Monterey Burning Man Regional Group holds a decompression celebration to educate visitors on its culture.

Heat lended itself to burners on Saturday, Oct. 5, for the Monterey Burning Man Regional Group at Del Monte Beach. They showed up to “decompress” through dance, art and to educate others on what is called The Ten Guiding Principles.

The group, organized under an orphan initialism “MPYRE,” gathered at the beach following their journey to Black Rock City from earlier in the year for the world-renowned arts, music and culture festival as an officially sanctioned Burning Man event.

“We’re following up after the ‘big burn’ that happened in Nevada,” says regional contact for the Monterey Burners, Carri Rochelle, who goes by the palindrome TidbiT at the events. “[Here], we ‘reintegrate’ into what we call ‘default,’ which is not how we live out there by The Ten Guiding Principles.”

The Ten Guiding Principles revolve around egalitarian ways of living that are largely countercultural to modern society as it exists in most facets. Burning Man co-founder Larry Harvey wrote them as a guide in 2004 for the culture at events, and they’re based on ways that persons can care for themselves, the environment and others. 

“Burning Man isn’t just a weeklong festival in the desert,” TidbiT says, “it’s a worldwide culture that happens 365 days a year.”

Upholding The Ten Principles isn’t the only requirement for MPYRE to hold a sanctioned Burning Man event on the sunny Saturday. In addition, Black Rock City Rangers themselves must be onsite at every Burning Man event, no matter where in the world. Two rangers walk around Del Monte Beach dressed in their sandy khaki uniforms with smiles on their faces during the event. TidbiT explains that they are here to ensure safety and adherence to The Principles. 

For Saturday’s gathering, MPYRE showcases three music stages, food, an information booth and a sheltered decompression tent for goers to find a respite should they need it. The event began with an opening ceremony featuring hula dancers on stage, followed by house music amplified on the populated beach. As the day progresses, more ceremonies, fire dancing and interactive art activities like live painting are on display, culminating with a small effigy burn. TidbiT explains the burning of “the man,” which is about six-and-a-half feet tall, set in a fire pit—much smaller than its Black Rock City counterpart—carries open representation to whoever is present.

“It means something different to everybody. It means something different to me every year,” she explains.

The 13-year-old group now sees around 500 people come and go throughout the day for the event. It is family-friendly, free and open to the public for visitors to come experience it with greeters ready to share their own experiences. Elsa Rivera explains that the not-for-profit social gathering relies only on attendance and donations, while in return visitors are educated about Burning Man culture. But TidbiT says it’s the burning of the art at the end that reinforces the non-attachment to it, much like the pop-up itself.

“As a pop-up, it comes and it goes…you have to be there to experience it,” TidbiT says.