
Introduction
Heartburn Texas (formerly known as the Presidents’ Day Campout) is a Houston-area regional burn which takes place annually in the Sam Houston National Forest area over the three-day Presidents’ Day weekend.
Our event is unique in that it places a particular emphasis on being welcoming to new burners and people who are new to camping, all while still providing the fun, freedom, and camaraderie that veteran burners have come to expect from regional burns. We keep the event small for intimacy. We keep it affordable for accessibility.
While Heartburn Texas is not an official event of the Burning Man Project, it does subscribe to the Burning Man Ten Principles and enjoys the support of the Burning Man Houston regional burner community. Come join us for a weekend to remember!
2020 Theme: Bricks in the Wall

All alone, or in two’s,
– Pink Floyd
The ones who really love you,
Walk up and down outside the wall.
Some hand in hand,
And some gathered together in bands,
The bleeding hearts and the artists,
Make their stand.
Winter finds us beset by walls. In Berlin, they’re celebrating 30 years since the fall of theirs. But here at home, we’ve been busy building up our own. Walls on the border. Walls in our warehouse. Walls to defend us. Walls to divide.
What are these walls made of? What…or who…are the bricks? What’s life like inside the walls? What’s life like beyond? Let’s find out together.
Event Dates
Heartburn Texas takes place during the Presidents’ Day / Valentine’s Day weekend. More specifically:
- Thursday 2/13/20 – Early Entry and Setup (Limited Access)
- Friday 2/14/20 – Valentine’s Day Shenanigans
- Saturday 2/15/20 – Effigy Burn
- Sunday 2/16/20 – Temple Burn
- Monday 2/17/20 – Cleanup
Event Location
We have a new location for the event this year. It’s private land directly adjacent to the Sam Houston National Forest near Coldspring, Texas. This land combines the beauty of last year’s location with more control over access to the event site. We’re very excited to show it to you!
Volunteering and Work Weekends
If you’d like to volunteer to help with the burn, please take our volunteer survey.
To keep up with upcoming work weekends, please check our Events Calendar.
Event Tickets
Keeping our burn affordable is an important goal for our burn. To that end, we’re happy to offer the cheapest regional burn tickets in Texas.
Ticket sales are now closed! Please contact admin@houstonartcollective.org if you need any help with existing tickets or transfers.
Survival Guide
The survival guide for Heartburn Texas 2020 is now available!