About 3,000 people poured into the 13th annual unSCruz gathering May 1-4 at the San Benito County Fairgrounds. The four-day mix of free-style art projects, bizarre vehicles, outlandish costumes, food and drink, music, dance and more went its course this year with a theme of “Cosmic Odyssey.”
Described by organizers as “a radically inclusive regional Burning Man event,” unSCruz—which spreads out across the fairgrounds, indoors and outdoors, in a wide spectrum of venues—includes sound rooms, open art sessions, creative kitchens, acrobatics, experimental lighted and flame-breathing vehicles, games, bizarre architectural constructs, music, dance, unique campers and tents all under the umbrella of non-judgmental acceptance.
“For me, it’s an opportunity to express myself in a way I don’t usually get to do,” said a woman from San Francisco who goes by Rachel W., who was working on a large mural inside the Museum of No Spectators located at an indoor art hall at the fairgrounds. “There’s a great community of people here. This is my third year and it just keeps getting better.”
unSCruz is largely based on the principles of Burning Man, which organizers describe as “a community and global cultural movement,” that began in 1986.
Burning Man has become a large-scale event that unfolds for a week in the northern Nevada desert and focuses on “community, art, self-expression and self-reliance.” unSCruz represents a slice of the desert event on a smaller scale, aiming to capture the spirit of Burning Man in the much more temperate, habitable setting of southern San Benito County.
While activities spill over the course of each day, nightlife takes on a grander mission with many of the contraptions and vehicles boasting their vast array of lighted decorations and natural gas propelled flame-throwing fixtures.
“I enjoy coming for the art and the community, the people and the interactions,” said a man who goes by “Twisty.” “That’s one of the things that keeps me coming back. I put in a lot of work but I also get a big reward.
“The interactions with people, not only individual interactions, but also with groups. It has changed over the years; usually I would encounter music from artists that I would never normally go to because they’re in another part of the world and they come to an event that I am at. That was the initial draw. But I see so much more creativity in the art and the passion and energy people put into this.”
Booths and interactive stations around the grounds in Tres Pinos featured such names as Word Play Cafe, Saints & Sinners, Ki$$ 4 Spanks, Magic Lantern Society, Snarkle Farkers, Purplorium and The Spoon House.
In the Fireball Shooting Gallery, guests were able to shoot balls of fire at a variety of targets. The Rainbow Trike Track transformed the fairgrounds pavilion into a big-wheel, pedal powered course that resembles a whimsical race track decorated with a vibrant, dynamic display of thousands of LEDs. Scads of activities and hands-on creative projects for kids were also on the menu.
The festivities culminated in the burning Saturday night of a 10-foot wood effigy in the fairgrounds arena.
unSCruz is produced by the not-for-profit organization Santa Cruz Burners. This year’s event marks the third consecutive year that unSCruz has been held at the Tres Pinos fairgrounds.
