It’s the only event of its type between Portland and Bay area, organizers say

By Holly Dillemuth, Ashland.news

Local organizers are planning an inaugural post-Burning Man meetup in Southern Oregon this Saturday, Nov. 2, at Lithia Park in Ashland. The free event is open to all, even if you’ve never been to the popular festival in northwest Nevada.

Southern Oregon Burners, a group of Burning Man participants based in Southern Oregon, is planning the “decompression event,” known as “Afterburnt” from noon to 9 p.m. at Butler Bandshell in Lithia Park. The event is aimed at fostering Burning Man connections and educating others about Burning Man principles. 

“You’re welcome to give donations to artists or the tea house or anything like that, but it is decommodified, which means that people are not charging and it’s free and anyone can participate,” said Rianna Koppel, one of the lead organizers and also a member of Southern Oregon Burners.

Mason’s on Main will provide food by voluntary donation via “Killa Dilla” food cart, with tea service from UniTea. Workshops, including for bicycles, are also on tap for the event, as well as an interactive art installation and a free clothing boutique will be on hand. The event is described as family-friendly, according to organizers. 

Fire dancers will perform starting at 6 p.m., with live DJs and music throughout the day and evening.

“This is really about bringing all of these “burners” (together) that are around these areas in Southern Oregon,” Koppel said.

Many participants of Burning Man, who are referred to as “Burners,” live right here in Southern Oregon, in between regional decompression parties and events held in either Portland or the Bay Area.

“It’s not just Ashland, it’s Talent, Grants Pass … Applegate — It really is this whole region, so this is our first inaugural event where we’re really bringing that whole southern Oregon community together and I think it’s going to be really awesome,” Koppel said.

The event is sponsored by the city of Ashland through the newly implemented Event Partnership Grant Program. The city hired Economic Development Specialist Jordan Rooklyn earlier this spring and Rooklyn helped the city launch the program in early October. 

So far the city has awarded a total of nearly $37,000 in grants for nine events, including Afterburnt. The first events were S.O. Pride and SOU’s Indigenous People’s Day, which were both widely attended.

“We’re trying to help encourage more diversity of events, including attendance at the events and really support things that bring folks into Ashland,” Rooklyn said. 

Eligibility requirements for the grants include the ability to draw 100 attendees and from more than 50 miles away, encouraging overnight stays.

Rooklyn said the city is focused on recognizing that there’s been a shift in tourism to Ashland since the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Oregon Shakespeare Festival is still a significant driver for the city’s economy, according to Rooklyn, so play-going tourists are still a substantial part of Ashland tourism. But she noted that there is a shift to younger tourists in their mid-30s and mid-40s who are coming to Ashland primarily for the outdoors.

“We’re still open for others that want to apply,” she said. “This is the first year of the program so we’re definitely taking notes, figuring things out to make improvements and fine-tune it in the years to come.”

Koppel, who thanked the city for its support, emphasizes Afterburnt welcomes all to come and join in the fun.

“This event is about radically welcoming everybody, whether you have never been to Burning Man, whether you have gone 20 different times,” Koppel said.

Koppel, of Talent, spoke with Ashland.news about Burning Man, which draws upwards of 75,000 to 80,000 people to the Black Rock Desert each August. Burning Man participants create a temporary city called Black Rock City on a dried up lakebed known as the “playa” on Bureau of Land Management property in northwest Nevada every year in the last week of August and first week of September, according to Koppel. 

Koppel said Burning Man is about self-expression and art, not “sex, drugs, and rock ‘n roll,” as perceived by some.

Burning Man is a unique world, Koppel said, created by those who attend the festival.

During the week of Burning Man, participants practice 10 principles, including radical self-expression and inclusion, decommodification, civic responsibility, and immediacy. A Burning Man decompression event helps them reconnect with these principles in daily life, as well as one another.

“Once you go into this temporary city that only happens once a year and experience these principles and experience that community, it can sometimes be a difficult transition back to the ‘default world,’” Koppel said, “so having these decompressions is a way to bring that kind of community back in and remain connected other people that share that and share those (Burning Man) principals.

“A lot of people think this is only for ‘burners,’ only for people who have been to Burning Man and that’s so untrue,” Koppel said. 

“Every single person is welcome,” she added.

Koppel, a 2006 graduate of Ashland High School and a 2023 graduate of Southern Oregon University, has frequently attended Burning Man, with her first time in 2012.

“One of the biggest things about Burning Man as a whole is really that the folks (who) participate  … it’s not just people who are going to a festival but each person is a citizen of Black Rock City,” Koppel said.

Ashland is one of the biggest cities enroute to the festival, making it a prime location for a decompression event.

“There are a number of towns along the way to Burning Man that are very welcoming towards Burners,” she said, noting Cedarville, California, and Reno, Nevada, as well.

Koppel said the decompression event will be reflective of the core principles of Burning Man.

“It makes you think how you can bring these principles back into daily life,” Koppel said. “Decompression helps with some of those things.” 

Koppel said organizers are also working with Ashland Fire & Rescue since there will be more than a dozen fire dancers performing at the events, with all proper permits.

“All of these people have gone through a very regulated process with the fire marshal and fire permitting because … we’re aware it’s incredibly important to be safe.” 

Ashland Mayor Tonya Graham shared optimism about the grant program that’s helping the city support local tourism.

“These are the kinds of events that we are really interested in helping with because, not only are they good for the visitor economy, but we really like to see family-friendly events, ways that people can get out and enjoy the park and visit our local businesses.”

Reach Ashland.news reporter Holly Dillemuth at [email protected].

Oct. 31: Corrected location of the UniTea photo.