June 20-24, 2024
Fort Royale Farm
Bedford, PA
Summerisle Burn can be described as a four day camping, arts, and culture event (yes, a non-commercial, weird, wild, wonderful, and welcoming art thing in the woods) based on the ten principles of Burning Man.
Summerisle is a collaborative gathering of community organized and fueled by volunteers. It is an interactive experience that is everything you choose to make it.
You are at once the entertainer and the entertained.
Summerisle differs from a festival in the sense that participants don’t expect to be delivered an experience, but work together to engage in the shared, participatory creation of that experience.
There are no spectators.
As with all successful burn events, Summerisle embraces the Ten Principles, and models itself on their guidance. We incorporate the principles of Leave No Trace (there are no trash cans, so you’ll have to pick up after yourself and pack your trash out with you), Decommodification (no buying or selling of private goods, and many choose to obscure or creatively alter any visible brands on trucks, tents and clothing), Radical Self Reliance (there are no vendors, so you’ll have to bring enough food, water, art, and whatever else you need to live for four days in a mountain woodland), Communal Effort (we each take part in creating experiences and volunteering to make this thing on the mountain go, from the virgin to the board and everyone in between.), Radical Inclusion (we welcome the stranger to participate. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are our cornerstones), Immediacy (we value overcoming the boundary between ourselves and new experiences and seek to create opportunities to find fortuitous serendipity), Gifting (we devote ourselves to acts of giving without the expectation of a return), Radical Self Expression (sharing ourselves from the depths of our hearts while respecting the rights of others), Civic Responsibility (each of us assumes responsibility for the welfare of each other), and Participation (everyone is invited to work. Everyone is invited to play.) Consent (ask first: from hugs to any touching to photography to gifts, make sure they’re in a state of mind to grant consent and receive permission before proceeding. No pressure or hard feelings either way!)
Join us year round in our Facebook group.
Summerisle will take place at Fort Royale Farm, in Bedford, Pennsylvania. Cellular service with certain carriers on the way to the venue occasionally dropped through the mountains on the way in, but it’s available on site. Be prepared with directions before heading to Fort Royale.
Tickets will be available starting in March. You must have a ticket, present a valid government identification at gate that matches the name on the ticket, and sign our waiver at our Gate to enter Summerisle. This rule applies to all ages and there are no exceptions, even for brief visitors. Tickets will not be for sale at Gate and no day passes will be available. People who try to sneak in or subvert check-in intentionally will be banned from the event. Minors must be ticketed and accompanied by their legal guardian. A minor registration form with emergency contact information will be filled out by that parent or guardian. These forms will be available at Gate. Children under 15 will be required to have a ticket but are free. Any minor under 18 who arrives at gate without a registered guardian will be not allowed into Summerisle.
Summerisle is continuing to monitor government-issued best practices for events and gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the absence of additional emergency declarations, Summerisle is not requiring, but is heavily encouraging, the COVID-19 vaccine and boosters before participating. There will not be a vaccine check at the gate this year. In the event of a positive COVID-19 result and you cannot participate, please contact us for a full ticket refund by 6 p.m. on Burn Night. If you feel sick, please stay home. We will continue to follow guidance from the CDC, Federal, State, and local authorities in response to COVID-19. Guidance is subject to change, and Summerisle will remain flexible to and respond appropriately to any changes in status in the future. We will update our COVID-19 policy as new recommendations arise.
If you have any questions, please email us at summerisleburn@gmail.com.
GATE HOURS FOR 2024
Tuesday: Board Members, Board build crews, Coordinators, DPW build crews, and other arrivals pre-arranged by the BoD.
Wednesday: Registered theme camps and Leads only. 12pm – Midnight. You may drive in after dark, but you must drive SLOWLY and SAFELY for the well-being of the people already on site. Pre-sundown arrival is preferred.
Thursday: ALL ACCESS, 9am to Midnight – No driving past Gate to camp after 8pm (golf carts will be available to run personal gear, but not larger theme camp infrastructure). You may walk in as much as you can carry!
Friday: ALL ACCESS, 9am to Midnight – No driving past Gate to camp after 8pm (golf carts will be available to run personal gear, but not larger theme camp infrastructure). You may walk in as much as you can carry!
Saturday: TBA.
Sunday: Gate will be open 10 a.m.-1 p.m. only for ice pick-up ONLY. Otherwise closed, NO admittance, NO re-entry, exit only, NO cars on interior roads after 8pm.
Monday: EXODUS by 1 p.m. NO admittance, NO re-entry, exit only.
We will be strictly adhering to the posted gate hours, with no exceptions. Let’s make it easy on our gate volunteers by working within the set timeline! So keep an eye on your GPS and give yourself wiggle room to be sure you arrive within the posted times.
