[Editor’s Note: Continuing our reporting from Love Burn in Miami, we have this report from Ski Rodge addressing some of the skeptics in the Burner community.]
I come from a community of hardcore burners. To them, surviving in a challenging physical environment is a critical part of a burn. This view of burning makes it easy to decide which regional burn to attend in February. Frostburn – which is held on a cold mountain top in West Virginia – offers much harsher conditions than Love Burn, which is held on a beach in Florida. A number of my friends thus tried to convince me to attend Frostburn instead of Love Burn. However, I ended up deciding to go to Love Burn, and I was very glad that I did! I was able to connect with some great people, and there was a large collection of spectacular art.
The biggest warning I was given about attending Love Burn was about the types of people I would encounter there. The nice weather combined with the proximity to a major city supposedly attract people who are more interested in partying than abiding by the 10 principles. Some of my friends refer to Love Burn as “Miami Rave Burn.” I was prepared to see trash thrown in porta potties and people vomiting from drinking too much. But I didn’t end up seeing either. Almost everyone I came across at Love Burn was respectful and in control. People were responsible with their MOOP, and I didn’t come across any trash thrown in toilets or porta potties. An event with good weather, flushing toilets, and showers might seem cushy by burner standards. But people looking for a rave are probably focused on events with lineups that include their favorite DJs. At least for now, the people who attend Love Burn are great!
The rest of this post contains my thoughts on a few aspects of Love Burn. I hope to convince Love Burn skeptics that there is a lot to love about this event, and provide some information about what to expect.
Love Burn Art is Amazing
The art at Love Burn is spectacular, and there is a lot of it! There were also a number of art cars. Most of the art cars were built on golf cart chassis, but XUZA and El Pulpo Magnifico (two large art cars that are brought to Burning Man) were also at Love Burn. There were no multi-story art pieces to climb, like at Burning Man. However, there was a lot more art at Love Burn than I have seen at any other regional burns. Love Burn offers art grants to make this happen. Perhaps the best part of Love Burn’s art setup is that artists are often camped next to their art. In my experience, the artists are very willing to talk about their art and how they created it.
There was Music in the Cafes at Night
Love Burn had a number of sound camps, with a large range in sizes. Many stages had DJs playing drum and bass music, but genres weren’t limited to this, and there were even a few acoustic stages. I never struggled to find a sound camp that was playing good music, and had enough room for me to dance comfortably. Some of the sound camps were right on the beach.
Getting There is Easy
I was initially hesitant to attend Love Burn because I thought I would have to rent a car. The event doesn’t offer shuttles. However, it’s easy to travel from the airport to Love Burn using Uber/Lyft. It cost less than $40 each way, and there was no line of cars at the entrance. When you get to Love Burn, you get out of the car and then wait to check in. Unfortunately the wait to check in gets long, but you get to wait in the shade for most of that time.
There is a camp that will transport items from NYC to Love Burn and back again for a fee, and there are likely camps that do this from other cities as well. I managed just fine with items I took on the plane with me. I took a tent in my checked bag, and an air mattress in my carry on bag.
Join a Theme Camp
The open camping areas are far from where most of the action happens. Joining a theme camp will allow you to camp next to all of the other theme camps. This will reduce the amount of walking you need to do, but it might make it harder to fall asleep due to the noise from sound camps. In addition to being a great way to meet people and contribute to the event, being part of a theme camp makes the event logistically easier. In exchange for camp dues, theme camps may provide food, cooking supplies, shade structures, and a communal hangout space. Cooking is often done in shifts, which reduces the amount of time any one person has to spend cooking. It also turns cooking into a social activity.
Theme camps are allowed to let a certain number of camp members arrive on Wednesday, to help set up camp. In my experience, there was a lot happening on Wednesday. If you’re able to arrive this early, I would recommend doing so.
Prepare to Walk or Bike a Lot
The event is spread out. Walking from one end to the other takes between 20 and 30 minutes. There are shuttles, but I didn’t see them around a lot. I took a shuttle from the gate to my campsite when I first arrived at the event with all of my bags. But I only used the shuttles twice after this.
Bikes are allowed at the event, but some of the paths are pretty narrow. I found it harder to bike around Love Burn than I did at Burning Man. It was also less necessary because the event was smaller. If you are local and have a cheap bike to bring, it’s probably worth it. But if you’re flying in, I wouldn’t worry about not having a bike. There are also bikeshare bikes, but I rarely found one that was free.
Weather
The weather in Miami in February is generally pretty comfortable, but it also isn’t perfect. I know of at least one year when Love Burn was unbearably hot. The temperatures in 2024 were pretty reasonable, but my tent was still pretty hot by 10 AM most mornings. There was also a storm on Sunday that brought strong winds and a fair bit of rain.
Final Thoughts
Love Burn is a great event that will be enjoyable for both veteran and virgin burners. At some point, I would like to attend Frost Burn as well. I think there is a lot to gain from an event like that. But there’s a lot to gain from Love Burn too, and I think people write it off unfairly.
— Ski Rodge