All About the Theme: Enchanted Forest

SOMEWHERE 2023 - ENCHANTED FOREST

On a secret land, surrounded by many mysteries, foretold in many stories, hidden on a hillside valley, the beings of the land and the water come together once every eternity to celebrate the beauty of their forest.

They have their differences. Some breathe water, some breathe air, some crawl in the shadows, some live in tree tops or on mountains.

But one thing connects them and lets them see beyond their division: The Enchanted Forest.

In honor of the wisdom of these trees and all the tiny organisms within and around them, they come together for a week, to dance, create, connect and thrive.

Enchanted Forest

Our experimental exploration against the default continues.

Last year, the first edition of our unofficial official Portuguese Burn Somewhere was born, and we want to keep the flame alive.

After sending in proposals and voting for them, the community has decided on this year’s theme: “Enchanted Forest”.

Get ready to immerse yourself in a world of magical creatures and mystical beings coming together to celebrate the mesmerising beauty of the forest. Water creatures, mountain dwellers, earthly fellows, sirens, elves, gnomes, nymphs, trolls, and many more are all invited to join the party.

Every theme camp this year will be part of a kin, so make sure to specify in your theme camp application what kin you belong to.

Leave a Meaningful Trace

The main difference of this event to other burns is that instead of the classical burn principle “leave no trace”, we want to “leave a meaningful trace”.

We invite a healthy synergy between this place and its visitors and co-creators over time, enriching the people’s lives who take part in these grandiose gatherings, and equally enriching the land and the venue with new art, creative traces, secret little reminders of who was part of this experience, growing this place and this community.

Each year, one big art grant will go towards a build project for the event. Instead of being burned/taken down afterwards, it will stay on the land and tell the story of how burn culture can seep into our everyday lives, creating places of inspiration and change over time.

Last year’s build project was a gorgeous tree house which still stands. We are already excited what this year will bring.

“Liquid Burn”

Instead of focusing on fire as the main element, we are focusing on water. Portugal is haunted each summer by a series of huge wildfires, and as a result of this, fires are strictly forbidden during summer months.

The home of Somewhere is a venue which was originally called “Quinta da Regedoura” - Regedoura being Portuguese for “watering can”. The land is rich with natural springs, pools and ponds, a true lifeline of the liquid treasure.

Instead of the event culminating in a huge fire, we will get together to celebrate the water.

The Spirit of Somewhere

Somewhere is an ongoing experiment on exploring the possible.

Burns have always been about pioneering, going against the default, and challenging norms.

We continue this tradition at Somewhere, and welcome any feedback and involvement in governance from those who participate in co-creating this experience.

We don't expect this to be for everyone, to make everyone happy.

We invite you to channel any frustration or judgment into creating what you do want to see in the world.