| Playa del Fuego | |
|---|---|
| Frequency | Once annually (Memorial Day Weekend) Was twice annually until Spring 2017 (Spring and Fall) |
| Location(s) | Tamaqua, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Inaugurated | August 1998 |
| Most recent | May 23-27, 2024 |
| Participants | 1200 |
| Website | playadelfuego |
Playa del Fuego, also known as PDF, is a regional event held annually in Tamaqua, Pennsylvania. It is inspired by the annual Burning Man festival in Nevada. The event is held in the Mid-Atlantic U.S. twice annually. The spring event is held over Memorial Day and the fall event is held over Columbus Day weekend. The event draws national participation from Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and other states. The 2024 event is scheduled for May 23 to May 27 in Tamaqua.
Playa del Fuego is a camping event that celebrates art for art's sake and espouses a gift economy where no vending, sales or barter are permitted.[1] Visual and performance artists from all over the mid-atlantic region and the East Coast create a temporary community for the weekend. Participants share a wide range of talents from sculpting, painting, music, theatre, and DJing, to alternative forms of expression such as games, performance art, and circus talents such as juggling and fire spinning.
The event adheres to the ten principles of the Burning Man event in Nevada. Among these are the LNT (Leave No Trace) philosophy, an environmental policy whereby participants are obligated to remove every piece of refuse that they generate while at the event, taking it with them when they leave.[2] The themes of radical self-expression and radical self-reliance are also borrowed from Burning Man. In addition, the event is considered a "no spectators" event, meaning that all attendees are expected to actively participate in its creation, staffing, and general philosophy.
According to the official website, it is "a celebration of the spirit of radical self-expression, community, and participation". The event is planned and run completely by volunteers. The volunteer areas include: the PDF Rangers, First Aid, Gate Crew, DPW, LNT, Participation Station, Lamp Lighters, and Sound Patrol.
Gates open for Playa del Fuego Thursday afternoon of Memorial Day weekend. Playa del Fuego culminates with a bonfire on Saturday night; however, instead of a human effigy as at Burning Man, a wooden pony is burned in honor of the event's origins on Assateague Island in Maryland.[3] A Fire Conclave and Drum Circle directly precede the main burn. In recent festivals, a secondary burn has taken place the following night, during which other works of "burnable art" are burned. The event ends on Monday at noon.