FAQ
All your frequently (and not so frequently) asked questions— answered!
Do you have any questions that haven’t been answered here?
Read the survival guide, if you haven’t already.
This is your primary source of information!
And get in touch with us on Discord!
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If you’ve been to music festivals before, you might be expecting stages, vendors, and a schedule of performers. A burn—like Vårlys—is something very different.
At its heart, a burn isn’t something you attend. It’s something you co-create.
At Vårlys, there are no spectators. Everyone is a participant. Whether you’re building a camp, bringing art, offering workshops, performing, or simply helping a neighbor—your presence matters. There’s no headliner. You are the show. This means that you are responsible for the experience. Your ideas, your initiatives and your projects are the main event.
Your creativity is the fuel for Vårlys’ fire!No Money, Just Gifting
Unlike a festival, there’s no marketplace at Vårlys. You won’t find food stalls or merch booths. Instead, we embrace a gift economy—you give what you can, take what’s offered, and expect nothing in return. It could be a pancake, a hug, a poem, or a safe place to rest.Radical Self-Reliance
Vårlys is an off-grid, outdoor experience. That means you bring everything you need to survive and thrive: water, food, shelter, warmth, costumes, lights—whatever makes your time magical. And when it’s over, we pack it all out, leaving no trace.
At a festival, you’ll find trash bins. At a burn, you are responsible for taking everything you brought with you home. Yes— even that piece of gum! Yes— your cigarette butts! We recommend bringing little so-called moop-bags to collect your trash. Read more in our B-irgens guide. Don’t bring glitter, feathers or other things that easily spread in nature— even if it’s marketed as biodegradable.Built on Shared Principles
Vårlys follows the 10 Principles of Burning Man, plus one of our own: consent. These aren’t rules, but values that shape how we live and create together—like inclusion, decommodification, immediacy, and civic responsibility. You can read more about them here.Community
For a few days, we come together to build a village of art, expression, and connection. We support each other. We play. We get weird. And then we leave the land better than we found it. -
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Consent generally refers to a person's voluntary agreement to the proposal or desires of another. Consent comes into play in a variety of interactions that are common within the our community:
Physical affection ranging from touching someone as a simple gesture, to hugs, to sexual contact
Sharing food and beverages
Being photographed and/or filmed
Assigning and accepting work
Please think about your actions, requests and desires in relation to the person(s) you are interacting with at any point during Herlys (and beyond). Any breach of consent can be reported to the Rangers/Site Leads, and action will be taken according to the degree of severity.
Here are some simple, helpful tips:
Just ask!
Clear, explicit communication is the best way to avoid misunderstanding. Relying on assumptions is not enough. Always ask when sharing food and beverages, taking pictures or filming, assigning work tasks and for any form of physical contact.
Pay attention
Remember that not everyone is comfortable with the same type of physical contact or expression as you and may have different ways to communicate their boundaries.
Consent is revocable
A person’s comfort level may change depending on the situation.
Plan ahead
Talk about what you want to do before anything happens, ideally in a calm, sober environment.
Only YES means YES!
Anything less than a clear ‘Yes’ is not consent. Treat it as a ‘No’.
Intoxicated?
Approach situations with extra caution when one or more are intoxicated. If someone tells you ‘No’ - or doesn’t clearly say ‘Yes’ - treat it as a ‘No’.
On site
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Yes, there will be portable toilets, and utedo!
Do not dispose of anything but toilet paper, sawdust and what comes out of your body. -
Absolutely not! Animals cannot consent to joining our creation!
No dogs, pets or other live animals are allowed at the event. You will be turned away and denied access to both event and the land if you attempt to bring an animal. -
There are taps on site where you can refill your water, and these will be marked with signs and on the map.
Remember to bring enough containers to keep yourself hydrated.
Water for cleaning/ bathing/ cleaning dishes will be the river/stream, as the well has limited drinking water.
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Disposable barbecues (engangsgrill) are not allowed.
You can use camping gas for cooking outside in dedicated zones. There will be one available communal area for cooking and eating in the camping area, but you must provide all your own cooking utensils and equipment.
If you want to have a kitchen tent of your own, you are welcome to. Please ensure that the kitchen tent is atleast 5 meters away from any other tent.
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The camping areas do not have electricity. We highly recommend that you bring a power bank to charge your devices.
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Moop is an acronym for “Matter out of place” and refers to anything and everything that is not of the land where the event takes place. This can mean anything that does not originate from the site. Examples can be cigarette butts, glitter, food waste and build materials.
Being a Leave No Trace event entails that there will be no trash cans at Torpa, which means that everything you bring in, you must take back with you. You pack it in, you pack it out.
If a camp has organized their own trash can, it’s not polite to use it— keep your trash.
Before you arrive:
• Remove excess packaging
• Avoid glass
• Leave your feathers, glitter, confetti and Styrofoam
Everyone is responsible for their own trash and campsite. We ask you to kindly carry a moop-bag with you and please pick up any moop you find during the event. Secure everything in your camp and on yourself.
Make a plan for how you are going to store and transport your MOOP. Please dispose of it responsibly. Do not dump your trash in neighborhood containers. If you brought it from home, you can take it home. -
Read the section about the differnce between a burn and a festival.
While preparing for Vårlys, keep in mind that you are responsible for yourself at all times, and that this event is an exercise in radical self-reliance.There will be no vending at this event, so whatever you need to survive or wish to enjoy while participating, you are responsible for bringing it.
Be sure to bring what you need to survive and hopefully enjoy your time at the event.
Gifting is one of our principles, and a good expression of community, but you must take personal responsibility for yourself, your survival and wellbeing.