Playa Academy aimed to be a different kind of ‘burn’

• The event focused on burner skill classes selected prior to the event
• The private lake offered scenic camping

The premise of Playa Academy was to lean into the communal educational opportunities often underexplored or underdeveloped at traditional burns.

The result in 2023 was an eclectic weekend of community-sourced classes making playa pendants, lighting up our clothes, growing food, and upcycling our wear, among the 22 unique class offerings.

 The April 19-21 event on private land in Solano County was organized by a volunteer steering group on behalf of Sacramento Valley Spark. 

“SVS strives to bring a balance of art, learning, community, and celebration to Sacramento, and this annual event is unique in building community by pushing the learning aspects all day long, without any late-night music scene that could leave participants too tired to learn or teach in the morning,” said Sunshine Smith, an SVS board member.

The event was inspired by the 10 principles of Burning Man and included a fireside chat hosted by Sacramento Regional contacts as well as other acculturation activities.  

The class offerings were generated through a mix of committee ideas and offerings by community members.

Here are a few more offerings: securing camp gear, morning yoga, beginning welding, fan/poi/hoop flow, fruits, and veggies on playa, simple solar setup, and making rice wine.

See Class offering video [1:49] 

The 130 attendees selected their weekend class schedule at the time of registration, although about half of the offerings allowed spontaneous drop-ins. 

To encourage attendance, participants who attended three classes were rewarded with a “Playa Academy Scholar” patch, explained Jane ‘Janeerous’ Gribben, one of the event leads. 

Saturday evening, the dock house hosted our resident DJ as well as a fashion show that turned into a dance-off. We also enjoyed a spontaneous flow arts performance on the floating docks and an effigy burn created by participants earlier that day.  

See nightlife video [1:16]

Use of the unique site, with camping sites wrapping around a small waterski lake surrounded by olive trees, is gifted by a member of our burner community.

Tickets to the event started at $80, with about half of the attendees getting a half-price ticket as volunteers or teachers.  Surplus event funds help Sacramento Valley Spark host events throughout the year.

Ralph Smith “AMP” and his partner Karyn “TJ” have attended Black Rock City for the last several years. He said new skills learned at Playa Academy will help them become more radically self-reliant.  

“The diversity of skills that can be gained at this event are fun and valuable,” Smith said. “Everything from making amazing art to discussions about consent.”