F.A.Q.

Edwards, California, just outside California City, CA.  Check out our Maps page for more details.

No. Themed campsites and themed vehicles are encouraged, but not required. Themed vehicles will be judged for prizes and themed camps can get you placed closer to the action (see our Tribes page). You don’t even have to camp if you don’t want to, although camping is included in your ticket price.

The earliest you may arrive onsite is 7am on the day the event begins (Wednesday).  Please check out  our Event Entry Etiquette and Early Arrival Policy pages for more details.

How many tickets are available? Will it sell out? Do I need to buy if I plan to volunteer or perform?  What if I want to resell or give away my ticket? These questions and more are answered on our ticket page here: Ticket Info.

No. You will need to buy a standard ticket to get in, if even just for a few hours. “One-day passes” will not be available. Besides, Wasteland Weekend is one of the most affordable desert festivals around.

No. But you can play your music in your general camping area between 11am and 2am at a moderate volume and as long as it doesn’t disturb your neighbors. In the themed area, you may also play your music during these times, but the organizers reserve the right to ask you to turn it off if they feel it is not contributing to the theme or is interfering with the official audio. Wasteland Weekend will play a variety of music during the day, as well as schedule bands and DJs.  For more information on camp sound systems, please check out our Sound System / Music Policy page.

Not exactly. This is a five-day desert camping, music, arts, and car festival in a Mad Max-style world. We require costumes because we don’t want there to be a distinction between participants and onlookers (like there are at many other events). Uncostumed attendees would take away from the environment we are creating, and thus the ability for all participants to enjoy the event. As for LARP (Live Action Role Playing), no, this is not intended to be a serious LARP gaming event. But we also don’t STOP people from doing LARP-type things if that’s how they want to have fun at the event and if it doesn’t negatively impact someone else’s experience. Many of the tribes get into mutually agreed-upon shenanigans and made-up conflicts. There is even a “Wasteland Larp and Lore” Facebook group that discusses this. So the best description might be that this is a festival with a lot of costumes, and some voluntary light larping going on, but not strictly a LARP or Cospaly event.

No. Our DJs play an eclectic mix of everything from industrial, to metal and vintage hard rock, to snippets of movie soundtracks -anything that fits in with the post-apocalyptic, Mad Max vibe. But the music does not go all night and this is different from desert festivals that focus around electronic music. There are also live bands. And if you tune in to 88.3, expect to hear Wasteland Radio – a diverse playlist of songs interspersed with our very own radio ads.

Technically, this is an off-road vehicle area (dirt roads), but a huge number of attendees drive to our event in standard cars with no issues. And there is no extra fee for parking (and you are allowed to camp with/sleep in your vehicle).

Absolutely. Camping is free – just find a spot on the map that works for you (outside theme mandatory zones) and set up your camp! Get creative, and decorate your tent(s) in post-apocalyptic décor! There is also a hotel just 20 minutes away if your need to live out a post-apocalyptic dream ends at bedtime (The Best Western in California City is closest).

If you’re bringing an RV, here is some helpful info from nearby Borax Bill Park (one of the closest locations with showers and RV services) as of Wasteland 2021:

Yes! We don’t go THAT post-apocalyptic! Plenty of public portable restrooms and sinks will be available for the entire event.  We also have ADA/handicapped portapotties.

Yes, but they are not open 24 hours a day. If you bring your own drinks, remember: try to avoid glass containers! It’s no fun to step or drive over broken glass!

No, this most certainly is NOT a kid-friendly event. You must be 18 years old or older to attend this event, NO EXCEPTIONS.

Pets are NOT permitted at the event.  (Exceptions for service dogs granted per the ADA, of course.) Please see the RULES page for more info.

Also, the Desert Tortoise is protected, so PLEASE do not harm or touch any if you see them. You WILL be ejected from the event and may actually face a fine! (Please alert a staff member in the rare chance you spot a tortoise).

Yes, with some conditions: Bring your NON-FIRING/REPLICA weaponry. No real firearms are allowed, whether loaded or not, unless they have been permanently disabled (removing the firing pin is NOT enough). No black powder guns. No real ammo is allowed, even if you’re just wearing it as part of a costume (dummy/deactivated bullets are fine however). You may not fire any blank-firing guns, cap guns, or any prop that simulates the sound of a real gun being fired. (You can bring them, just don’t ever load them or let them make noise). Airsoft guns and BB guns are allowed, and do not need to be permanently disabled, but must have pellets, C02, and batteries (if applicable) removed before entering the event. Bows and crossbows must NEVER be loaded while in the event area (unless you are at the official archery range during open hours). Basically, if it’s a weapon that fires a projectile of any kind (even a Nerf gun), or makes a loud noise, don’t even think of shooting it off in the event area.
BLADES – Edged weapons must be VERY dull, or should stay sheathed while you are inside the event boundaries. This includes sharp objects on costumes. Wasteland Weekend security and staff reserve the right to inspect and confiscate any weapons that appear to be unsafe, or are being used in an unsafe manner (they will be held for you until the end of the event). If you have questions about a specific weapon, better to ask us before you bring it out. And remember that California law supersedes any of our weapons policies. If you carry something to or at the event that is against the law in the state of CA, you do so at your own risk. County Sheriffs ARE on site during this event.

The average weather for the area in late September is: HIGH 84° and LOW 57°. However, be prepared for heatwaves or cold spells – we can’t predict what Mother Nature will do. Make sure to bring warm clothing, as the temperature can really drop at night in the desert! This event is set to start well BEFORE the rainy season, but you never know, so check the weather forecasts before you go. Either way, Wasteland Weekend is a rain or shine event.

Please see our Fire Policy page.

No. There is no community power grid. If you need to charge your cell phone, please bring a car adapter, or find a friend with an RV generator (for example). Please be responsible for your own needs.

Spilling a small amount of water onto the ground is fine (like brushing your teeth or using one of those very small camp showers from a bag, NOT a large shower you construct for your whole camp. Emptying of grey water or black water tanks from an RV is NOT allowed.

Cell phones definitely have the potential to disrupt our themed atmosphere, but they are not prohibited at the event. We just ask that you limit their use. There is nothing wrong with using your phone to take photos or video, or check your messages, give an arriving tribe mate directions etc. (or for emergencies, OBVIOUSLY). But please don’t be that person staring at your cell phone screen for long periods, playing games, constantly checking emails, etc.. You have the rest of the year to do that. We strongly suggest you unplug for a few days if at all possible. (Frankly, the staff running the event wish they could do the same.) Additionally, please DO NOT LIVE STREAM from our event. Wasteland Weekend is meant to be experienced in person, not online.

This is five days of trying to live inside a Mad Max-style movie. Embrace it. Cell phone reception for most carriers out at our location is generally okay (though data can be very slow), but there are no guarantees, and you’ll need to find some way to charge your phone.

Performers will be putting on fire spinning, fire breathing, and fire combat performances at scheduled times and in designated places ONLY. If you would like to be one of our performers, please fill out a performer application form.

If you are not a performer, you MAY spin fire, but you may only do so within the boundaries of the designated fire practice area (HADES). We have staff in the Hades free fire spin area to oversee safety. Anyone seen breaking the safety rules for fire spinning is subject to removal from the event. Each year we evaluate our fire rules in cooperation with the local authorities. Your safety and cooperation will help Wasteland Weekend to continue to be a fun and safe event for everyone.

You are not be allowed to use your propane pyrotechnic devices or flamethrowers.

Additional details on fire spinning and fire-based devices is found on our Fire Policy page.

Photography and Film & Video policies for Wasteland Weekend
Still photography:
Anyone who attends Wasteland Weekend may take still photos. They need not pre-register.
All attendees assign to Wasteland World Inc. a joint ownership in the copyright of their event imagery for the purpose of enabling Wasteland World Inc. to enforce any copyright against a third party that displays or disseminates their event imagery. Personal use is excluded from this and would include displaying on a personal website or social media page, provided that the display is not monetized and the website does not sell any product or service. Joint copyright by Wasteland World Inc. may only be waived in writing from Wasteland World Inc. ownership.
Imagery from the event may be downloaded or copied only in accordance with a creative commons license that prohibits the licensee from using the Event Imagery for commercial purposes, including CC BY-NC, CC BY-NC-SA, and CC BY-NC-ND (available at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/)

Members of the press should notify WW staff members before their arrival so that we may assist them in covering the event (and some media outlets will qualify for free admission). Anyone who receives a complimentary press pass for the event is expected to share some of their work with WW staff afterwards so that we may use it for promotional purposes. (We will always make our best efforts to obtain permission from photographers and give them proper credit when using their photos for promotion.)
We expect photographers to be courteous of attendees and not take anyones’ photograph who asks you not to, or who makes it clear through their actions that they do not want to be photographed. Use your best judgement. When in doubt, ask before shooting. (If possible. We don’t necessarily expect you to ask everyone’s permission when taking crowd shots).
All photographers must obey the same rules and codes of conduct as other Wasteland attendees, including proper post-apocalyptic attire at all times.
Members of the media should check in at the WW Command Center (just inside the Wasteland gates) when they arrive at the event.

Film & Video:
The above rules all apply, with additional restrictions:

Anyone taking motion photography of any sort (film, video) will need to be pre-approved by Wasteland staff and file a permit (except for very small non-professional cameras like cell phones). If you plan on shooting video for any reason, be it media, your own personal use, a short film for YouTube, whatever, you will need to register. There is no fee. You may or may not be given a special arm band to wear while at the event that tells us you are approved by staff. Anyone seen filming without an arm band may be asked to stop, at staff discretion. Anyone who doesn’t stop when asked, may be escorted out of the event.

Videos taken at Wasteland are expected to be of a personal documentary (non-monetized, non-commercial) style only, and not narrative films or the like.

Note: Cell phone video cameras are usually exempt and will be treated as still cameras for the purposes of this policy. However, even if filming with a cell phone, you may be asked to stop if it becomes in some way disruptive to the event and narrative filmmaking of any kind is still prohibited, even with a cell phone camera, without expressed written permission.

Cameras may be “themed” if you wish to blend in, but cameras should not be HIDDEN. Attendees should have reasonable awareness of when they are being filmed (i.e. do not film people secretly).

Live steaming – Wasteland Weekend is supposed to be a live event for the attendees actually there. Live streaming (such as via Facebook Live and other apps) is not completely banned, as that would be difficult to enforce, but it is heavily discouraged. Let’s let some of what happens in the Wasteland stay in the Wasteland.

Why do we have this policy? Several reasons. One reason is that we want to limit the number of cameras and film crews at our event. Even when a film crew is in costume, having many cameras rolling at WW can break the immersive illusion of the event. But we certainly understand the need to get great imagery of the event (after all, some of the film crews out there will be shooting footage specifically for event staff, so that we can document this unique event and have material for future promotion). Limiting the total number of film crews and media crews is a way for us to try and strike a balance between the publicity that is so important to the continuation of this unique event, and the enjoyment of our attendees.

Another reason is that there are film and TV companies out there that would simply like to get some footage at WW to use in their low budget productions. These companies are not interested in our event, or our attendees, except to the extent that they can use them as free extras, and use our volunteer-built sets to make their low budget films look better without having to pay anything. We would like to prevent this type of exploitation of our people and the works of art they have worked hard to create.

Basically, if you are considering trying to get some cool footage for your short film, feature film, video game, or any other similar use at our event without permission – DON’T. We claim joint copyright on all images taken at our event (you sign that over to us as part of your signed waiver to be admitted) and we will make you remove all such footage online and block you from using it in your projects. We do this to protect the event itself and our attendees.

Anyone wishing to film at wasteland should immediately submit the following information to:

wastelandweekend {at} gmail [dot] com

WASTELAND FILMING APPLICATION
The more specific and detailed information you give us below, the more you increase your chances of obtaining a film permit. We are a ticketed private event and reserve the right to refuse filming rights to anyone for any reason. And some applications will be rejected simply to keep the total number of film crews manageable.

Submit this Form

Name:
Contact info: (phone, email, mailing address)
Name of project: (if applicable)

1. Which days do you plan to film at Wasteland? Let us know if you will be filming at night as well.
2. What is the intended purpose of the footage you will be shooting? News media? Personal use only? Narrative short film? Television show? Please be as specific as possible. And you must let us know if your project is intended to be non-profit or for-profit.
3. Tell us about your production company (if you have one) or about your background as a filmmaker. If the answer is “none, I just want to pick up a camera and film my friends”, that’s fine. Tell us that.
4. Is there anything specific you plan to shoot (scenes, story lines, posed groups)? Describe in detail. Feel free to submit scripts and/or storyboards if you have them.
5. Describe the equipment you will be using, and the size of your crew. If filming at night, will you be using artificial lighting? If so, describe. NOTE: Drone cameras are not permitted (except for our in house video team, whose drones are already pre-approved).

Wasteland Weekend will not supply power for film crews. You may not plug into our generators for lighting or to recharge batteries, etc.. (Exceptions may be made for our own official WW documentary crews).

Even if you are given a permit to film at Wasteland, significant changes to any of the above information once you arrive, could be cause for your permit to be revoked (Don’t tell us you’re just going to use a small camcorder to shoot your friends and then try to show up with a full pro crew.)
If the intended use of your footage changes after WW is over (i.e. you wish to sell it to another company for them to use as part of a different project) you must notify us in writing for further permission.
By submitting this application, you agree to share your footage from Wasteland Weekend with event staff so that they may use it for event promotion. (This also helps us to help you promote the end result of your hard work with all of our fans!)
Send all of the above info to wasteland wasteland weekend (at) gmail dot com

Bartering at Wasteland can be a lot of fun and takes place in both organized ways and casually between attendees. But Wasteland is NOT a barter-only event. Our official vendors DO take cash (and most take credit cards) and only some of them will be interested in bartering for goods. Bottle caps are NOT currency at Wasteland. At least, not officially. The whole bottle cap thing started at the event many years ago, inspired by the Fallout video game series. Our Last Chance Casino in Wasteland City DOES use bottle caps as gambling chips, but only THEIR special bottle caps, and they do not represent real money. People DO use bottle caps for fun and custom caps are given out or traded by those who collect. Here’s a handy graphic that may help. (Made by wastelander Kevin Sharkey):

Yes. If you lose something, please come to the info/tire command center to see if we have it. Likewise, if you find something that you think belongs to someone, please turn it in at the command center. IMPORTANT: The lost and found closes when the event closes! That’s noon on Sunday. After that, we will NOT hold on to your stuff. We won’t be taking it home to hold for you, or mailing it to you, or anything else.

Anyone bringing a gas or electric powered vehicle eventually finds themselves asking if they will need a permit to operate their vehicle.
(Such as an “Off Highway Vehicle” or “OHV” permit.)
The answer varies based on a few factors, the first of which is registration. If your vehicle is currently registered with the DMV in your state you will not need an OHV permit. If you have a powered vehicle that you intend to operate solely within the boundaries of the event you are not required to have an OHV permit. However some attendees want to take their vehicle off-property at some point to really ride shiny and chrome, so Wasteland Weekend strongly suggests that vehicles be registered or get an OHV permit.

Where to get an OHV permit-

Online:

California City Police Department

https://www.calcitypd.org/Online-Permit-Pay.php

In Person:

Borax Bill Park

1363 Twenty Mule Team Parkway

8.5 miles from Wasteland

Foxy’s Landing

22636 Airport Way #10 (inside the airport)

(760) 373-1555

Ace City Hardware

7594 California City Blvd

(760) 373-1116

Cal City Market

8170 Aspen Mall

(760) 373-4926

High Desert Cycle

8209 California City Blvd #2

(760) 373-4495

1. City Fresh Water and R.V. Dump Service Permit: $25.00/year
   A single Self-Contained Travel Trailer/R.V. Service Permit will entitle the operator of the assigned permitted vehicle to obtain up to 150 U. S. Gallons/Day at any of the designated “Fresh Water” dispensing stations. The permit holder would also be entitled to dispose of normal “Grey” or “Black” water waste in any of the City DUMP STATION sites. This permit is only valid to privately owned recreational vehicles. No commercially owned vehicle may dump or dispose of commercial waste at City DUMP STATION sites.
2. Family Pack: $50.00/year
   A Family Pack includes the issuance of four Street Operating Permits and one City Fresh Water & R. V. Dump Service Permit.
3. City Fresh Water (Single Use): $ 5.00/dayA single Self-Contained Travel Trailer/R.V. Service Permit will entitle the operator of the assigned permitted vehicle to obtain up to 150 U. S. Gallons (one time only) at any of the designated “Fresh Water” dispensing stations.
4. R.V. Dump Service Permit: $ 5.00/dayA single Self-Contained Travel Trailer/R.V. Service permit will entitle the operator of the assigned permitted vehicle to dispose of normal “Grey” or “Black” water waste in any of the City DUMP STATION sites. This permit is only valid to Privately Owned Recreational Vehicles. No commercially owned vehicle may dump or dispose of commercial waste at City DUMP STATION sites.