What is a Theme Camp?

Theme Camps are the interactive core and cultural lifeblood of Blazing Swan.

You must nominate your Theme Camp to be a Theme Camp at Blazing Swan each year and receive placement at Jilakin Rock City. Registered Theme Camps (once your nomination has been approved) will be publicised and printed in the Blazing Swan WTF (Where’s The Fun) Guide to be distributed at Blazing Swan.

An ideal Theme Camp creates a visually stimulating presence and provide a communal space and opportunities for interaction with participants.

Creating a Theme Camp takes commitment, time and good organisational skills. It is hard but rewarding work, and we advise that you create a team of people to help you. Once registered, there is also a whole community of people out there wanting to help you, just ask!

Blazing Swan will try to assist you where we can and provide as much information to help you bring the gift of your camp to Blaze. If you have any questions, please email your questions to themecamps@blazingswan.com.au.

Please note that all participants of Blaze must hold a valid ticket to obtain entry into the event.

Read below for information on bringing your own Theme Camp to Blazing Swan.

Theme Camp application form

Important information for theme camp leads below!

How to Register Your Theme Camp

You must apply for your Theme camp to be eligible to be registered. Application means that your camp will be assessed to see that you are bringing a safe and entertaining presence to Blazing Swan. 

  1. Fill out the Theme Camp Application form form for your Theme Camp.
  2. Blazing Swan will review your application.
  3. Once your application is accepted, you will be sent registration forms.
  4. Then the boring stuff is done and we can turn our attention to on how to have fun!!!

At any point, if necessary, the Theme Camp Coordinator will discuss with you how to best meet the safety and interactivity requirements from both the State and Local Governments and Blazing Swan Inc.

We will use the application forms to guide placement on site that is optimal for your needs as well as minimising negative impacts, such as sound style conflicts and operating times on other camps. A map of the site will be in the WTF (Where’s The Fun) guide and distributed to all participants of Blazing Swan so they can find you.

NOTE: State Laws apply at Blazing Swan, as specified in our community principle of Civic Responsibility. These ensure that everyone has a fun time, and the fun does not stop:

It is a non-negotiable requirement of all Theme Camps at Blazing Swan that they are designed, constructed, operated and removed at event-close, so that they do not cause injury or harm to any person or the environment.

Many factors go into placing camps at Jilikan Rock City (JRC) such as: sound, size, activities and goals, and if you have been to JRC before. Sound camps or louder camps are placed near or facing The Playa (lake) in our higher-noise area, while camps seeking quieter locations get placed in the quieter camping zone up near the entrance.

When working out the space that you will need, please consider everything your camp will contain. Some ideas of things to include: space for your vehicles, public theme camp areas and a private area for your camp only.

Please read through the Theme camp survival guide for details on everything that will help you be the best Theme camp you can.

Thank you for your interest in creating a Theme Camp for Blazing Swan!

Theme Camp & Artwork - Safety & Compliance Paperwork

Here you will find all the paperwork you will need for your Theme camp once you have been approved. You can download the entire Blazing Swan Theme Camp & Artwork – Safety & Compliance Package below –

Blazing Swan Theme Camp & Artwork – Safety & Compliance Package

Or you can download the individual components of it to save a few trees if you only need parts of it –

Compliance package use instructions   – The first two pages explaining what these forms are for.

Theme Camp statement of construction   – This is the form that all Theme Camps must sign and hand in for approval on site before they are permitted to open.

Theme Camp and Artwork compliance requirements  – This document informs you of all of the different requirements you must meet for all sizes of Theme Camp. Baically, very important reading!

Theme Camp daily checklist   – This is the daily checklist that all Theme camps must fill out to ensure their Theme camp is 100% safe. At the end of the event, this checklist must be handed in at HQ before you leave.

Theme Camp Timeline of Events

Want to know when you Theme Camp applictions open and when they close? Find all important dates and others on our events page –

If you want to search for only Theme Camp related dates, just type “Theme Camp” into the keyword search box.

Theme Camp Links

Theme Camp Meetings Minutes

Theme Camp Safety and Induction Packs

Theme Camp and Artwork (TCA) Leads

As you are hopefully already aware, Jilakin Rock City operates as a construction site prior to gate-open and after gate-close.  At those times, Theme Camp and Artwork (TCA) Leads are responsible for ensuring their work crews operate on-site in accordance with Worksafe requirements.

All TCA Leads must provide and maintain a safe work environment during the construction and pack down of their work sites.

TCA Work Crew Leads must register at HQ immediately on arrival, where the Blaze Risk Team (aka Fun Police) will run the Lead through a quick site induction to communicate essential site-wide operations, layout, radio, medical and evacuation information. The lead must then pass on that essential info to all their work crew.

Note that TCA Work Crew Leads remain responsible for managing OHS in their own theme camp and/or artwork build areas. However to help those Leads with minimal knowledge or time to develop an OHS induction package, the very generous OHS guru’s in the Fun Police have kindly prepared the attached induction package for you to use and/or to refine to create one that addresses the unique work activities and safety issues specific to your work site.

TC&A Pre Arrival OHS Induction BS 2019

TC&A On Site OHS Induction BS 2019

This OHS induction package is a GIFT and NOT COMPULSORY but if someone gets hurt on your work site and you don’t have your own OHS package, it might save your ass if Worksafe or lawyers come knocking at your door.

Of course, PDF documents don’t implement themselves … so you’ll need to do more than save it on your iPad.  Print it up and once on-site but before you start work, get all your crew to read it and most important>>> sign their names on the hardcopy.

The Fun Police also strongly recommend you keep hardcopy Emergency Contact information and relevant Medical information in sealed envelopes (for privacy) for each of your Work Crew in case it is needed in an Emergency.

We look forward to seeing you out at JRC.  If you have any immediate (pre-mobilisation to Kulin) OHS queries, get in touch with the Blaze Fun Police via safety@blazingswan.com.au

Blaze On…

Safety Shaz

Theme Camp Structure approval

Blazing Swan Theme/Sound Camps that have structures over 3 metres high or with an area 50 metres squared or larger require a Mandatory Structural Approval Authority Sign Off by a structural engineer.

Please provide any drawings, sketches and diagrams plus any other information that may help your application to move forward. You will need to assign someone in your camp to be the ‘Competent Person’ or structural advisor as we are bound by state laws, namely the ‘Health Act (Public Buildings) Regulations 1992’ and a ‘Statement of Construction’ for the Shire of Kulin amongst other documents, which require a person from you camp to sign off on your structural and electrical requirements.

Theme Camp Layout Plans

A Theme camp layout plan will be required as part of your Theme camp application form and it should be detailed. It is advisable to prepare this before you nominate. 

This plan will aid the Theme Camp coordination team to visualise exactly what you are planning and how much space you will require for correct placement. Make sure you include drawings or design plans of your structures (teach yourself some CAD design if you want to show off….) 

Draw out a full top down layout plan of your camp in its entirety to include – 

  • Camp entrance and exits
  • Main structure or area for the participant interactions
  • Vehicle parking 
  • Generator(s) 
  • Crew tents and kitchen area
  • Include Camp frontage view 
  • Include overall dimensions
  • Define what will be the “Public” zone in which you will welcome the general public
  • Define what will be the “Private” zone that will only be accessible by Theme Camp crew/ immediate friends. 

Hand drawn plans are discouraged unless this is scanned into a digital file. A digital file of your plan is required as part of your Theme camp application so please make sure to include your camp name as the file name (Not a generic “Camp plan” or “Layout plan”) so we know who you are. Make sure the file type you send is a JPG, PNG or PDF file and it is a clear and uncluttered so we can print easily in black and white. Although visually impressive, please do not use satellite photos of previous years.

When communicating via email with the Theme Camp coordination team, always ensure your Theme Camp name is in the subject line.

 

camp-layout

 

If you have any enquires please email: themecamps(at)blazingswan.com.au

Work Pass Entry (formally know as Early Entry Pass)

All registered Theme Camps are allowed early access to the JRC from the Saturday before the event opens. This gives participants five days to set up and decorate their theme camp so it’s nice and shiny come opening day.

All Theme Camps will have to vacate site by midday Thursday, two days after the event has closed. This is so we can clean up the rest of the event by the next weekend. When the event closes, no music or parties will be allowed and if any occur they will be immediately shut down by management.

Your camp lead must register crew names for Work Entry passes PRIOR TO the event as we will be onsite and communication will be haphazard after this date. If you do not have an early entry ticket, you will have to wait till gates open, outside of the venue. An email will be sent out to camp leads requesting the names of those who will need to access the site early.

Fire or Flame Effects in Theme Camps

If you plan to have any fire of flame effects in your Theme Camp you MUST notify the Theme camp coordination team who will advise if this is possible or not. They will consult with the Blazing Swan committee and their decision is final on this. There are safety concerns, approvals and WA legislations that need to be adhered too for this to happen.

Flame effects that have not been assessed as safe and issued a Burn Permit will not be allowed to operate at Jilakin Rock City.

MEDICAL: Keep a well-stocked first aid kit in camp. If possible, have at least one member of your camp certified in first aid and CPR.

FIRE: Minimum, Keep a 2.3kg, ABE type fire extinguisher in camp should a fire start, we recommend damp towels as 1st use in a kitchen fire

Generators

While the drone of raves in the night is something we can all adapt to, the relentless noise of a generator is quite another. Just as bad, is the exhaust, it can be like sleeping inside a garage with a car running to your neighbors.

You should first consider environmentally friendly energy solutions but if you do choose to bring and share a generator, please be considerate of others by following these guidelines:

  • Bring the quietest generator you can afford, and the smallest that will meet your actual needs. Larger generators are more difficult to transport, use more fuel and create more pollution.
  • Don’t run your generator late at night or early in the morning.
  • Place the generator as far from other camps as possible.
  • Cover your generator with a sound shield or baffle. Do NOT bury it to shield the noise.
  • Make sure people can’t trip over any power cords

Please think of others when placing your generator, it needs to be as far from other camps as possible and make sure people can’t trip over power cords. Cover your generator with a sound shield or baffle. As we experienced last year, water can be a real risk so you need to look at getting RCD’s attached to the generators.

Radical Self Reliance

All your needs must be thoroughly thought through to make your camp completely autonomous. This includes power (if you cannot connect to the power network), water and building equipment. Be prepared to haul everything out that you’ve brought in. Or if your camp is to be burned, be prepared to clean up any debris left over, including screws and nails. And (seriously) all cigarette butts. The managing principle of our city is LEAVE NO TRACE. Plan for there being no bins or rubbish collection service for the site.

Sound

If you have a large sound system and/or plan to play some kicking tunes really loud you will be placed in the Sound Camp area. Remember we are a community and free expression is allowed as long as we are not impacting on others experiences negatively. We ask that you try and remedy noise issues with each other first as we are all friends out at JRC, if that doesn’t work ask the awesome Rangers and they will see what they can work out. In the theme camp section (i.e. camps where sound is not their main gift) sound is limited to smaller systems or to a level that doesn’t impact on your neighbours.

Waste

Sort your waste as you go by setting up separated recycling collection. Be responsible for your own rubbish. You and your crew also need to bring your own cups, bowls, plates and cutlery; disposables are strongly discouraged. If you are operating any kind of bar, encourage all bar flies to BYOC (bring their own cup) instead of resorting to disposable ones.

Rubbish and recycling

Plan ahead! Theme Camps can generate a lot more rubbish and recycling than an ordinary camp. Consider what you pack in so you have less to pack out or dispose of. Take unnecessary plastic wrappings off items, transfer items sold in plastic bags or boxes to Tupperware or crates. Bring plenty of heavy-duty garbage bags.

Be kind to your neighbors and don’t dump your rubbish in neighboring towns, roadside bins or service stations on your way out. Instead, plan for a rubbish and recycling run to either Kulin Tip or bring it back to Perth

MOOP

You will need to organise a Leave No Trace plan for your camp, which you will be asked to submit to the Theme Camp Team when you register online.

Make sure everyone does a MOOP (Matter Out Of Place) sweep of your camp before you leave. Every little bit of MOOP, including nails, cable ties, peanut and eggshells, glitter, cigarette butts, anything that is not part of the natural environment, must be taken away.

Leave no trace really does mean LEAVE NO TRACE

 

 If you want any more info on camps we suggest looking deeper into Burning Man’s Camp info link here