Firefly is a multi-day arts festival that happens in the woods of Vermont around the 4th of July, inspired by the Ten Principles of Burning Man. We are a community of makers and free thinkers putting on a DIY weird art party, not a commercial music festival.
Firefly’s mission is to foster a collaborative environment and community for participatory arts, encouraging people to express their creativity, and challenging them to extend their concept of both community and art.
The Ten Principles
Basically these are ways of living in a different, experimental way for the several days of the event, that may give us insights about how we want to live. Some are about participation and self-expression — everyone has something they can to to contribute. There are no spectators here, we are all making the party happen. Some are about decommodification and gifting — a way for us to take a break from the very commercialized outside world and escape from the money economy into an experiment in abundance, where everyone brings something, even a performance or interaction, that they want to give away freely- and we all experience a gifting economy. Read the full discussion here.
We are a Leave No Trace event — That means we leave the land as we found it and everyone packs out their own trash. This is not only being a good neighbor, it’s an exercise in mindfulness and responsibility.
Read about the Ten Principles here
Participation
Volunteering
There is no paid staff putting on our Firefly. We’re all volunteers, and having a community chipping in is what makes it all happen. YOU are Firefly! We think that can be more immediate and fun than going to a big commercial event where everything’s done for us. There are lots of ways to be involved, choose what you’re good at or what you’d like to try next!
In a small scale, at the event, helping others is a great way to build community and feel part of something. Offer to help your neighbor set up their tent or carry their stuff or set up for their party. Give water to others when it’s hot out. At loose ends? The Gnomes will know who needs help.
Art
Art is not just painting and sculpture. YOU are capable of doing art! Your radical self-expression can be an interaction, or a costume, or an installation in the trees with blinky lights, or a kind of party. Art is whatever amuses, enchants, excites, or makes others feel something. Put up signs, sit in an advice booth, tell fortunes, wear a funny hat, play music, make a beaver den (that one’s been done).
Musicians: Many Theme Camps have DJ lineups, and there is an Open Stage that can be pre-booked for acoustic music and performance. Bring your music!
If you want to be part of a larger art project, help someone else out and be part of their team making a big idea happen! Join a Theme Camp or work with one to contribute something special. Helping out on a project, large or small, is a great way to meet new people and learn new things. Join some of our online or in-person meetup venues below and ask around to see what people are doing!
Meetups and Lists
We have regular meetups in Cambridge, MA at the Cambridge Brewing Company, Tuesday nights from 8:30 till late. There is a lower-traffic Announce mailing list just for official announcements, and there is a higher traffic discussion list (Firefly Blink). Online, the community Facebook Group is a good place to ask questions and meet people, and our official Facebook Page will have the news and announcements.
Code of Conduct
Our community expects everyone to help others feel welcome, rather than unsafe or excluded. Sexual harassment or sexual violence are not welcome at Firefly, and we expect participants to be able to communicate about consent and respect each others’ boundaries. It’s important for everyone to communicate in general, and if problems arise there are resources: Rangers are volunteers just like you who are there to help, and Sanctuary is a place where you can go de-stress or talk to someone. If you behave in a way that endangers others or the event that can be cause for immediate ejection.
Read our Code of Conduct here
How do I learn more?
More about “how we do” can be read on the “Firefly Policies” page.
The SURVIVAL GUIDE is your essential one-stop reading for how to have the best time at Firefly, including camping tips.