A Post-Burning Man 2025 chat with 20-year veteran & camp lead Rand Pate

The dust has barely settled, and Arash is still shaking it out of his hair—and maybe out of his brain. In this post-Burning Man 2025 debrief, he sits with Rand Pate, a 20-year veteran and long-time camp lead of Bubble Lounge, to unpack what might have been the roughest year on record. From hurricane-force whiteouts and shattered shade structures to an unexpected birth, a tragic homicide, and the most international population in playa history, 2025 pushed the community to its edge.

They talk about the evolution of playa culture, the loss of Center Camp Café, camp leadership under pressure, and why radical inclusion sometimes has limits. Rand shares lessons from two decades on the dust and how Bubble Lounge held its spirit through chaos.

The conversation closes with gratitude, gallows humor, and a new DJ set by Todd Spero, recorded at Slut Garden in 2017*.*

Episode Links / Resources

Bubble Lounge Camp history – https://www.thebubblelounge.net/
Burning Man 2025 overview (news, weather, stats) – https://burningman.org/event/ Burning Man+1
2025 event incidents (weather, birth, homicide) –

• Dust storm & weather: https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2025/aug/26/burning-man-weather-storms The Guardian

• Unexpected birth (Baby Aurora): https://www.rgj.com/story/news/2025/08/29/baby-born-at-burning-man-mother-didnt-know-she-was-expecting/85895911007/ Reno Gazette-Journal+1

• GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-support-burning-man-baby-girl-2025 GoFundMe
Film Dust (Short Film) – YouTube search: "Dust Burning Man short film" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQABv8jgVSw
Film Ignite (Documentary Short) featured on Burner Podcast episode 96: The Wind Whispers – burnerpodcast.com/previous-episodes/episode-96-the-wind-whispers
Film Charlie Goes to Burning Man – YouTube search: "Charlie goes to Burning Man documentary"
DJ Set – Todd Spero @ Slut Garden 2017 – soundcloud.com/todd-spero/instereo-night-burning-man-2017-friday-night-slutgarden
Burner Podcast Presents Alkaline – burnerpodcast.com/alkaline
Follow Mr Arash – instagram.com/mrarash

Show Credits

Burner Podcast Episode 160

Recorded in Los Angeles 10/24/25

Host / Producer: Mr Arash

Guest: Rand Pate

Contributing Producer: Public Menace

Music: Todd Spero – Slut Garden 2017 Set

Theme: "Horse With No Name (Remix)" by Joman

Call to Action

Share this episode with three friends whom you'd like to talk out of going to Burning Man.

Use hashtag #DontGoToBurningMan and #burnerpodcast when posting.

More at burnerpodcast.com.

About Burner Podcast

Hosted by (mr)Arash, Burner Podcast is the longest running traditional audio podcast in the global Burning Man community. Independently produced and focused on Burner consciousness and topics of intracultural interest, explore 160ish conversations at burnerpodcast.com/previous-episodes.

Burner Podcast host Arash Afshar is an Iranian-American SoCal-born (and sometimes Vegas-based) professional photographer. You can learn more at arashafshar.com and reach out directly at mrarash.com/hello.

Follow instagram.com/BurnerPodcast and facebook.com/burnerpodcast for wildly irregular updates.