10 Burning Man Principles

Many people have heard of Burning Man because of the well known festival in the desert of Nevada, but the truth is that Burning Man is more than that, it's a living community where inclusion, acceptance, creativity, and consciousness are at the forefront. At its core lie the 10 Burning Man Principles, a framework designed to foster a culture of inclusion, expression, and sustainability. In this article we will focus on them from a theoretical and practical point of view.

What are the 10 Burning Man Principles?

Originally written by Burning Man co-founder Larry Harvey in 2004, these principles are a reflection of the community’s ethos and practices. They have since inspired intentional communities and regenerative villages around the world, including our home, Traditional Dream Factory (TDF).

Let’s explore the 10 Burning Man Principles and how they manifest in daily life.

1. Radical Inclusion

Radical Inclusion, one of the foundational 10 Burning Man Principles, emphasizes that everyone is welcome. There are no prerequisites to participate in Burning Man. This principle is about actively inviting diversity, breaking down social barriers, and welcoming every person and opening space for all voices, backgrounds, and identities.

2. Gifting

The act of giving without expecting anything in return creates a culture of generosity and connection. Cherished by many first nations an indigenous communities, gifts are a way to share value without an economic transaction. This principle transforms communities by fostering generosity and abundance. Gifts can be physical, like a handmade necklace or food, or experiential, like a song, a service, or a smile. It cultivates a culture where value is not transactional but shared from the heart.

3. Decommodification

Decommodification, a critical part of the 10 Burning Man Principles, protects the community from commercial exploitation. By avoiding advertising, branding, and sales, the experience remains authentic and free from consumer distractions. This allows for deeper, more genuine interactions among participants.

4. Radical Self-Reliance

Participants are encouraged to discover, rely on, and express their inner resources. In Black Rock City, that means being prepared to survive in harsh desert conditions. In everyday life, it’s about cultivating confidence, resilience, and personal responsibility. Whether that means building your own shelter or preparing your own meals, this principle fosters autonomy and confidence.

5. Radical Self-Expression

Radical Self-Expression is one of the most celebrated of the 10 Burning Man Principles. It’s an invitation to bring your whole self forward—whether through art, fashion, words, or actions. Everyone is invited to share their unique gifts with the world. This principle encourages authenticity and honors each individual's unique creative voice, while respecting the boundaries of others. From art and music to movement and conversation, Burning Man enables personal and collective creativity.

6. Communal Effort

The 10 Burning Man Principles celebrate collaboration. The creation of Black Rock City depends on cooperation and shared responsibility. Communities thrive when everyone contributes: from building theme camps to creating large-scale art installations, Burning Man depends on teamwork. This principle teaches us that when we work together, we create something far greater than we could alone.

7. Civic Responsibility

Burning Man promotes responsible civic engagement, from ensuring public safety to encouraging respectful participation. Organizers and attendees alike are responsible for the well-being of the collective.

8. Leaving No Trace

Perhaps one of the most eco-conscious aspects of the 10 Burning Man Principles, this one insists on environmental respect. It demands that participants clean up after themselves and leave the environment better than they found it. This principle has inspired countless environmental initiatives and teaches us to tread lightly on the Earth.

9. Participation

Burning Man is not a spectator event. Everyone is expected to participate and take an active role. Everyone is expected to contribute through art, work, play, or presence. Whether you’re building an art installation, leading a workshop, or dancing at sunrise, your presence matters in creating a culture where everyone is a co-creator.

10. Immediacy

The final of the 10 Burning Man Principles reminds us to fully engage with the present moment. It asks us to resist distraction, connect deeply, and experience life in real-time through touch, connection, or emotion. Immediacy brings depth and meaning to our experiences.

Living the 10 Burning Man Principles at TDF

Traditional Dream Factory is an regenerative community in Portugal where we have transformed an old chicken farm and the land around it in a thriving, beautiful community that lives by the 10 Burning Man Principles. As a eco village and creative sanctuary, TDF we strive to implement them in our everyday daily life.

• Radical Inclusion: TDF is a multicultural, queer-friendly, and family-welcoming community that celebrates how together we can have a bigger impact. Here diversity is considered as a source of strength.
• Gifting: Visitors, stewards, volunteers and residents often share skills, produce, and spontaneous moments of joy. From yoga sessions to song circles, gifting is part of our everyday rhythm.
• Decommodification: We prioritize collaborations aligned with our values and offer experiences free from consumerist noise.
• Radical Self-Reliance: Our off-grid infrastructure, with solar power, permaculture gardens, water retention channels and lake and composting toilets, invites the community to engage directly with the systems that support life.
• Radical Self-Expression: Creativity is everywhere: murals on walls, the Cabinete de Transformation (our clothe sharing system) improvised stages for different events, picking your own project to contribute with and the freedom to simply be.
• Communal Effort: Shared meals, shared tasks, project work, and co-creation days build strong bonds and beautiful outcomes.
• Civic Responsibility: We take care of each other. Consent culture, emotional check-ins, and community agreements are how we keep our community healthy.
• Leaving No Trace: Our permaculture gardens, greywater systems, and commitment to no waste are rooted in environmental respect.
• Participation: From stewards and volunteers to residents and visitors, sharing experiences makes sure every person at TDF is a contributor to the whole.
• Immediacy: Whether it’s jumping in the lake, sharing a sunrise, having lunch together, going in the sauna or dancing, TDF is a place to be alive and present.

TDF Upcoming Burn inspired experiences

October Burn Residency:

We’re bringing the 10 Burning Man Principles to life with our upcoming October Burn Residency: a full month of immersive, principle-based living in Portugal’s first burn residency community.

Dates: October 1–31

A 31-day experience that transforms burner values into lifestyle. Prepare for our signature events and live the principles daily. Discover more information about this Burn immersion here.

Kosmic Kamels & Friends Mini Burn

Dates: October 17-19

Happening in the second half of october, at Traditional Dream Factory we will host Kosmic Kamels & Friends, a separate mini burn event that celebrates the 10 Burning Man Principles in collaboration with the Portuguese burner community. Born from the energy of the Kosmic Kamels retreat, this gathering will be a vibrant expression of Iberian burner culture.

For two nights, TDF transforms into a co-created playground of radical self-expression, gifting, and communal effort. Attendees can expect meditation, workshops, collaborative art, an effigy burn ceremony, and all-night music and performances, held together by shared values and burner spirit. With limited capacity of 100 participants, this intimate experience brings the principles to life in Portugal’s heartland. Make your reservation here.

TDF at Side Burns: Bringing the 10 Burning Man Principles Beyond Borders

Traditional Dream Factory extends the ethos of the 10 Burning Man Principles beyond Portugal by participating in Side Burns events such as Nowhere in Spain. For the past two years, TDF has created a presence at Nowhere with its own community camp, embodying the principles through radical inclusion, gifting, creative expression, and communal effort.

These pop-up desert experiences are more than events, they're laboratories for intentional culture where we gather, share space, stories, skills and irrepressible curiosity, bringing the 10 bruning man principles into vibrant practice.

Our camp, the Sheepy Ship, carries many litters of Blue Lotus Kombucha made at TDF, the ultimate healthy drink ready to be shared with the community.

What happens at Side Burns does return to TDF and enriches our land-based community. The creativity, connection, and co-creation cultivated at Nowhere infuse our home with new energy, art, and relationships that ripple through our daily life.

We live small in the land of extremes. Everything we bring in is carried out. Sweat, sand, and sun become part of shared memories, not waste. Between sunrise yoga and midnight music, we immerse ourselves fully, choosing presence over performance.

Bringing It All Home: From Desert Back to the Village

These experiences ripple back into TDF’s daily life. Meetings begin with check-ins learned around Side Burn's communal circles. Art builds emerge from ideas born under a thousand stars. And a thriving creativity is watered in Alentejo’s gardens, infusing our communal life with fresh energy.

Ready to learn more?

You don’t need to travel to the Nevada desert to live the 10 Burning Man Principles Come visit or volunteer with us. Whether you are looking to visit as a guest, come for a specific event, for our October Burn Residency or volunteer at TDF, you’ll be part of the 10 Burning Man Principles in action: creative, communal, and alive.

Visit or Volunteer with us to discover more.