Burning in Bedford, PA June 15-19, 2023

Welcome to Summerisle

The Summerisle Guide is for First Timers, Veterans, and Everyone In Between! Click on on a topic or download a printable copy.

Welcome to Summerisle

LOCATION

Summerisle Burn takes place at Fort Royale Farm, in Bedford, Pennsylvania. The address is 5575 Bedford Valley Road. Bedford, PA, 15522. Cellular service with certain carriers occasionally drops through the mountains on the way to the venue, but it’s excellent on site.  Be prepared with directions before heading to Fort Royale.

TICKETS, PARKING PASSES, AND WAIVERS

Your ticket should be in either your own name, or you must be WITH the person whose name is on your ticket. You must also have a matching, valid, government-issued ID for anyone over the age of 15, to be presented at Gate for entry. All participants must also sign a waiver of liability to enter the event. You may not enter the event to set up before checking in at the Gate and signing the liability waiver. No exceptions.

For 2023, we are selling our event tickets using humanitix.com. There is no need to set up an account – everything is handled through direct emails to you post-purchase. Initial ticketing questions can be handled through the Buyer Support page at humanitix.com or. You can also visit their FAQ section for questions you might have regarding your account set-up and ticket purchase. For handling ticket transfers, please email us directly at summerisleburn@gmail.com.

You will also buy your $0.00 parking pass (and your ice) along with your ticket purchase. Please “buy” 1 parking pass per vehicle that will be parked in general parking. Parking passes are NOT for camping RVs. Those are submitted on the RV registration form on our website. They are also not for car camping. There is no car camping at Summerisle unless for ADA reasons requested directly to Summerisle at the email above.

Go to http://summerisleburn.com/tickets/ for full FAQ on when and where to purchase your tickets. 

ALL AGES ARE WELCOME

Summerisle is an all-ages event. Minors 15 years old and under may enter the event for free, but a $0.00 ticket still must be “purchased” for them and the minor must still check in at the gate for their wristband & waiver. 

Participants under 18 years of age are not required to have an ID. 

Minors under 18 years of age as of their day of arrival at the event, must be accompanied by their legal guardian, and must have in hand a minor registration form with emergency contact information filled out by their parent or legal guardian. Any child or minor who arrives at gate without a registered guardian will be turned away unless prior arrangement has been made by contacting Gate or Rangers.

Further, we require that parents and their children abide by any posted signage or written/verbal requests at camps and in their event announcements that indicate those events are either 18+ or 21+. 

We hope that our participating parents think about it this way: there are plenty of burners who would feel their own freedom of self-expression and experience at, say, a squirting contest or booty pageant, to be harmed and hamstrung by realizing there are underage children present. It can really funk someone’s experience, or yuck someone’s yum. While we are not attempting to govern what a parent believes their child is prepared to see or experience, we do feel that adults at the event should be allowed to direct certain events and spaces be sequestered so that they can be equally uninhibited. 

COVID POLICY

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, getting the COVID-19 vaccine and boosters before participating in Summerisle 2023. There will not be a vaccine check at gate, but if you feel sick, please stay home. In the event of a positive COVID-19 result the week of the burn, please contact us via at summerisleburn@gmail.com. The email must be timestamped by Saturday 6/17/23 at 6 p.m. in order to qualify for a full refund.

We will continue to follow guidance from Federal, State, and local authorities in response to COVID-19. Guidance is subject to change, and Summerisle will remain flexible to respond appropriately to any changes in status.

We ask all participants to help us minimize this risk of infection to others. If you are feeling sick by the time of the burn, you will be permitted to request a refund in order to avoid exposing others. Please email the Board immediately at summerisleburn@gmail.com to ask for a refund. ‘


Ticket costs not refunded will roll over into our Art/Effigy/Temple fund, our fund for discount reserve tickets for marginalized populations, and/or general operations funds.

SERVICE ANIMALS POLICY

Summerisle follows a strict no pets and no emotional support animals policy. Fort Royale is a working farm with established on-site animals, and we aim for as little disruption to our hosts and their property as possible. There is an exception for fully trained ADA service animals that follow established protocol regarding service animals at the burn. If you need to bring your service animal to partake in the event safely, please email the Summerisle Board by June 1st at summerisleburn@gmail.com. We will send you the policy and waiver that you must bring to the burn with you to review with a member of the Summerisle Board. We will not consider requests submitted after this due date, without exception.

Below is part of the policy form that we will send you to read, sign, and bring with you to the burn. Please review it below so you know what to expect. We will email you the official PDF to print out when you contact us at the email above as it will include the waiver to sign. 

———————–

At Summerisle, we will allow legitimate service dogs who are trained to perform a specific task to mitigate a disability of their human owner. 

ABSOLUTELY NO PETS OR EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANIMALS ALLOWED

Please read this entire form carefully and completely. Please do not initial or sign this form until you have reviewed it with a member of the Summerisle Board of Directors. 

____ Only DOGS qualify as Service Animals for the purposes of this request. 

____ Emotional Support Animals are not Service Animals and are not permitted.

____ Service Animals in training are not Service Animals under federal law and are not permitted. 

____ Under the ADA, a service animal is defined as a dog that has been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability. The task(s) performed by the dog must be directly related to the person’s disability. Task work is not optional. If a dog doesn’t perform task work, it is not a Service Dog.

____ The Service Animal must at all times be tethered to and in the full voice control of their owner unless actively engaged in the disability mitigation task for which they are trained.

____ A Service Animal may never be handled by or tethered to a person other than their owner. The ONLY exception to this is if the owner is actively inside of a porta-potty, and the dog is being held nearby on a leash by a known, trusted adult during this time. 

____ The Service Animal must always be in the “Full Stay” command position when not performing the service for which they have been trained.

____ The Service Animal must be fully trained to urinate or defecate only under the control of their owner. 

____ We will ask: 

  • Is the dog a service animal required because of a disability?
  • What work or task has the dog been trained to perform?

____ I agree that violation of any part of this policy may result in my immediate ejection, and the ejection of my animal, with no refunds. No warnings may be provided, depending on the severity of the disruption.

WRIST BANDS

Upon check-in, you will be given a wristband at the gate. Wristbands will be colored and clearly identify participants based on age.  RED: under 18, YELLOW: 18-20, GREEN: 21+.  This wristband must be on your wrist at all times. If you lose your wristband, return immediately to the gate to rectify. Anyone without a wristband will be asked to go to Gate and show their ID as proof of purchase. If you have not purchased a ticket you will be escorted from the event. Gate jumping will not be tolerated. Minors under 18 years of age will be tagged with information regarding their guardian(s) for reunification purposes as needed.  During the event, you may occasionally hear the shout of “WRISTBAND!”. At this time, expose your wrist, raise it aloft, and bare it unto Lord Summerisle!

CAMPING

If you are participating in Summerisle, you are either camping with a theme camp or you are open camping. If you are with a theme camp, you can find your camp by looking for it on a map or looking for an assignment sign for the camp from Lord Summerisle. Open campers can camp anywhere not reserved for a theme camp. Everyone should communicate with their theme camp (or non-theme camp) neighbors regarding camping boundaries, placement, and space usage.  Check the website and the Facebook event for a link to a live, interactive event map.

TRAFFIC

Traffic through the land is one-way only up the mountain and back down the other side counter-clockwise through the venue. Only RVs going to Cemetery Ridge may go against traffic and ONLY after it has been pre-arranged at the Gate so that traffic flow can be managed without incident. To allow for potential ingress/egress of emergency vehicles we ask that you do not block the main road at any time. Traffic patterns may change at any notice in response to unforeseen land issues that affect the regular route.

GATE HOURS

  • Tuesday: Board Members and their theme camps, Coordinators and their theme camps, DPW build crew members, and other arrivals pre-arranged by the BoD.
  • Wednesday: Registered theme camps and Leads only. 12pm – Midnight. Driving in allowed after 8 p.m. for unloading at your site, but DRIVE SLOWLY AND SAFELY. No building noises (hammering, saws, etc.) after midnight. Cars must be parked in the lot by noon the next day.
  • 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)
  • Friday: ALL ACCESS, 9am to Midnight – No driving past Gate to camp after 8pm (golf carts will be available to run in personal gear, but not larger theme camp infrastructure)
  • Saturday: ALL ACCESS, 9am to 6pm – NO new admittance after 6pm
  • Sunday: Gate will be open from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. for ice pick-up ONLY. NO new admittance on Sunday, early Exodus/exit only, no exit after 8pm.
  • Monday: EXODUS by 1 p.m. NO new admittance, exit only

We will be strictly adhering to the posted gate hours, with no exceptions (this is not in our hands, but is the result of negotiation with the land owner). So keep an eye on your GPS and give yourself wiggle room to be sure you arrive within the posted times. We want you here! On time.

EARLY ARRIVAL – WEDNESDAY

Early entry will be offered to registered theme camps members, artists, coordinators, and leads necessary for event set-up. Participants will not be allowed into the event before Thursday without permission to do so. To request early entry, please email summerisleburn@gmail.com or speak with your TCO (Theme Camp Organizer). 

AFTER-DARK ARRIVAL

Summerisle is a pedestrian-friendly burn. From Thursday night and on til the end, no vehicles will be allowed to drive into camp or through the venue after 8 p.m. unless it’s related to a medical emergency and/or you have authorization and escort from Gate/Ranger Lead. There will be dozens of pedestrians in your way who will be very hard to see at night and multiple events will be happening around the loop. To protect the safety of Summerisle participants, you will not be permitted to drive in.

After 8 p.m., shuttle services will be provided from the parking area to transport ONLY your personal necessities to your camp. All large camp infrastructure must wait for the following morning when you can drive your vehicle into camp. Feel free to walk in as much as you wish!

AFTER-HOURS ARRIVAL

We understand that life can be unpredictable and the best laid plans for being radically prepared may go sideways. However, for the safety, security, and respect of participants already in the event you may not enter Summerisle until you have been registered, sign the waiver, and have a wristband. That process requires Gate staff, who deserve to leave Gate and go back to the burn when their shift is done.

We cannot guarantee nor monitor our email during the event. It happens each year. People email us during the burn and we do not answer it. There is simply too much going on. If you are going to be late, we will not know about it. Thus, we must stick to a hard policy line on this: No late arrivals. Hard stop. No exceptions. Not even 1 minute past. Not even for our friends. You risk no admission if you plan for an arrival close to our posted closing time. No, you cannot park at the Gate. This is someone’s private property and they live right by the Gate. Plan accordingly and leave plenty of wiggly room. We want you here!

PARKING

The parking area for Summerisle will be clearly defined on a map posted at Gate. Parking volunteers will be on site to guide you to your parking spot for the weekend. All vehicles are expected to park in the designated area unless you have registered as an in-camp art installation or as an RV. Mutant Vehicles are not permitted at Summerisle at this time, though it is a stretch goal for the event over the next few years. Any stationary, art installation-related vehicles can be parked in camp if they are part of a registered art project. This is prearranged with the Theme Camp Coordinator and/or the Art Grant Coordinator, and all vehicles receiving such permission are expected to be creatively “masked” to not appear merely as a parked car.

You will need to “buy” a parking pass for any vehicles parked in general parking. It’s absolutely free, but needs to be included in your ticket purchasing process. The parking pass does not include RVs to camp inside the event. Those must be applied for on another form on our website under the Participation!/RV Registration section.

UNLOADING

Weather permitting, vehicles will be allowed to drive to campsites to unload. There will be clearly marked gravel roads to follow to the camping areas. Please respect the land and do not leave the gravel roads for any reason unless told to do so by Parking, Gate, or a Ranger. 

Vehicles may move through the venue to unload and load belongings during the following times only:

WEDNESDAY: 12pm-12am

THURSDAY: 9am-8pm

FRIDAY: 9am-8pm

SATURDAY: 9am-6pm [FIRM due to Effigy Burn safety protocols]

SUNDAY: 9am-6pm [No new admittance, EXIT only, FIRM deadline due to Temple Burn]

MONDAY: 9am-1pm EXIT ONLY, firm deadline of 1pm to be off the property.

Upon arrival, your vehicle will be tagged with your entry time. You will have 2 hours to unload and return your car to the parking area. Summerisle’s goal is to create a more intimate atmosphere without the clutter of cars blocking roadways and limiting camping space. Additionally, the landowner has asked that we help the ecology of the land by keeping cars from parking in one place for too long, which can compress and harm the soil. Parking volunteers will follow up with participants to ensure paths are clear and cars and headed to parking.

After 8pm Thursday and Friday, and 6pm Saturday and Sunday, all vehicular movement through the venue stops.  After 8pm, entering vehicles must park at the Greeters station directly inside the venue, proceed on foot to Gate, check in at Gate, return to their vehicles, and follow the signs to the left (south) towards the Darkness shuttle tent. You may bring ONLY your essentials to get through the night to the staging tent. There will be shuttles running into camp and to open camping that can take you and your personal tent and equipment. No large items or infrastructure will be allowed on the carts, as this is a hazard to other participants. All items must safely fit ON the cart or it cannot be carried by the cart. Walk as much gear in as you wish!

You may return to Parking in the morning after 9am to drive the rest of your gear in to unload.  

PLEASE NOTE: In order to protect the land and our participants and depending on road and weather conditions, it is possible that you may not be allowed to drive to your campsite. This could be at the specific request of the landowner, or due to unforeseen circumstances such as inclement rain or washouts. Please be prepared (radical self-reliance!) to get your things to and from parking to your campsite under these circumstances. Bringing a collapsible cart or wagon may be a wise investment. One great recommendation to help ease transfer of your camp: pack everything in containers (black bins with yellow tops are a favorite of burners). Announcements will be made closer to the event regarding the status of driving on the land/to camp sites. Shuttles will be provided to assist with the process if it is possible.

RV/TRAILER/CAR CAMPING

If your needs require that your RV, camper/trailer or car be at your campsite, you must register in order to obtain a parking pass by applying on the RV registration form at https://summerisleburn.com/participation/rv-registration/. For everyone else, approval will be based on need and available space, which may also be contingent on the weather. All RVs must register their vehicles on the RV registration form. Any last minute RVs may be turned away from our RV area due to lack of space for the vehicle, so register promptly for consideration, and note that precedence is given to those with access and physical limitation needs that would be facilitated by the presence of their vehicle or the use of an RV. Parking and staying in an RV in the parking lot is not allowed.

 

LEAVING THE PROPERTY

In the spirit of radical self-reliance, please come prepared to stay inside the event and bring everything you need to survive. Emergency exit & re-entry will be carefully reviewed ad-hoc by the Board member on call. In the very few cases emergency re-entry is allowed, you must retain your wristband and ticket confirmation to re-enter the event. We ask that all participants leave the cars in the parking lot once they have arrived and only drive through the property to either load in or load out only. Please only leave the property in the event of a medical emergency, an unavoidable work situation, or through any other pre-arrangement with the BoD. This is to prevent unnecessary wear and tear on the land in accordance with Leave No Trace. Repeated comings and goings without BoD approval can result in ejection from the burn.

Need locations to go for a specific emergency? Read about the local spots to hit here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1R-1JbWy1s0V3UkocIOqOqYny2aCRdNeUca4gIcBUkSA/edit?usp=sharing

EXODUS

We all wish our time together didn’t have to end. But we need to get everyone packed up and heading home safely so that DPW and LNT can start breaking down burn infrastructure and MOOP sweeping. We ask that you have your campsite packed up, cleaned up and all your last goodbyes and hugs completed by 1 p.m. Monday. In order to help avoid traffic jams, please do not go to get your vehicle until your camp is packed up and ready to be loaded. Please make sure that your campsite is thoroughly picked up, all your garbage, food waste and greywater leaves with you (and take it all the way home – do not dump at rest stops along the way!) And finally, keep it slow on the roads leaving for the safety of other departees.