Raglan Burn: https://raglanburners.wixsite.com/raglan-burn

Ignition Festival: https://ignitionfestival.co.nz/

The Third Degree: https://the3rddegree.org/

Kiwiburn: https://kiwiburn.org/

Modifyre: https://www.modifyre.org/

Underland: https://underland.au/

Afrikaburn: https://www.afrikaburn.org/

Timestamps:

[00:00:00] Intro theme

[00:00:31] Bug king

[00:13:48] Third degree

[00:32:00] Raglan burn

[00:47:12] Ignition festival

[00:54:32] Lumos origin story

[01:01:02] Kiwiburn 2008 documentary

[01:05:04] Lumos

[01:05:53] Regional contact

[01:07:24] boNZA

[01:10:10] Burning man

[01:13:56] Kiwiburn

[01:17:50] Naked hippie run

[01:26:09] Other regionals

[01:30:01] Open-source community

[01:34:28] Kiwiburn site

[01:38:25] Outro theme

The information presented in the following audio program is for informational, educational, entertainment, and archival purposes only. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed on the Bonzaar Podcast are solely those of the hosts and the guests and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the entire burner community. Bonzaar Podcast is an independently-produced, volunteer-led, and community-funded project and is not associated or affiliated with the burning man organisation or it's world-wide subsidiaries.

This episode was recorded on 7 September, 2025