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I have gone to Bman two times and just went to my first Tfus. Several people asked me to compare and contrast the events. Here are my thoughts...
Both events are very similar. They have the same vibe, same spirit, type of people, creativity, artworks, music, dancing, volunteering, bikes, art cars, lights, costumes, eye candy, body paint, hoops, poi, circus arts, parades, theme camps, bars, games of chance, gifting, food, water, camping, self-sufficiency, moop, LNT, principles, rangers, organizers, ticket-takers, greeters, lamplighters, healers, megaphones, freaks, hippies, noisy sleeping, and porto-potties. Oh yeah, and both events burn stuff.
They are different in their size, geography, weather, and distance from home. Bman is huge, almost 50000 people. The spectacle, number of artworks, and opportunities are two orders of magnitude beyond Tfus. Bman lasts a week, Tfus is a long weekend. Bman can be overwhelming, Tfus is more intimate. Bman is held on a flat dry desert lake bed, Tfus is in the hills of a rain forest. Bman is hot, dry, and dehydrating, while Tfus is mild. Bman can have dust storms, Tfus can have rain. Bman's alkaline playa soil can irritate skin, eyes, and lungs, while Tfus has mosquitos and a little poison ivy. If you live in or near NC, Bman is a few days drive away (or fly and deal with shipping stuff), while Tfus is a few hours drive.
My favorite part of both events is the music and meeting great people. My favorite activity only available at Bman is biking at night from one event to another in big groups of decorated blinky bikes. My favorite activity only at Tfus is swimming and lounging in the ponds in the afternoons.
Overall, I like both events equally well. The costs, preparation, traveling, and cleanup are proportional to the scale of each event. If you have gone to one event and would like to try the other, I encourage you to go. You are already 80% prepared. On the other hand, if you are happy going to just one of the events, you can be satisfied with that decision.
Other opinions?...
Both events are very similar. They have the same vibe, same spirit, type of people, creativity, artworks, music, dancing, volunteering, bikes, art cars, lights, costumes, eye candy, body paint, hoops, poi, circus arts, parades, theme camps, bars, games of chance, gifting, food, water, camping, self-sufficiency, moop, LNT, principles, rangers, organizers, ticket-takers, greeters, lamplighters, healers, megaphones, freaks, hippies, noisy sleeping, and porto-potties. Oh yeah, and both events burn stuff.
They are different in their size, geography, weather, and distance from home. Bman is huge, almost 50000 people. The spectacle, number of artworks, and opportunities are two orders of magnitude beyond Tfus. Bman lasts a week, Tfus is a long weekend. Bman can be overwhelming, Tfus is more intimate. Bman is held on a flat dry desert lake bed, Tfus is in the hills of a rain forest. Bman is hot, dry, and dehydrating, while Tfus is mild. Bman can have dust storms, Tfus can have rain. Bman's alkaline playa soil can irritate skin, eyes, and lungs, while Tfus has mosquitos and a little poison ivy. If you live in or near NC, Bman is a few days drive away (or fly and deal with shipping stuff), while Tfus is a few hours drive.
My favorite part of both events is the music and meeting great people. My favorite activity only available at Bman is biking at night from one event to another in big groups of decorated blinky bikes. My favorite activity only at Tfus is swimming and lounging in the ponds in the afternoons.
Overall, I like both events equally well. The costs, preparation, traveling, and cleanup are proportional to the scale of each event. If you have gone to one event and would like to try the other, I encourage you to go. You are already 80% prepared. On the other hand, if you are happy going to just one of the events, you can be satisfied with that decision.
Other opinions?...
posted by:
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North Carolina
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Re: Burningman and Transformus compared
Thu, July 23, 2009 - 7:12 PMYou don't have to go to a federal office building in order to get a ticket to burning man. -
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Re: Burningman and Transformus compared
Thu, July 23, 2009 - 7:39 PMhahahaha
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Re: Burningman and Transformus compared
Thu, July 23, 2009 - 9:41 PMBurning Man has a spectacle and uniqueness that can not truly be equalized or compared to. NoWhere in Spain comes very close, from what I'm told, but I've never been so I can't make a decision on that. The price of Burning Man's scale, magnitude and overall "spectacle quotient" was its community. Black Rock City is a CITY, and because of its massive population and multiculturalism the chances of finding people who really relate to you is not as large as you might think. You're united by being burners, and roughing it out there, but that's about it.
Transformus, on the other hand, does not have as much crazy art and spectacles that Burning Man can provide, but the high-spirited, giving and overall trusting community that it has fostered surpasses Burning Man in almost every way. You meet almost everybody. The entire festival can be seen in one day, which means you keep running into the people you met the days before. This allows stronger bonds to form, so the connections made at Transformus are far deeper than those at Burning Man (unless you're in with a big theme camp, then you connect really well to the people in your camp).
I love performing at Burning Man, it's what I go out there for. But if I only had one vacation throughout the year, I'd be at Transformus. -
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Re: Burningman and Transformus compared
Fri, July 24, 2009 - 12:58 PMAfter my first Transformus, somebody asked me how it compared to Burning Man.
It's like the difference between a big stadium concert by the Rolling Stones,
and having Keith Richards come play guitar on your back porch. -
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Re: Burningman and Transformus compared
Tue, August 4, 2009 - 2:17 AMstated perfectly.
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Re: Burningman and Transformus compared (and Myschievia?)
Fri, September 25, 2009 - 9:37 AMwow. Perfect analogy. Both are awesome in their own way, and simultaneously both very similar and very disparate... and for me, both required 2 days to driving to get to.
I've been to BRC 3 times, and Transformus 2 times so yea, I can honestly compare the two.
BUT, to get a real working comparison, ya gotta get to Myschievia (shameless plug), which is the N.Texas regional Burn going on Oct. 8-12 near Texarkana. Tickets on sale now at ntxb.org
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Re: Burningman and Transformus compared
Fri, July 24, 2009 - 4:18 PMI have been to both. It is easy to be open, trusting, friendly to stranger in a small close nit community like Tfus. To have that same kind of feeling come out of a city the size of Black Rock is truly inspiring, humbling. TFus is a Shangri la, where as Black Rock is a survival experience. There is this sence of self accomplishment you get from doing a week in those kinds of conditions that you can't get from Tfus. Going to Burning Man is like going on a pilgrimage to mecca. You have to prepare yourself in so many ways just so that you can make it a week out there. You have to bring everything you need to survive with you and you are aware that you are two hours away from the closest hospital. You are putting yourself in a environment that is going to test you. All of this leaves you feeling like you experienced a enlightening, defining, inspiring moment in your life after your first burn at Black Rock. It changes you. IF you take to it, you are changed for life. You have this place in your heart that is home and it is called Black Rock City. Home is where the heart is!
Tfus is great and the people are the best, it is like going to paradise and partying with 1400 of your best friends. I love and miss you all!! wish we could have made it, but I had to choose between it and going back home to Black Rock. I chose Black Rock.
Love and Hugs
Kim
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Re: Burningman and Transformus compared
Wed, September 23, 2009 - 1:11 AMBurning man has lots of cops. Transform us doesnt
Transformus has a greater booze per capita ratio than any other burn event.
At burning man, the party doesnt stop when the sun comes up.
BM 08/09
Flipside 07/08
TFUS 06/09
(flipside is the hottest one of the three) -
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Re: Burningman and Transformus compared
Wed, September 23, 2009 - 1:15 AMBTW - The booze thing is definitly out of control, and way too much house music, not enough WHOMP yo
but thats just my opinion, ya know? -
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Re: Burningman and Transformus compared
Wed, September 23, 2009 - 11:45 AMI am missing the funk too. We used to have lots of funk and even some disco.
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Re: Burningman and Transformus compared
Wed, September 23, 2009 - 7:47 PMI will have you know that I did everything I could to keep the party going despite the sun being up...cause it's a friggin' burn and why would you got to sleep like that the night of the burn. TFUS this year was the quietest I've seen it. If everyone had been partying harder, I would not have been outside of their tents at sunrise with the bullhorn.
Maybe the problem stems from the booze ratio. -
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Re: Burningman and Transformus compared
Sun, September 27, 2009 - 12:14 PMwe got the whomp at PLF! We also don't go to sleep til after sunrise :) Although the booze is probably a little outta control (but sometimes that's fun right?). I'd say the biggest thing I like about Burning Man vs. Transformus (or other regionals) is the scale of the art. Transformus is much more intimate. It's easier to make lasting friends at Transformus, but certainly not difficult at Burning Man. However, regionals just are not big enough or long enough to convince people to put forth the effort to build a 3 story lotus temple with a fire tornado shooting up the middle. Or a multistory astroturf slide. Or 15 foot sculptures of people made out of rebar with fire dripping from their hands. Or double decker double length busses turned into gigantic party pirate ships. Well you kinda get the idea...
But man I love Transformus and would be very very sad to miss it. I really like the NC people a lot too!
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