Ain't Misbehavin'
at AfrikaBurn 2025
Swing into a jazzy world of vintage flair at AfrikaBurn...
Take the A Train (or your vehicle of choice) to AfrikaBurn, find us Inside on the Southside. We’ll be Riffin’ the Scotch in the Rose Room, putting on our Shiny Stockings so we can Jive at Five…
Here, we Ain’t Misbehavin’ – we’re here for some good old-school fun. SWING.
It started in 2022...
Coming out of a Covid dormancy, 2022 marked a monumental milestone for the swing dance community in Cape Town: we got together and hosted the first ever swing-themed camp at AfrikaBurn, bringing old-school flair to the desert.
One of our team (an engineer by profession) designed a big, solid, perfectly level dance wooden floor to carry the weight of bouncy swing dancers. And we did it! We fundraised for the building materials, carried it up in a big truck, dug in the hard Karoo soil for hours, perfectly placed those levelling blocks and beams, and screwed the boards in smoothly.
Hundreds of burners found our dance floor on the Binnekring and had a good boogie: Ain’t Misbehavin’ offered daily swing lessons and hosted the most epic dance parties at night, creating an inclusive space where people could experience the natural highs of playful dancing to swinging jazz music. Nothing compares to seeing the joy in a first-time dancer’s face when their inner dancer is awakened!
At the end of a week of dusty dancing, we removed the hundreds of screws one by one, dismantled the boards and beams, and donated the materials to the AfrikaBurn community and nearby farmers.
With the proof of concept proven, we started prepping for AfrikaBurn 2023, this time with a reusable floor design, complete with a modular structure of durable steel frames (specifically designed for uneven ground) and replaceable wooden surface. This new floor structure is stored in Cape Town, to be taken to the desert year after year.
Thinking of joining us?
Hang on, who's us?
Ain’t Misbehavin’ is a theme camp at AfrikaBurn, dreamt up and realised by the perfect team: a veteran burner with a love of the vintage, a lindy hopper with a drive to share the joy of old-school connection, an engineer who never knew he always wanted to build a dance floor in the desert, an artist who creates beauty from any scraps available, an architect who loves a structural design challenge, and a bunch more multi-talented folks who’ve thrown countless hours into creating something from nothing, for the sheer love of it.
Let's see if this is a good fit...
Are you keen on swing dancing?
Do you love old-school swinging jazz music?
Do you have a participatory burner personality?
Are you a hands-on, get down & dirty kinda person?
Are you community-focused with an inclusive & welcoming spirit?
Do you have a creative spirit, generally?
If you're a loud YES to more than one of the above, it could be a match!
We'll offer:
A small camp so we all get to know each other;
Public theme camp space (dance floor);
Dance classes every day;
Transparent finances;
Two meals a day (plant-based);
Shaded chill area;
7 litres of water per person per day, for drinking and hygiene;
Camping area;
Shower;
Electricity (solar & genny);
Kiddies corner.
You'll need to bring your own...
Camping gear (tent, mattress etc.);
Eating utensils;
Snacks & drinks;
Outfits/bicycles/personal items
Camp fees:
PLEASE NOTE: the following is for AfrikaBurn 2024. We'll update this for 2025, soon...
We're capping our camp membership at 30 people, to keep the camp experience more personable and friendly. Camp members are expected to pay towards covering the camp's budget, which includes the dance floor, camp infrastructure, facilities for members and all the bits and bobs that go into creating an experience. The total budget is coming in at a minimum of R140k, so we need that moolah!
Camp fees for adults start lower and increase in time as follows:
R3,900, if you apply before end-October 2024
R4,900, if you apply before end-December 2024
R5,900, if you apply before end-February 2025
R6,900, if you apply from March 2025
Kids under 14 yo: R1,500
Teens 14-18 yo: R2,500
A non-refundable deposit of R1,500 (which counts as part of the camp fees) will be expected from each camp member before they can participate on the team.
If our camp fees are out of reach for you and you really want to join us, please apply for a reduced fee. We have reserved a few subsidised spots. We can also arrange a payment plan if it's helpful to pay in instalments.
For international visitors with more spending power (e.g. if you earn a stronger currency than ZAR) – an additional donation is encouraged.
Please note that the camp fees DO NOT include the cost of your AfrikaBurn ticket.
We know that this event is pricey AF and we would really like to make it accessible to those who will contribute a lot to the camp: particularly lindy hoppers who'll keep the floor full, and folks who'll really get stuck in to help us fundraise in the lead up to the burn!
Apply here for a reduced-fee spot.
Our project finances are transparent; you can view them here or email us.