MESA
9:30 & Esplanade
A collaborative sanctuary on the playa — rooted in connection and co-creative energy. Join us for sunrise yoga, fireside mezcal tastings, DJ sets, and late-night volleyball under the stars.
The Camp
What is MESA?
80 people. 7th year on the playa. One raised platform in the dust.
A mesa is a flat-topped geological formation with steep sides — a raised plateau in the desert. That's exactly what we build. Three shipping containers with stairs to the top, where you'll find the mezcal bar, couches, rugs, pillows, and everything under shade. It's the heart of camp — where conversations happen, sunsets are watched, and strangers become family.
Around the MESA, we host sunrise yoga, talks, drum circles, fireside Mezcal tastings and late-night volleyball. Whether you're chilling in the hammocks or lighting up the dance floor on our mutant vehicle, Garden of Dreamin', you're part of a community that shows up with heart.
Est. 2018
Garden of Dreamin'
Our mutant vehicle art car — a 40-foot SUV limo with a DJ booth on the roof. Deep playa runs at 2am.
Daily Rituals
Sunrise yoga, drum circles, ecstatic dance, breath work, and guided meditation.
Mezcal Bar
Perched atop the MESA platform — curated mezcal tasting flights surrounded by couches, rugs, and pillows under shade.
Night Volleyball
Under the stars with lit balls. A MESA tradition that brings strangers together.
Life at MESA
Our dusty family
Seven years of sunrises, deep-playa runs, and found family — a few frames from home.
Camp Dues
What you get with MESA
One contribution funds the whole village — showers, shade, sound, storage, and a crew that has your back all year.
MESA runs on shared contribution. Dues pool every camper's piece into the showers, shade, sound, storage, and insurance that make camp possible — no one person underwrites MESA. We all carry it together, and we all own a piece of home.
2026 pricing is shared during the application process, and dues can be split into 3 monthly installments once you're in.
Dues include
- Our camp shower
- Kitchen use
- MESA community support
- Garden of Dreamin' art car
- MESA lounge with shade, sound system + mezcal bar
- Trash trailer
- Production team sponsorships
- Pre/post fundraisers
- Camp warehouse use/access in Reno
- Annual storage of art cars and containers
- Transport of art cars and containers to/from playa
- Insurance (UMC entity)
- Accounting & tax filings
- MESA interactivity: drum circles, yoga, meditation, late-night volleyball, collaborative art, ecstatic dance, breath work
- Burning Man acculturation (MOOP training, Radical Self-Reliance guidance)
Fuel for the Playa
The Food Plan
Nothing brings camp together like sharing an incredible meal. Delicious, hearty, made with love — fuel for the playa.
- Two pre-made meals a day — cooked off playa, flash-frozen, and ready whenever you are
- Pick your dishes from the menu before the burn
- Breakfast every day — burritos, pancakes, eggs & bacon, fresh coffee
- Anytime snacks: trail mix, fresh fruit, granola bars, electrolyte popsicles
- 2–3 camp-wide cook nights where a few RVs team up on tacos
- Volunteer-run from prep to cleanup — everyone on the plan pitches in to make it happen
- Kitchen stays open all week for heating meals or cooking your own
Tacos a la playa
A week of dinners
Every dinner has a vegan / vegetarian version — mushroom bourguignon, smoked jackfruit, green vegetable curry, and friends.
The Bar
Artisanal mezcal tastings
Every evening at golden hour, the bar atop the MESA pours curated tasting flights — small-batch bottles from Oaxacan palenques, sipped slow on couches under shade while the light goes soft.
Tastings run 5:00–6:30 daily. Bring a bottle to gift to the bar, or let us curate one for you to share.
Daily · 5:00–6:30 PM
The Art Car
Garden of Dreamin'
Our mutant vehicle — a 40-foot SUV limo with a DJ booth on the roof, carrying MESA deep into the playa night.
Built by hand
The MESA team builds most of this ourselves — the platform, the lounge, the bars, and the Garden herself take shape over warehouse weekends in Reno and long build days in the dust. And everyone is invited into the process: come get your hands dirty with the build crew, or fuel the work with a donation. Either way, you're part of what rises out there.
On-Playa Services
Power, water & the practical stuff
The infrastructure that keeps 80 people comfortable in the desert — priced at cost, no surprises.
24/7 Camp Power
One quiet central grid for the whole camp — no personal generators, mandatory for every RV. Priced by hookup: 30A or 50A for RVs, a lighter share for tents.
Due June 1Water & Showers
Our camp shower, with hot water. Fresh water delivery available on playa.
Plan on two gallons of drinking water per person, per day — delivery pricing comes with your application.
RV Pump-Outs
United Site Services pump-outs, prepaid through camp so the whole camp rides one invoice.
Due June 1Optional add-ons
E-Bike
Tower beach cruiser for the full burn — pick up & drop off in Reno. 50 available.
Garden of Dreamin'
Help fuel our mutant vehicle art car for another year of deep-playa runs. 30 spots.
Tent + AC
A FestPro Siesta XL with an AC unit, ready to move into. 12 available.
Mezcal Bottle
We pick a curated bottle for you to share at the bar — or BYOB.
Foundation
Built on Principles
Every camp at Burning Man is built on the 10 Principles. At MESA, we live them — not as rules, but as the spirit of how we show up.