South Bay Burners was founded as Burning Silicon in July 2002 by Gidget and Skid (since retired), when 150 burners converged in San Jose to meet their neighbors and get psyched about the playa. Since RealGirl was named the regional contact in 2006, we have grown and morphed into an eclectic bunch with diverse interests which is far greater than any one camp or culture. In fact, there are over 30 theme camps that call the South Bay home!

Today, we look forward to continued growth to include all Burning Man enthusiasts in the south bay region. We hereby declare that all burners who live south of Highway 92 in the San Francisco Bay area are officially South Bay Burners (yes, even if you go to the City for burny things, too!) There are parties, workshops, fire practices and pot lucks in your own back yard, ya know!

Significant events in SBB History:
July 19, 2002: Precompression party and film show
July 26, 2003: Second annual Precompression party and film show
October 1, 2003: Decompression party
July 10, 2004: Third annual Precompression party
February 5, 2007: Burning Silicon is renamed “South Bay Burners”
May 6, 2007: Burning Man Film Festival
June 8-10, 2007: First annual camping Precompression, “San Flameado” at Lupin near Los Gatos
May 15-June 15, 2008: Hosted Peter Hudson’s playa zoetrope, “Homouroboros” in downtown San Jose
June 20-22, 2008: Second annual camping Precompression, “SoulStance”, at Lupin near Los Gatos
October 16-17, 2008: Hosted 2 screenings of Laurent Le Gall’s film, “Voyage in Utopia”
June 19-21, 2009: Third annual camping Precompression, “SoulStance”, at Lupin near Los Gatos
July 16, 2009: Hosted screening of Olivier Bonin’s film, “Dust & Illusions”
November 7-8, 2009: First annual camping Decompression, “SoulFire”, at Lupin near Los Gatos