The Most Chic Camps at Burning Man 2016

After pedaling around massive art sculptures rising out of the desert silt or partying to techno music, 65,000 burners retreat their camps in Black Rock City to recharge for the next adventure.

Most burners pitch nylon tents in the dry lakebed, affectionately known as the Playa. 
But a steady trend toward Playa glamping has bred elaborate setups, with an eye toward design style, comfort, and fun.

Ali Bar Bar offers drinks at night in a Bedouin tent

Dome On The Range provides cold beer on tap in their saloon

Didn't get enough soccer at the Olympics? 

AwesomeSauce Camp invites burners to become a human soccer ball

So what is Playa-Chic 2016? 
Forget must haves of the “Default World” such as copper bathtubs, barely-there kitchens, reclaimed wood, massive flat screens, or “important” artwork.

Barbie Death Camp serves "fine wine in cheap paper cups,"
while burners admire the art

Even in an RV, burners show domestic high style…

...more so in a bus without amenities.

The hottest camps find a way to beat the heat. Their soft (if dusty) seating, vivid use of color, and over-the-top art offer all-around respite from the blistering, two-tone landscape. 
A water mister is glorious; a slushie machine, the holy grail.

Frozen Oasis is the top of my list for style, hospitality, and music.
This camp not only is artfully decorated, has water misters (!)
  and multiple slushie machines (!!),
it also gifts classical music concerts by the 80 piece Playa Pops Orchestra
to the burner community

White Bronco camp has killer decor
and the hippest DJ dance tunes at night

These White Bronco burners don't really mind the heat

Each Theme Camp, planned and run by 15-40 burners, offers a special gift to the larger community: a classical symphony performance, free handmade food on Taco Tuesday, a pictorial museum of "The Man," group showers, a steady supply of bacon. 

Mansonian Institute (think Smithsonian but MAN-sonian) presents
a pictorial history and museum of The Man

Tubatron entertains visitors to the Museum with his flaming tuba

Comfort and Joy is a gay community camp offering a full gym
and yoga classes to all, in great colors against the dust

The best camps, welcoming in their decor and atmosphere, embody the inclusive spirit of Burning Man itself. There’s nothing sweeter than a fellow burner’s ready offer of a slushie when you stumble back into camp after a hot day on the Playa. Nestling into a dusty beanbag, you sip a frozen brew and drink in the artful décor all around you.