Vision for the Healing Foot Wash Camp at Burning Man

Washing feet in 2014 at Burning Man

We are a family-friendly service camp at Burning Man devoted to sharing love for our fellow human beings by washing their feet and providing a quiet sanctuary for rest, relaxation and conversation.

We have no agenda other than to practice love. We are open to all who wish to participate in this giving activity.

Video from 2013 Burning Man, showing the simple method we used to wash over 200 people’s feet

Expectations for participants in the Healing Foot Wash theme camp:

Read thoroughly and understand the Burning Man Survival Guide, First Timers Guide and the 10 Principles — we strive to follow these principles and guidelines in our camp activities.

Subscribe to the official “Jackrabbit Speaks” Burning Man email newsletter. Every issue is jam-packed with excellent up-to-the-minute information that you will benefit from. Subscribe here.

Purchase your ticket. Burning Man has a detailed explanation of what you’ll need to do at http://tickets.burningman.org. You will need to follow their instructions exactly. Plan for tickets to sell out in the first minute they’re available, so be at your computer before then. As a member of our camp, you may be invited to participate in the Directed Group Sale, meaning you will have an early opportunity to purchase a ticket.

Plan your own transportation to get to Burning Man. You can carpool with other participants, take the Burner Express bus or drive your own vehicle (vehicle pass required in addition to your own ticket).

Plan to bring your own food and shelter to Burning Man. (Update: This may change depending on the year, some years we do a group meal plan). In previous years we’ve coordinated a group shelter and food for the entire group. This year we are going with individual preparation and/or small self-organized pods within our larger group. Burning Man is a harsh environment and requires a good amount of preparation (see the Survival Guide).

Plan to be available for semi-regular conference calls. These will likely occur more often as the event gets closer and logistics need to be figured out.

Be responsive on the email list once you’ve committed to the group.

Plan to spend a minimum of 3-4 hours each day in camp washing feet, refilling bottles and supplies, and talking with people when it is your assigned shift to do so. This is the main activity this Camp does and is its primary reason for being. There are literally thousands of other things you could be doing at Burning Man at any given moment, so it is important that you are committed to participating fully in giving this particular gift to the community. We wash feet between approximately 9 AM and 6 PM (from after breakfast until it’s time to eat dinner). You should see yourself as an integral part of this process, and plan to participate accordingly. We have a sign-up sheet with shifts for participants. Missing shifts without arranging for someone else to fill in is grounds for not being invited back to camp with us next year.

Plan to help strike camp and clean-up / MOOP the camp area thoroughly before we leave.

Practice the Golden Rule as much as possible — treat one another the way you would like to be treated. Give the respect and love you wish to get.

Bring your best ideas, enthusiasm and good intentions to Burning Man.

NOTE: The Healing Foot Wash camp is a family-friendly group that welcomes hundreds of Burners to our space each year. We ask that every participant understand that as the hosts of this space, we interact with our visitors with respect, integrity, and commit to maintain a safe space for people to visit and experience our gift. This isn’t the place at Burning Man to practice your pick-up lines.

And finally…

No drama llamas. Keep it fun folks!