• infobot@lakesoffire.org

New Property FAQ

WAIT, WE BOUGHT LAND? WHAT ABOUT LUCKY LAKE?

Yes, we bought land! And yes, Lucky Lake has been home since 2011. We’re deeply grateful to Don and Sue and those at Lucky Lake who have welcomed us and supported Lakes of Fire for over a decade and 13 events there.

That said, we’ve always dreamed of a permanent home. One we could use intentionally, steward long-term, and grow into. Owning land gives us a direct say in the future of the event with the ability to shape the land and add infrastructure, including permanent art installations. We’re excited to work with you to make the site unmistakably, weirdly, beautifully ours.

Because 2026 is our Year Zero with the land, that means we are working with raw space. The property has access to electricity, water and sewer, and internet, but currently it does not extend beyond the building on the property. DPW, Mobility, and other departments are working together to get more information out to the community about how this will impact your overall experience.

More rustic, yes. And we’re working on the survival guide with that in mind.

A more rustic experience means we need to lean on the radical self-reliance and communal effort principles. Leads are working on a living document of the survival guide for people to review in late March or early April. It will be updated as we get more information and we are able to spend some time on the land after snow melts. Bookmark the website, (lakesoffire.org) so you can reference it, along with the FAQs that will be updated as more come in.

As many of you know, moving to our new property in 2026 marks a monumental shift for our event. While this offers us permanent stewardship of the land, it also presents immediate challenges.

We want to be completely transparent: This new land is raw and undeveloped. Unlike our previous home, there are currently no paved roads, flat paths, or established infrastructure. Please stay tuned: we don’t yet fully know what we’ll be able to provide this year until we’ve had at least one work weekend to better assess the terrain and specific infrastructure needs.

We must acknowledge the difficult reality that for some of our attendees with mobility needs, the 2026 event will be significantly more difficult to navigate. For some, we know this environment may currently be exclusionary or make attendance impossible. We deeply regret that this transition period creates a barrier for members of our community who have been with us for years.

However, please know that accessibility is a core pillar of our long-term development plan.   

While the land is currently rugged, it is also a blank canvas. For the first time, we have the opportunity to build accessibility into the landscape rather than working around existing constraints. We are committed to terraforming and developing this property with universal design in mind, but this will take time, labor, and resources.

We need your voice in this process. We invite you to share your concerns, specific needs, and ideas on how we can prioritize infrastructure that serves you best. Please reach out to us at Mobility@lakesoffire.org and RIDE@lakesoffire.org.

We are asking for your patience and your input as we navigate these “pioneering” years. We are committed to building a home that welcomes everyone, even if the road there is currently under construction.

Art grants and the effigy process are unchanged. We’re still going to be spreading as much art and camps around our property as possible, and owning the land means we can do permanent installations now. Art Hub is working with their grant recipients to get information out about these changes. Placement is also planning out the map, including the effigy location.

The fundamentals of your role remain the same, but the “map” has changed! All departments will be faced with new and exciting challenges, shifts will evolve to meet the changing needs.

Absolutely. While we will maintain a core group of shifts that remain constant in their duties, new opportunities will certainly arise. As departments adapt to the new location, new shifts are certainly set to appear.

There’s a small pond on the property that is spring fed.  There’s also a beautiful creek that babbles through one corner of the property.

The “Lake” part of Lakes of Fire is a hat tip to the Great Lakes Region, not one specific body of water.  

Lakes of Fire will take place from July 15 to July 19 2026. 

Our new home includes an existing residential structure, which means there is power on the property. That said, we’re still assessing the overall capacity and distribution to understand what’s realistically available event-wide.

As with most regional and global burns, camps should plan to be self-powered this year. We encourage everyone to bring solar setups, battery systems, or fuel-based generators as needed to support your camp’s art, sound, lighting, and creature comforts.

We’ll share more detailed guidance about power as we get closer to the event.

Our new property includes a well with fresh water on site — and yes, we’ve tested it. It’s clean, potable, and genuinely tasty (a small but delightful win).

We’re currently evaluating capacity: how much water the well can sustainably produce, storage tank size, and whether it’s feasible to distribute potable water to the full event. There are still important logistics to confirm before we can make any commitments.

As with nearly every burn around the world, participants should plan to bring all the water they’ll need for drinking, cooking, and personal use. Being prepared ensures you and your camp stay comfortable no matter what.

If we’re able to provide additional water access, we’ll share clear details as we get closer to the event. We’re excited about the possibilities and committed to making thoughtful decisions that support both the land and the community.