South Florida Is Getting Its Own Burning Man-Type Festival: the Love Burn

If anything, South Florida knows how to get its freak on. No matter what your particular weird way for getting down is, you can probably find it somewhere in the 305, 954, or 561. Megaclubs? Yup. Fetish parties? Sure. But one piece missing from the local lineup has been a Burning Man-style festival -- known as a Burn. That's all going to change next month thanks to two locals. They're calling the event the Love Burn.

See also: Five 2014 Florida Festivals Worth a Road Trip

Burning Man, of course, is the New Age, hippie 2.0 megafestival that's held every year in Black Rock Desert in Nevada. The main festival has been cooking since the mid-'80s, but for some time, smaller regional events have popped up around the country. These Burns are basically training-wheel versions of the real deal.

"The regional is where you dip your toe in, and you get to see it without having to go to Nevada," says Angela DiCarlo, known to the Burner world as Prosperity. Along with her boyfriend, she's been going to regional Burning Mans as well as the main event for years. Together, the pair decided to start South Florida's own event.

The Love Burn is scheduled for February 14 to 16 (Valentine's Day weekend) at Virginia Key.

"It's kindergarten for grownups," she explains. "It's a place where you're allowed to bring art music, try out new costumes. It's a chance to express who you are outside your cubicle. You want to dress up like a cowboy? Dress up like a cowboy."

Besides the usual glorious weirdness you'll find at most Burning Man-inspired events, the Love Burn is also going to feature a talent show where everyone is expected to act out his or her favorite cheesy '80s sitcoms, in addition to theme camps and live music throughout the weekend.

Right now, the 21-and-up event isn't an official Burning Man offshoot -- which helps keep the cost down. Tickets for the weekend are now on sale for $62.50 (check out the event's website for more info). Prosperity says the organizers expect 300 to 500 attendees for the Love Burn's first year. The whole cost for putting on the weekend will likely be somewhere around $18,000, organizers estimate. Prosperity is hoping that the momentum from this year will be enough for an annual event, with official Burning Man regional event status coming somewhere down the line.

Send your story tips to the author, Kyle Swenson.