For the sixth year in a row, Burning Man (under the guidance of Danger Ranger and Kernul Killbuck) chose to enter the Nevada Day Parade in Carson City to celebrate the day Nevada attained Statehood: October 31, 1864. Each year there is a new global theme participants are encouraged to incorporate (sound familiar?) into their parade entries.  This year the theme was a tribute to Abraham Lincoln, “The Great Emancipator”.  In true burner fashion, our community put its own unique spin on this banal guideline with “Steampunk Lincoln”.

There are some important considerations to bear in mind when fashioning an outfit for a parade.  Among these are: Comfortable Footwear, the parade route is X miles long but how many times will you also go back and forth from one side of the street to another?; Interactivity, you want to be able to memorably engage the parade spectators in some way(s), visually is fun but can you also go beyond that?; Movement, in addition to being able to march comfortably you may also want to bust a dance move or get in and out of a tight spot, consider the experience you want to create as well as the tricky situations you could end up in the middle of.; Fun, you want to have fun too so don’t go and put something on that’s going to make a glorious celebration seem like a grueling or dangerous task!

Burning Man did very well this year handily defending their position as the top Novelty Division entry.  Further, the outfits were extraordinary!  From finely accoutremented tail-coat lapels to 50-lb backpacks of brass home-furnishings, we strutted our stuff along a three-mile route through the heart of town to the delight of thousands.

We were all surprised to discover how easily a good stovepipe hat can be fashioned out of sturdy poster paper.  I was also impressed by the fact that such paper can be hand sewn onto fabric (note, throw in at least a stitch per inch).

The fact that the October 31st date of Nevada Day coincides with another popular costume holiday can definitely set the stage for an alter-ego identity crisis.  However, as you can see in the picture below, at least one participant had this tricky dichotomy well in hand.