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← Knowledge base · DPW Volunteers Guidance · 2026 volunteer handbook

DPW: camping, parking and caring for the site

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Where to camp and park, protecting the Glade, lake boundaries and arranging deliveries.

2026 handbook · edition reference. These are the supplied DPW arrangements for May 2026. Dates, contacts, vehicles and facilities should be confirmed before reusing them for another edition.

Camping and vehicles

Must
Check placement with Production before pitching your tent.
Must
Keep live-in vehicles at least 6 m clear of tents and facing an access route.
Must
Use the designated live-in vehicle area if you need to run the engine.

Care for the site

Must
Do not drive on the grass in the Glade. Keep to approved vehicle routes.
Must
Keep away from lake edges after dark, and supervise children near the lakes.
Must
Do not visit the main house or neighbouring houses; no amplified sound at night during build.

Camping

We allocate some primo DPW camping spots which you can choose to camp in, or not! Some DPWs go to their theme camps during the week, but for many of us it’s nice to maintain a connection to all the new friends we’ve just made.

Some theme camps have allocated spots in the top field/upstairs*. So please check in with Production before you pitch your tent anywhere!

Live-in vehicles that do not need to run their engines are permitted in DPW camping but there must be 6m clear distance between the vehicle and any tents. They must be parked on the edge of the marked access routes facing outward into the access route so that they can pull forward safely without being blocked by tents. If you need to run the engine on your live-in vehicle, it must be parked in the live-in vehicle area.

Site Information · New Burner Info

If you’ve never been to Burning Nest before... Amazing! We’re stoked to have you and even more excited that we’ll be your first experience of the burn.

Here are some resources you can read before you reach site:

The Survival Guide | Event-Time Packing List | FAQs | The Principles

About the Grounds

We call our site The Glade. Burning Man has “the playa”, but that wouldn’t be appropriate for a lush green field! You’ll also notice we refer to “upstairs” (the top field) and “downstairs” (the rest of site). That’s because the top field where most people camp is about the only piece of flat land on site, before you head down the winding road where all of the sound camps are. So if we’re talking about upstairs/ free camping/the top field - it’s the first field on the right as you enter the gate.

The Glade is occupied year-round by our hosts and a number of close neighbours. You might sometimes see them pop down to say hi! It’s really important we respect their home, as well as the beautiful fields, hills and lakes. A lot of the site is protected grassland, so we have to take great care.

There are lakes on site; access to the lake edges is not permitted during hours of darkness. Children must always be supervised in the vicinity of the lake shore.

  • Do not go to the main house or the other houses by the entrance to site
  • During build there is no amplified sound to be played at night

Parking

All live-in vehicles must be parked upstairs, with the exception of access vehicles (please email dpw@burningnest.co.uk if this is you)

  • No other vehicles may be parked downstairs
  • Live-in vehicles must face a roadway and should be at least 6m clear of any tents to avoid fire risk and carbon monoxide from exhausts. If you do not follow this, you will be asked to relocate.
  • If you need to run your live-in vehicle, it must be parked in a designated live-in vehicle area
  • If your vehicle is essential to your upstairs theme camp infrastructure, it may remain in your placement area
  • All other vehicles will be required to park in the car park before event start time
  • If it is essential for your vehicle to be parked in the Glade (access needs only), it must remain there until Strike
  • If there is continuous wet weather or extreme weather forecast we may ask all vehicles to move up to the car park without exception - we don’t want anyone to get stuck. Please be prepared for this.

Deliveries

Please avoid getting personal deliveries to site! Here’s why:

  • The site is very difficult to give directions to, let alone delivery instructions.
  • Nothing may be delivered under any circumstances before we arrive on site.
  • Couriers often try to deliver to the neighbouring house at the entrance - this gets us yelled at, which makes us sad.
  • Even if they do manage to successfully locate us, sometimes things don’t end up with the right person, or they go missing.

So if you have personal deliveries - please don’t! If you have deliveries that do need to come to site during build (large items, construction stuff for projects etc), please get the correct delivery info from the DPW Co-Links first and ensure we know what/when it’s coming/where it’s going/who it’s for. Please email dpw@burningnest.co.uk for this.

Source

Adapted from DPW Handbook 2026.docx. The original welcomes returning crew and first-time volunteers; everyone is asked to read the handbook because build and strike change each year.

Something wrong or out of date? You can also select text on the page to quote it.

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