Decompression - what's it all about, then?!

Decompression is related to the Burning Man Festival, which takes place every August in the Nevada desert 100 miles north of Reno.

After spending a week in the desert with 44,999 of your closest newest best friends, it can sometimes seem a little strange adjusting back to the default world again, and so the concept of a "Decompression" party was born. It's designed to bring a little bit of that 'Playa magic' back home with us, and help us transition back into our everyday lives a little more easily.
With this in mind, Decom sets out to be way more than a regular event that you might find at your run-of-the-mill club. Yes, there are DJs and packed dancefloors, but there is also a wide variety of other entertainment and activity designed to keep everyone happy.

What does this consist of? Well - that's up to you! Decom is not an event that's staged by some faceless club promoters. It follows the 10 principles of Burning Man, and as such - it's down to YOU what happens on the night! Participation is the key word here, and what it boils down to is that this is a participant led event - everything that happens on the night is put on by someone like you who is attending the event. There are no hired bands, DJs, entertainers, go-go dancers, jugglers, poi spinners, circus freaks, sushi girls, burlesque cabaret artists, guitar players, actors, orchestras, can-can dancers, makeup artists, studio photographers or masseurs, but all of these have featured at London Decom before now. The point being - these people are all part of our community, and came together to make Decom the amazing event that it is.

Even if you don't think you have any kind of skill that would contribute to the event, you might be amazed... we don't need everyone to jump up on stage and keep the world enthralled for hours on end. There are lots and lots of ways that you can participate towards the event, in fact if you have some spare time in the month running up to the event - we could use you now! For more information, please visit Volunteer

Dress to Impress

Your active participation in Decom is only one way that will help you get more out of the evening. Being a Burning Man event, if you were to turn up in jeans and a tshirt, you'd end up feeling a little out of place. Don't think about it as "fancy dress" as such - but all the coolest kids on the block will be dressed up in the kind of thing that might make your mother worry about the company you were keeping. Don't worry of course, we're all perfectly lovely - and if you DO end up feeling a little out of place in your finest clubwear, then you can pop along to Costume Camp and dress a little more appropriately for the event... tho we do recommend that you arrive ready dressed to impress!

Theme Camps

On the night itself, there are a number of different themed areas or rooms at Decom. Each of these is taken over by a Theme Camp - a small group of people who are setting out to keep you entertained and occupied for as long as you choose to share their company. Similarly, if you want to get involved in any of these Theme Camps, lots of them are looking for people to help them run their respective adventures. Whether you help out in advance by helping them decorate the rooms and plan the night's running, or whether you get involved in the running of the night itself is up to you. 

After the event

When it's all over and done with, involvement with the event still continues! We need people to help break down the venue, clean up after ourselves, and generally tidy up. Remember - "Leave No Trace"!

No, it's not everyone's cup of tea - but by doing this kind of thing ourselves, we can keep the cost of running the event down - so please consider coming back to the venue the day afterwards, having a cup of tea, grinning at that random stranger you snogged the night before, and helping us clear up.

Community

In many people's eyes, the most important thing thing about Burning Man and Decom is the community. This is a community driven project, led by the community, and put on for the community. This is reflected in the emphasis on getting involved, performing, volunteering - but is also reflected in our attention to detail, our investment back into the community with arts grants, and the way we look after each other. We will have our own security at the event to protect our community, and a paramedic will be on hand for any unforseen medical hiccups. We also ask you to keep an eye out on your friends and make sure everyone is ok and enjoying themselves.