Our guide to Midburn: the Israeli version of Burning Man!

Midburn festivalThere’s a huge buzz these days around the amazing Burning Man festival that takes place in the Nevada desert every year – but did you know there is now an Israeli version of Burning Man called Midburn?! Here’s our guide to this now annual phenomena that takes place deep in the Negev desert (and don’t miss the video at the end of the article)…

The Midburn community first got started back in September 2011, when a group of friends got back from Burning Man in Nevada and decided to create a community which would continue the same spirit here in Israel. They frequently met in order to discuss the community and creating a way of life inspired by Burning Man.

This year’s event (2021) takes place from September 24-29 in the Negev desert. This year, the event theme is “Return Home” and is expected to host over 10,000 participants! However, with COVID-19 still rampant, this event could well be called off.

The community started organizing theme nights to attract more burners and interested bystanders who were quickly turned on by the idea. At the same time, community members started organizing private events, such as dinner parties, trips or just a night out in a pub and started talking about producing a regional event.

The first annual event was held in June, 2014, and was attended by 3,000 people. The second event was held in May 20-24, 2015, and was attended by 6,500 people. By Midburn 2016 there were already over 7500 participants including families, children and volunteers.

The event is based on the “Participation” principle. Whoever attends the event is a participant and a citizen of the Midburn city, thus he is required to have a ticket. To buy a ticket, you first have to create a Midburn profile that helps facilitate the flow of information arriving from participants on a regular basis, and will allow the purchase of tickets, registering in theme camps, art installations and mobile art, and any other information required to build and create in Midburn. The information on your Midburn Profile is private and secured, and will not appear in search engines.

Ticket prices are set by the Midburn Association, a non-profit organization, and are derived strictly from the predicted production costs. The objective of selling tickets is to cover all productions costs and raise funds to allow the Midburn Association to fulfill its vision: Having a Midburn event every year, maintaining communal activities throughout the whole year, promoting art and promoting a social and awareness changes – driven by vision and inspiration.

The annual Midburn event sees a temporary city set up in the Negev desert for 5/6 days, creating a platform which will allow a communal lifestyle, creativity, art and radical self-expression. For more information and to get your hands on a ticket, click here.

Important things you need to know about Midburn

  • You cannot buy tickets at the gate (for safety reasons).
  • Bring your own water: water is used for drinking, cooking, washing dishes and showering, and it’s recommended you bring at least 5 liters.
  • Midburn events are non-profit; any profits are ploughed back into future events.
  • See more on the official Facebook page.

This is a wee taster of what to expect…

Send this to a friend