2024 – GO YOU DUSTY FUCK

Greetings from Dustfish! 

 DUSTFISH EXPERIENCE ENHANCEMENT GUIDE

“For the Power, the Beauty and the Glory of Love”
– Lord Huckleberry

OUR MISSION: Support the creative process in a loving manner.

WHO WE ARE: DUSTFISH is Love, Art, and Play!

“If we can’t show up out here and build our camp and art without hurting each other, then DUSTFISH can just go back to rolling around in the dust”!
– Lord Huckleberry

DUSTFISH is an artist community comprised of loving, talented beings who believe in freeing ourselves and others! We are here to practice these concepts and encourage others to do the same! We honor our Home in Black Rock City by offering its citizens a playful, memorable experience while leaving it in pristine condition when we depart.

Our History – When Lord Huckleberry and Opal landed in the dust of Black Rock City and founded DUSTFISH in 1998, they shared a 40+ year friendship that spawned DUSTFISH through generosity, patience, love, and laughter. We welcomed strangers as friends, and those who felt odd in the default world were encouraged to be more, not less, of their fabulous, peculiar, loving, artful beings. We honor their work and treat ourselves and the other citizens of Black Rock with respect, RADICAL INCLUSION, and kindness.

DUSTFISH has earned a prime location on Esplanade for over 20 years. While never guaranteed, we surely hope to this year. We will again offer Black Rock citizens entertainment with our renowned stage, pho, bar, and playa lounge beds PLUS a half pipe via our Not Sk8Kamp family.

“Yes, we may be drunk and loud and rough around the edges, but there is a big gap between one’s humorous shtick and just being a plain fucking asshole! Within DUSTFISH, our cynicism and mischief have a purpose. There is humor at the heart of it, and ultimately, there is something useful to others in your shtick. People should know the difference!”
– Lord Huckleberry

Placement – When you arrive at DUSTFISH, find our Welcome Committee in the large Circus Tent, where you will sign in, confirming everything is in order. Then, we will radio for placement/power teams to meet you at your vehicle. Once placement has set you up in camp, you will receive a wristband for the facilities.

If you arrive late and need help locating our Welcome Committee, please find a temporary spot that blocks neither the main nor service roads and unpack only the essentials for the night. The Welcome Committee will help you find your permanent spot, so don’t get settled!!

Note: To reiterate, do not even PAUSE, much less park or set up camp on our service road that runs through our camp, EVER! Service trucks can come anytime and won’t return if blocked by even a bicycle! Please refer to the map or ask if you need to find the diagonal service road running through the camp.

Power – Read this category very carefully! Here is what you need to know about the generator and Power. One large and powerful generator provides electricity to our entire camp of almost 200 people. We have a team dedicated to Power and facilities. The power/generator is essential for running our camp. When handling fuel and electricity, we must avoid making mistakes that may cause you or others danger.

Know your power load before you arrive! 5-amp, 20-amp, 30-amp

• 5 amp – You must bring an extension cord. 50ft-100ft, 16 gauge.
• 20-amp RVs – Bring your own EDISON adapter, as you will receive a 20-amp Edison plug from the team.
• 30-amp RVs –Must have a 30-amp travel trailer standard plug.
• Any RV that has paid for Power must bring a 50ft 10-gauge extension cord.
• RVs that can get or have ‘soft starters’ installed require a much smaller surge hit when they start AC. Highly recommended. Ask our power team NOW for advice on installing one before your arrival.

(You can pay for power through our Cheddar Up page. There is limited RV power; pay now to ensure yours.)

If you are in an RV running your air conditioner and want to use your coffee pot, toaster, hair dryer, microwave, etc., you MUST! Shut Down your air conditioner while you use the other appliances so you do not blow the circuit! If you attempt to run everything at once, it will blow, and then you will have to go outside and find our power team to assist you in getting the system back up. They may not be thrilled with you and prefer to avoid fixing this problem.

• Do Not EVER unplug someone’s Power cord to plug in yourself! Never touch a power cord that is not yours to unplug!
• Do Not EVER turn off the generator or attempt to fuel the generator!!!
• LABEL both ends of your cord with your name since unmarked cables will not get plugged in. (If you plan to run an A/C, you should pay RV prices).
• The Power team will monitor how much Power each person pulls daily.
• Never plug anything into an RV exterior or power box without asking the power team, who will happily show you where to meet your short-term power needs.

Again, do not attempt to Sneak Power! Our power grid is a delicate balancing act done by pros. If our power system is maxed out and you plug in even a small device, it may blow the circuit!

Camp Facilities! This year, we will have two private showers and toilets available!!! To access the facilities, you will need to wear a special wristband provided when you check in at the Circus tent. WEAR IT. It’s up to all of us to keep an eye on our precious facilities below. We are constrained on pumping/water.

Toilets & Showers – We will have a LUXURY-like Burning Man bathroom and showers again this year! 

Rules: Do not, and we mean not EVER, let ANY person without a wristband use our facilities!! There are no exceptions, as we cannot afford additional water/pumping. Breaking this rule will cause a REVOCATION Period. AND NO BABY WIPES in the toilet, even the flushable kind.

Showers

When you enter the shower, you must be SUPER conscious about your water usage! You must use the Sea/Navy Method!

Here’s how it works:

• Turn On Water
• Quickly Rinse Yourself
• Turn OFF Water
• Soap & Lather Yourself – Apply Shampoo
• Turn On Water to Rinse

That’s IT!

You cannot stand in the shower and let the water run over you as if you were at home. We are in the desert!

It is a shower, not a toilet! NEVER URINATE in our showers! Everything that goes down the shower drain goes into and remains in the Grey Water Tank attached to the shower. Think about it—YUCK.

• Only paying members of DUSTFISH will have use of the shower.
• Bringing your friends to our shower trailer will cause the revocation of YOUR facility privileges.

Water Conservation—Conserving water while you are in the shower is the only way for us to have this luxury. Water service is costly, and we’ll have a limited amount. Also, there is no guarantee that the water truck will return to our location when the water runs out! If possible, shower every other day.

IMMEDIACY – Meet Your Neighbors – They are Awesome! We are here to be a community! Which is the whole point! If you are new to our camp, we want to meet and get to know you. When you arrive, please say hello to your neighbors and attempt to meet other Fish in the camp, ensuring a lovely experience for you–as we are all Fabulous! Located on the Esplanade, the camp is a very high-traffic area; by familiarizing yourself with other Fishes, you can aid strangers wandering the camp looking for friends.

Opal taught a class on non-violence to young students in the San Francisco School System for nearly a decade. A foundational principle of DUSTFISH is that there is no place for aggression, bullying, hazing, or violence! That includes no violence at our bar, camp, dance, play areas, etc. Remember, if any explosive situations arise, the first step is always De-Escalation!!! Let the crew know if you witness any troubling circumstances that need defusing and a peaceful resolution.

CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY – Why Not Reach Out & Reach Around! Please keep an open heart and open mind. Reach out if you see someone in need, struggling, or overwhelmed by the whole experience… You can help significantly by offering someone water, food, or a hug. Also, just a little conversation goes a long way. If someone is overly lethargic, exhausted, angry, or confused, these are all signs of dehydration.

When preparing dinner or drinks for yourselves, remember our BUILD, STAGE, AND SOUND CREW. Our crew often continues to work through scheduled meals and does not take breaks to keep our stage going. If someone on the crew looks worn out, please ask them if you can get something for them. Thank you!

PARTICIPATION – Your Volunteer Shift (sign-up sheet to come) Givers build our camp, and we are here to give to each other. You will feel great when you align with the spirit of giving! Sign up early to get your top choices.

For your shifts, please remind yourself of the date, time, and role you signed up for. We will keep a clipboard of the volunteer sheet as a reference at the bar. No one will come looking or chase you down for you for your shift. Embrace your responsibility to help serve others, and don’t be a flake; people depend on you. Find your replacement if you can’t make it.

Feel free to seek out the Leads in each area and ask if they would like additional support. We are all in this together! It would help everyone if we kept our camp clean throughout the event.

Our Stage – Please assist us by keeping an eye on our stage and equipment. Get to know the stage and build crews. If you see someone not with our camp or performing on stage mishandling or attempting to remove any equipment from our stage, sound booth, or backstage, ask them who they are and then inform the crew if necessary.

Sound & Noise – If we are on the Esplanade, please don’t expect quiet time at our location. Bring earplugs! We are in the thick of things and cannot control the sound around us. Complaining about the noise will not change what is happening. Prepared to be rocked!!! Don’t say we did not warn you. Earplugs! Earplugs!

Our Bar­ —Each camper must donate at least 2 handles/bottles of GOOD LIQUOR, such as Whiskey, Vodka, Rum, and Tequila. Also, donate at least 2 bottles of DRINK MIXERS. When you arrive and meet with our Placement team (at the Circus tent), we will direct you to what to do with your bar donation.

Serving alcohol to minors is illegal!!! If you are tending the DUSTFISH bar, you must ask for ID from those appearing underage. Serving a minor at our bar could result in a whole host of problems for us, including “cause” to search the entire camp. Help keep an eye on the bar for underage drinking.

Please keep all alcohol bottles under the bar and not on top where anyone can quickly grab them. Also, NEVER take ice from our bar for personal coolers.

Drugs/Marijuana – Black Rock City is POLICED. Undercover police walk through and linger in camps. They are disguised as participants and observe us at a distance. They may invite themselves into your conversation, asking if you have drugs and other questions. They are known to linger around our backstage area while looking around. Be aware of this practice by law enforcement. Marijuana smoke draws law enforcement to our camp. Do not smoke marijuana within our camp. If visitors are lighting up, please ask them to smoke in another location ASAP. Not only will you be ticketed if you are seen smoking marijuana, but it also creates the likelihood that law enforcement will have “cause” to search the entire camp. Please be wise and aware! These fvckers intend to make a fortune busting people.

RADICAL SELF-RELIANCE – Personal Responsibility. You are responsible for your well-being. Your ability to enjoy yourself and how you treat others directly correlates to how well you care for yourself! Drink enough water with electrolytes (more than you think – approximately a gallon per day), and make sure you eat daily. If you feel you are on edge and may lash out at others, please take a moment to take a personal inventory. Help yourself and everyone around you by sitting down out of the sun, drinking a lot of water, eating some food, and lying the fuck down to sleep! Lashing out at others is unacceptable. We are not your parents and don’t want to have to look after you. We are usually too drunk for your Drama! We are here to celebrate! However, if you are in trouble and need a helping hand, please speak up and ask for help. You will always find a kind soul ready and willing to assist your drunk ass! (As long as you are not an asshole!)

Recycling – Aluminum cans go to the recycle station by Sunday afternoon, preferably earlier. Each camper is also responsible for taking their trash/recycling. PLUS, everyone leaving the playa should also take two bags of communal trash from the bar. Yes, ALL your trash and recycling must be taken with you when departing the event! DO NOT EVER stack your trash bags near other campers’ trash while exiting the event so they can take your trash out! Super uncool!

Note: Please bring reusable cups or containers for beverages, a set of plates, bowls, and dining utensils for meals. We encourage the practice of washing your dishes for hygiene purposes.

We highly discourage purchasing red plastic cups, foam, or “disposable” plates or utensils. (Remember, we have a special pho for playa—bring a Bowl!)

Leave No Trace – LNT is one of the foundational principles of Burning Man. Pick up MOOP, aka any matter out of place, as soon as you see it– a single sequin, feather to larger MOOP. Really! Really! Do NOT wait until the end of the event to think that you will start cleaning your area or that someone else will do it for you when you leave. Your ability to return to our camp in the Future depends on ensuring your campsite is clean (we will know where you live!). Carry a small baggie with you so you will be ready to MOOP. Take time each day to clean around your space and the space of others. It bears repeating -YOU are responsible for leaving your campsite Spotless. Do a round at the front of house and moop there before you go.

Before you hit the dust, once it’s online, please read the official Burning Man 2024 Survival Guide, which contains all that Burning Man wants you to know about surviving the event. (once it is published, look out for it!)

Welcome to DUSTFISH! We look forward to enjoying this fantastic experience with you!