Camp Registration & Dues

#ScienceFact

To be a Burning Melon you need to first register and pay your dues. No exceptions. Here’s how!

Returning Melons: Register Your Melon Self

Registering for camp is easy! You just need to get the registration link while registration is open. If you look around it shouldn't be hard to find. Other things to know:

- Camp registration opens 12:01pm PST on Saturday, March 14, 2020.
- When camp is full (targeting 75-90 melons) the registration link will stop working and any interested Melons should email waitlist@burningmelon.org.

Pay Your Dues

Burning Man the event is a gift-based economy. But unfortunately Burning Man itself is not so much. Building a Melon camp with all that entails costs dough, so we ask Melons to pay dues. They are $228 for regular dues and $108 for reduced dues (for more on reduced dues, see below).

Melon dues must be paid via debit or credit card at the point of registration. Full refunds of dues will be available up until the day after the OMG sale (Thursday, August 6, 2020).

Referrals

It is such an honor when a Melon refers someone to camp, and this has happened literally hundreds of times over the last ten years. In 2020 we are changing things up a bit. It goes like this:

- Each returning Melon in 2020 can refer one (1) new Melon. Space willing, those referees will be sent a code to allow them to register on Saturday, March 21, 2020.
- Depending on the space available how virgins will be selected will be an art, not a science, based on a variety of factors including how many Melons vouch for them and how they vouch for them.
- Referrals will be accepted – or, if camp is full, added to the waiting list – on a rolling basis.

Even More On Referrals: What to Expect

Congrats! You like someone enough as a human to invite them to spend a week with you and your closest friends in the middle of nowhere in a dust storm with porta potties. That’s pretty cool. Your confidence is inspiring. But the Playa is not all parties and pre-dinner singalongs...

Things to know before, during, and throughout the process of referring a new melon:

- You are your referral’s primary point of contact. Yes, Comms & Culture is here to do all we can to ease the process for everyone involved. That said, by referring a new Melon, you are agreeing to the added responsibility (for the duration of this burn season) of looking out for that person.
- This is a hands-on task. Whether your referral is a virgin burner or a virgin Melon, burning with the Melons means taking on additional responsibility (but the juice is well worth the squeeze! as long as you’re willing to squeeze). In addition to filling your referral’s ears with how amazing your playa experiences have been, it’s your duty to also let them know about mandatory melon participation requirements, before you refer them. These include: helping one project pod pre-playa, completing two melon gifting/service shifts on playa, allocating one afternoon/evening to cooking dinner for fellow melons on playa, and working one strike shift. (Not to mention the responsibility of packing out trash, picking up MOOP, general survival, and of course, the 10 Principles.)
- Shared accountability. Your referral is their own autonomous person. That being said, through the act of referring someone you are also vouching for their ability to follow through; and if they don’t we will, gently, look to you. If you are not willing to step up should your referral absolutely drop the ball (for whatever reason - think: leaving their trash, skipping all their melon shifts, etc), then grafting a new Melon may not be for you.
- An art, not a science. Every new Melon is different! Some seedlings have more initiative than others. Some seedlings have more questions than others and appreciate more guidance. Some are stubborn and perceive help as a sign of weakness. Only you know the person you’re referring and the most productive way to guide them through this process. Above all the most important thing here is that you are willing and available to do that.

More On Camp Size

In 2020, camp size will be capped at 75-90 melons.

More On Reduced Dues

As our camp has grown, the cost to camp with us (ie. registration) has increased to support an ever-more-awesome playa home. Like a patch of casabas, crenshaws, and sharlyns, one of the best things about the Melons is our beautiful variety. We realize that the registration cost may be prohibitive for some and we want all prospective melons to be able to make it to the burn! Some guidelines for those using this option:

- Did you apply for a low-income ticket to Burning Man?
- Would the registration fee prevent you from camping with the melons?
- Are you underemployed or unemployed?

If you can answer YES to any of these questions, you may want to consider the reduced dues option. Please note that we are testing Reduced Dues on an experimental, honor-system basis. Please opt in only if you think you need it. Seriously, don’t ruin it for everyone.

Meanwhile Anyone can donate to support Reduced Dues – even if you're using Reduced Dues yourself (almost like a DIY sliding scale...). If donations exceed the Reduced Dues need, excess will go towards camp infrastructure.