What is Celtic Burn?
We are a small burn inspired by Burning Man, its culture and community and guided by the ten principles.
We are a co-created event, where the content is created and gifted by the participants.
New to burns? We’ve written a basic guide for you at the bottom of this page, here
New to Celtic Burn? Learn more about how Celtic Burn is unique here
Feeling apprehensive about camping? How To Camp In Scotland In April And Stay Warm
This year’s event: Celtic Burn 2025 - Monday 14th - Monday 21st of April 2025 - at a magical campsite near Dumfries, Scotland.
To join us this year - purchase your membership through our form available on Loomio and Wrike.
E-mail us at celts.burn@gmail.com if you have any questions.
If you’re curious about our organisational methodologies; read on!
Celtic Burn is organised using these four processes and corresponding platforms:
- The first is task-based and takes place on Wrike.
- The second is advice-based and takes place on Loomio.
- The third is community meetings or crew meetings via Zoom, with a real time decision making process.
- During-event morning meetings to plan & convey the day’s schedule with Immediacy.
In a nutshell...
Distributed authority: no single person or group has power over another.
Do-ocracy: anyone can create tasks or take responsibility for them using Wrike. If tasks affect the wider community they should come from APs (advice process - see below). Those carrying out a task shall decide how to execute it.
Co-creation: two or more people are required to carry out a task. These people become a temporary Crew.
Flexibility & Variety: tasks have deadlines and should dissolve after completion along with the Crews responsible for them. This allows humans to go and select different tasks, collaborate with different people and learn new skills. Task deadlines are set by the collective.
Decentralised Decision-making: if a task has consequences for other tasks or the wider community, an Advice Process should be carried out on Loomio to inform decisions. The initial Proposers make the final decision. New Tasks will often emerge from Advice Processes.
Experimentation: is encouraged. Is it good enough for now, safe enough to try? Explore your wildest ideas with others using the Advice Process on Loomio.
Transparency & Accountability: decisions made should be visible to all; record them on Loomio and Task cards so that evolution can occur through review. Resources, documents etc. live in the shared Google folder [request edit access if you need it]. Keep others updated on progress via comments on task cards.
Ever-evolving: any member of the community can shape our evolution using the Advice Process on Loomio.
GUIDE FOR NEW BURNERS
We’re excited you’re here and we hope to meet you at Celtic Burn. One of the key principles that guides our event is radical inclusion, which means that anyone may be a part of Celtic Burn. We welcome and respect the stranger. No prerequisites exist for participation in our community.
If you have yet to get a chance to read the ten principles that guide burning man events, please take a moment to do so.
In addition to these principles the 11th principle is consent, which we take seriously. There will be consent workshops at the burn which we would highly encourage new and old burners alike to attend.
What happens at a burn?
Burns are co-created events/communities. Participants make up the experience by bringing their dreams, ideas, skills, art, workshops, performances and energies to make the event what it is. It is an opportunity to connect with others and to be accepted as you are. To fully express yourself and discover new sides of who you are. It is an opportunity to engage playfully, create, learn, reflect and to simply be.
Burns are whatever we shape them to be as a community and for all kinds of humans and you will find all kinds of ways to engage with the burn. We are a welcoming bunch and you are encouraged to participate however it feels right for you. As a participant you also play a part: there are no spectators at a burn!
What will be provided?
Camping space. Communal spaces such as warm yurts with wood-burning stoves. Communal kitchen space. Water. Outdoor composting toilets. Hot tub and sauna. *Nothing is sold or bought at a burn, so be prepared to bring everything you need for the week.
What do I need to bring?
Bring anything you’d bring for a normal camping trip for a week, sans what you might need for one meal a day if you sign up for the kitchen membership.
Things you might want to consider packing include but are not limited to:
- Tent or van to sleep in
- Sleeping bag/sleeping mat/duvet/pillow (pro-tip, a hot water bottle can be great for especially cold nights)
- Warm layers/hat/jacket/scarf/gloves (it is April in Scotland)
- Rain gear and perhaps boots/wellies (it is April in Scotland)
- Clothes that help you feel fully You!
- Cup/bowl/plate/utensils
- Snacks/meals (depending on whether you've got a communal kitchen membership)
- Toothbrush/toothpaste
- Towel/shampoo/ body wash/conditioner
- Headlamp
- Earplugs
- Water bottle
- Sunscreen/sunglasses
- Garbage bag/hand sanitizer
Remember, a principle of burns is radical self-reliance, so don’t rely on the above list, but we hope it helps you have a bit more of an idea of what to expect.
*Additionally, another burn principle is gifting, and burners look out for each other, so if you get in a pickle, people will help you out.
***Yet two other principles are decommodification and leave no trace, so when preparing for a burn, remember that you will need to take everything you brought out with you and that we encourage creating over buying.
What if I get overwhelmed or find an experience at the burn difficult?
We have a cosy, calm welfare space at the burn where anyone is welcome to go when needed. This is a space with kind volunteers who will await you and hold space for you. Stop in to say hi and have a regulating cup of tea.
How is Celtic Burn different from other regional burns?
Celtic Burn is a small regional burn with 130 memberships currently. We are in our 3rd year running and we are looking forward to growing our community for our 4th year in 2025.
As described above, Celtic burn is a decentralised burn with a do-ocracy model. There is no hierarchical model of organisers with leadership roles. If you’d like to understand this more take a look back at the top of this document.
A unique feature of Celtic Burn that some participants have appreciated in the past is our “morning meetings”; these have typically been optional meetings at ~11am burner time, where people can announce different experiences that they plan to run/host. We create a whiteboard of this info for the day and it’s a space to connect at the beginning of the day. That said, every year of a burn is different and one year may look totally different to the next!
How do I sign up?
Purchase your membership via our form available on Loomio and Wrike to attend. We can’t wait to see you in April!
More Information & guidance
