Borderland Talk

The Borderland

Vad är The Borderland? - Introduktion för allmänheten

🌈Intro (What is the Borderland?)

The Borderland is a regional burn event based on Burning Man's 10 Principles (+ an 11th: consent). These principles guide our community to create a temporary city based on radical self-expression, communal effort, and immediacy. From its start in 2011 with only 46 participants, the Borderland now welcomes over 5,000 participants annually.

More than just an event; it’s a self-organized gathering, created entirely by its participants - a community of creators, dreamers, and builders - using decentralized tools. The Borderland is named for the liminal space it inhabits - between imagination and reality, its only boundaries are those set by your creativity.

Don't like reading? Here's a onboarding slideshow of the tl;dr

🙋‍♀️ Who makes Borderland happen? You do.

There is no central production team - only participants actively shaping the experience. There are no stages, no vendors, and no spectators. You don't buy a ticket, you are joining as a co-creator.

The Borderland is organized by Gränslandet Ideell Förening, a Swedish nonprofit where every participant is an equal member. Our governance is open and democratic with annual meetings to decentralized teams. Check out our bylaws here.

No role is more valuable than another. Whether you're creating a massive art installation or helping clean up MOOP, your participation matters equally. Everyone gets the same chance to join, with no exceptions.

We organize ourselves using a mix of tools linked below in a decentralized manner which allows for anyone to see what needs doing and step up where it's needed. You don't need permission, just initiative (we call this do-ocracy).

Borderland is a blank canvas. There's no pre-set program - the event becomes what we collectively dream up and build. Whether it's a massive art piece or a cozy tea tent, a roving performance or a quiet chill space, what you bring helps shape the world we'll share.

Jump in - the Borderland is yours to co-create!

🌟 What Makes The Borderland Different?

🕸️ Decentralization and Radical do-ocracy
Borderland operates without a central committee, relying on self-organizing “realities” (working groups) to take responsibility for different aspects of the event. Power comes from action, not titles - if you want to make something happen, step up and do it (in dialogue with the community of course).

🎨 Dream Grant Funding
Approximately 50% of membership fees go directly towards supporting art, projects, and participant-driven experiences, empowering the community to bring their creative visions to life. Because no one is on payroll, we have more money to give back to the community!

🌱 We own the land
The site is collectively owned by the Borderland community. That means long-term care, ecological regeneration, and an experimental home for leave a better trace.

⚡ Power grid
Unlike most burns, we have an on-site electrical grid. Camps and art can plug in directly, reducing the need for generators, noise, and fuel transport.

💧 On-Site Potable water
The Borderland has a well which provides drinkable water, safe for cooking, cleaning, and hydration for the entire event.

🌲 About Alversjö

The Borderland's home is a magical forest in Alversjö. The land is owned by Alversjö Natur AB, a community-driven project to create a permanent space for art and nature. Purchased in 2023 with member donations and loans, the land hosts year-round events.

Want to help build our permanent home and leave a better trace? Learn how to get involved at Alversjö here.

📍Getting There

It is very easy to reach by car or public transport!

🛬 Nearest Airports (driving time to BL)

  • CPH – Copenhagen Airport (3.5h)

  • GOT – Göteborg Landvetter (3h)

  • ARN – Stockholm Arlanda (3.5h)

🚆Nearest Train Stations:

  • Eksjö (10 min drive)

  • Nässjö (30 min drive)

🕒 Approximate Travel Times by Train:

  • From Copenhagen: 3.5–5 hours (to Nässjö via Malmö or Alvesta)

  • From Gothenburg: 2.5–4 hours (via Falköping or Jönköping to Nässjö or Eksjö)

  • From Stockholm: 3.5–4.5 hours (Fast train to Nässjö, then local train or carpool)

🚌 Nearest Bus Stop:

  • Eksjö Allmänningen
    1.9 km from the Borderland (3 min drive/25 min walk). During event week, Borderlings usually have rides set up from the main road to the Borderland gate.

📆When will Borderland take place?

The dates for the next 5 years have been scheduled, it is always Week 30 (See this AP)

  • 2025: July 21-27

  • 2026: July 20-26

  • 2027: July 26 - Aug 1

  • 2028: July 24-30

  • 2029: July 23-29

👋 Can non-members visit?

Yes! The public is welcome for a guided art walk on Thursday July 24th 15:00-17:00. Sign up here. (Otherwise, the event is open only to members)

🌍 Language

The operational language of The Borderland is English. This follows the principle of Radical Inclusion and reflects the international makeup of our participants.

🗣Lingo:

Principles & Philosophy

  • 10+1 Principles: the Borderland is guided by Burning Man's 10 Principles plus an essential 11th: consent

  • Do-ocracy: Leadership through action. See a need? Don't complain - do it!

  • Decentralization: No central production team. Community-driven roles (called realities) keep the Borderland running.

  • Participatory event. No spectators, only collaborators.

  • Membership: Not a ticket - you're co-creating, not attending.

  • Gifting: No money or bartering at the Borderland. Give freely - no strings attached.

Making it Happen

  • Build: Pre-event days when infrastructure (power, toilets, etc.) is set up. Everyone is welcome to help!

  • Strike. Removing everything post-event. Yes, everything.

  • Realities: The roles that keep Borderland running (water, toilets, power, etc.). Anyone can join!

    • Helm: sober designated head of operations during the Borderland

    • Clown Police: Friendly, sober Borderlings who roam Alversjö offering a listening ear and a helping hand - not rangers, not pros, just proactive participants.

    • The Sanctuary: Medical/psychological care

    • The Threshold: Gate

  • Decompression (Decomp): post-burn gathering to process and integrate the experience.

Creative Culture

  • Dreams: Workshops, art, and events created by participants. Also the funding platform.

  • Fund 33: 33% of dream grant money earmarked for large/ambitious/ or permanent-ish art

  • JOMO guide (Joy of Missing Out) : Booklet of the week’s events.

  • Main Stage: HA got you! There isn't one - this isn't a festival.

  • BYOC. Bring your own cup, so people can gift you delicious drinks!

  • Virgin. First timer at a burn

  • Sparkle pony. Someone who shows up, shines, and disappears without contributing. Don’t be that pony.

Leave it Better

  • LNT (Leave No Trace) After Borderland, no one should be able to tell we were there. Take everything you brought (including trash) back with you. Pick up litter if you see it. Be mindful of MOOP-ey stuff like feathers, sequins, cigarette butts non-biodegradable glitter/soap/toothpaste.

  • LBT (Leave a Better Trace): We now have our own land - so we can build things that last. Some art and infrastructure may stay for future use. Let’s leave it better than we found it.

  • MOOP (Matter Out of Place): Anything that doesn’t belong- trash, glitter, cigarette butts or rogue tent pegs. If you drop it, pick it up. If you see it, grab it.

🦄Dreams (4.5M SEK)

Fund 33

33% of the dreams budget is earmarked for big/ambitious/ OR permanent-ish art: (No, it doesn't have to be all three)

  • 2025 pot: 1.258 M SEK

  • Fund 33 2026

  • Key dates

    • Platform opens: November 15 2025

    • Letter of Intent (NEW!)/ : December 15 (Link here)

    • Application Deadline: January 7 2026 (23:59 GMT +1)

    • Community Feedback: January 7-21

    • Committee deliberation: January 22-February 11

    • Grant Approval and announcement: February 11

Dreams 2026

Dreams use an all-or-nothing funding model, meaning projects that don’t reach their minimum funding goal are not guaranteed to receive any funding. However, there is still a possibility that dreams below their minimum may be topped up during the committee’s final redistribution of remaining funds, and some dreams might be given partial funding. Make sure the minimum you set is truly reflecting the lowest amount you need to make your project happen.

Please note that there is currently no infrastructure in place to allow for partial private funding within this Dreams process

📅Dates

  • ✨Dreaming phase

    • March 12 - Dreams platform is open. Submit your dreams. (will open later today, when the final goblins has been fed)

    • April 12 - Deadline for uploading dreams to the platform

    • April 13 - 14 - Dreamers can edit their dreams themselves, merge dreams, adjust budgets etc.

    • April 19 - 23 - Committee work

  • 💰Funding rounds

    • April 23 - 26 - First round of funding (midnight)

    • April 29 - May 2 - Second round of funding

    • May 5 - 7 - Third round of funding

    • May 7 - 14 - Committee work - F.R.E.U.D algorithm evaluations and many hours of committee meetings to redistribute the remaining funds

  • 🔁Reimbursement (this only happens 3 times)

    • May 15 - July 5 - First round of uploads for reimbursements

    • August 3 - 23 - Second round of uploads for reimbursements

    • August 23 - September 11 - Final expense approvals and payouts

    • Sept 11 - 15 - Committee work for unforeseen expenses IF there is a surplus

2026 Memberships ( (not)Tickets)

👉🏻Membership Platform👈🏻

This link is for EVERYTHING related to memberships (fall/spring sale, transfers, the works). There is only one link. No it's not a ticket - you are a participant (No spectators!)

This year we are doing things a bit differently. Based on a recent advice process, we are implementing a two-phase membership sale and the lottery is taking a two-year break. (In-depth explanation here)

Phase 1: Fall Membership:

  • NON-TRANSFERRABLE, NON-REFUNDABLE

  • Available 17 Nov, 17:00 CET → 23 Nov, 23:59 CET

  • 4,379 Memberships available (# attendees last year)

  • a low income only available to anyone who had one last year, using same email

  • Privilege: early access in exchange for a membership that cannot be transferred or refunded.

Phase 2: Spring Membership

  • Opens 10 March, 17:00 CET

  • Transferable

  • # of memberships available still up for discussion

  • Privilege: Can be transferred and refunded within a deadline, Choose this if you like to commit later and with more room for impulse and flexibility.

💰Prices:

  • Higher priced: 3,000 SEK

  • Baseline: 2,222 SEK

  • Low income: 1,234 SEK

🔀Transfers

If you would like to transfer a membership (no, we don't call them tickets), please do not post in the main Borderland Facebook group. Instead, please use:

  • Borderland membership Facebook group or

  • #memberships-transfers Discord

  • ⚠️ Transfer Deadlines:

    • Soft transfer deadline: June 22, 2026 -

      • Until this date, one can get full refund from transferring

      • After this deadline, a transfer will only refund 50% to the seller, while the buyer still pays full price.

    • Hard transfer deadline: July 13, 2026

      • No transfers after this date

      • Refunds may be issued in case of medical emergency, death in the family, or public transport cancellation (must provide documentation)

      • No refunds are given for force majeure

  • How it works:

    • Transfers happen at members.theborderland.se

    • The buyer won’t get an email - they must refresh their membership page to see the offer

    • Once they pay, you are automatically refunded (minus a 60kr fee)

    • No need to exchange money separately - it's all handled by the system.

    • If they don’t pay in 24 hours, nothing happens - the original membership stays active.

    • Please note that the transfer has to be completed before the deadline, so don’t attempt to do this last minute.

  • 📩 Questions? email: tech@theborderland.se

💸 Where does my membership fee go?

Your membership fee brings Borderland to life. In 2025, about half of our ~9M SEK budget directly funds the art you experience through Dream Grants (more than any other burn!), while the rest covers everything needed to create our temporary city - from toilets to safety teams.

Here's what makes this different: Every contribution, whether it's creating art, coordinating volunteers, or maintaining our infrastructure, comes from people freely giving their time and passion. No one receives financial compensation, and no money changes hands during the event itself. We exist through gifting and collective effort, with every krona going back into creating this experience together.

👶 Bringing a child? Kids under 14 join for free, but they still need to be registered. Please make sure to add them to your membership so we know they’re coming! 14 and older? They need their own membership.

💬Community Hubs

You make The Borderland happen! We use a lot of platforms, with Discord and Talk being the backbone of organizing the Borderland in a decentralized manner.

Talk Forum (here): For bigger decisions

🚀 Resources

✅ Signups

⛺ Camps


❓Who speaks for The Borderland?


The Borderland isn’t run by a central team or press office - it’s co-created by participants, for each other. There’s no one person who can speak for the event, because everyone shapes what it is by contributing their own gifts. There is a board for legal and logistical reasons, but they avoid making top-down decisions and instead push questions back to the community - including you.

If you have a question, ask on The Borderland Discord. And if it really needs an official answer (like permits or government stuff), you can message the board privately.

📰 Press inquiries: info@theborderland.se

Last updated by ALS 2026/04/13