Decompression party is for burners and civilians alike

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With the ashes of The Man far behind them, Burning Man patrons have shaken the playa dust off their clothes and returned to their normal lives. But after a month in what they call the "default world," burners are given the chance to relive those memories of Black Rock City during the many decompression parties. Held all over the world, the parties celebrate the successful burning of The Man.

Reno's Decompression event is on Saturday at noon in the Mangrove art installation next to Dreamer's Coffeehouse, with information booths, workshops and art projects.

About 9 p.m., the event moves to the Underground and Bliss on East Fourth Street, where there will be bands, sculptures and live entertainment like the Boho Burlesque show. Behind the Underground will be an all-ages event with mutant vehicles, fire spinning, music and art.

Decompression is the idea that after a week spent in the hot surreal reality that is Black Rock City, burners need time to readjust to normal society. People interact with each other differently at Burning Man, regional coordinator Cari Lockett said.

"It just takes awhile to get yourself back in the real world," Lockett said. "The playa world is all about community, and coming together and celebration and gifting, and then you come back to the default world that is all about supporting yourself and making money."

Decompression is not only about getting used to societal norms, but also getting over the physical exhaustion. Rex Norman, art coordinator for the Reno Decompression, said going to Burning Man can be a pretty taxing event. He said dealing with the harsh elements can be draining enough. Although burners spend a week in the Black Rock Desert, they also spend months preparing theme camps and art cars. Artists and volunteers for the event can spend up to six weeks in the desert setting up their installations. On top of that, burners usually don't get a lot of sleep because they try to take in as much of the event as possible.

"For me, it almost takes a week or so to float down to earth because you are pretty excited about the things you did and things that you saw and setting up camp that is a lot of hard work," Norman said. "That is the great part about it; the bad part about it is getting rid of all the dust."

The Decompression party is more than a marker for the end of Burning Man's yearly cycle, said Ryan Ostler, who is coordinating the Reno decompression event. The event also is a reconnection for burners to come together and get them thinking about the next year. He admitted the event is a bit of a misnomer.

"It's kind of a farce really," Ostler said. "Even though it's called decompression it's more of a re-energization. So that all these ideas that people have on the playa in terms of what they want to do next year, it gets everyone back in the groove."

The event also helps to connect the Burning Man to the real world. Ostler said in recent years there has been a bigger push to spread burner culture into the default world. Decompression is a part of that movement — to help burners try to get the art displayed on the playa into the default world more. Ostler said one of the core parts of Burning Man is the art, but after the event, most of it is put into storage. Events like Decompression help draw attention to art in the cities, he said. The Mangrove, for instance, enjoys its urban home because The Black Rock Arts Foundation won an arts and culture event grant from the city to display it through Dec. 12.

Burners are not the only people who are welcome at the Decompression party. Lockett, who also runs Burner's Boutique inside of Junkee Clothing Exchange, said the event will give people who haven't been to the playa a glimpse of Burning Man. She said burners get a bad rap for being a bunch of hedonistic party animals, but will get to see the charity initiatives that have become a part of Burning Man.

"Everyone is invited; it's not just for burners, it's for everyone," Lockett said. "To bring new people in and show them what Burning Man is and what it isn't, is one of the best things we can do."

Tickets for the evening events are $10 in advance or at the door with a canned food item to donate and playa costume. With just costume or just a donation, it's $15. If you have neither, it's $20.

Not sure what is meant by "playa costume"? Our guide to burner fashion can help you out.