Long Beach gets a taste of Burning Man Festival on October 22 with the Los Angeles Burning Man Decompression Art and Music Festival. Held at the Scottish Rite Event Center, this will be an outdoor, family-friendly event from 1-10 p.m., with an official After-Party (21+) indoors from 10 p.m.-2 a.m.
LA Decompression is a space for “burners” or Burning Man goers to decompress, connect, and reunite after the festival. It’s also the oldest and largest official Burning Man decompression event in Los Angeles. This year’s 15th annual celebration will be the first of its kind for Long Beach, bringing art, mutant vehicles, theme camps and more from the festival to the LBC.
In conjunction with the Long Beach Arts Council, burners can expect local artists and talent galore. Sal Flores-Trimble, one of the event producers says,
“This will be an extraordinary event, something that Long Beach has never seen before. LB residents and burners alike will be able to enjoy a taste of Burning Man right in Downtown Long Beach.”
What is Burning Man? It’s a week-long, community-run, utopian society where burners connect on art, culture, creativity, music, gifting, self-expression, and so much more. These values are represented in the 10 principles:
- Radical Inclusion
- Gifting
- Decommodification
- Radical Self-reliance
- Radical Self Expression
- Communal Effort
- Civic Responsibility
- Leaving NoTrace
- Participation
- Immediacy
While this isn’t a set of rules, the experience can be culminated into these principles to help guide and reflect the culture of Burning Man. Taking a break from traditional societal norms, burners use gifting and decommodification to break away from a commercialized society , emphasize sustainability, and encourage self-expression during the week-long festival.
Aside from beverages and food vendors, nothing will be available for purchase on Oct. 22 as a part of the decommodification principle. Attendees are expected to create a space of inclusivity and acceptance for LA Decompression, just like they would at the official Burning Man event and they encourage all participants to practice all 10 principles during the event.
Artists and performers from the festival will be in attendance, giving a small taste of what Burning Man is–without leaving LA County. The Scottish Rite Center will have 4 stages, live DJs, art, dancing, and quite possibly the largest fire show Long Beach has seen; and it wouldn’t be a burner event without some of Burning Man’s famous art cars! This is all part of Long Beach’s first authorized Burning Man event.
A brand new event, the official LA Decompression After-Party will move indoors for burners 21+. Tickets can be purchased at the LA Decompression 2022 website for both the day-time festival and official After-Party.
“As a veteran burner myself, I am honored not only to be able to help produce such an amazing event, but to bring a little bit of the Burning Man magic to Long Beach” says Sal Flores-Trimble. Stay tuned for exclusive interviews with artists and more information about this one-of-a-kind Burning Man event!
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