Burning Woman is an interactive temporal form of art in which people are welcome to add written messages to or their own personal touches to burn this giant “muñeca” messenger at midnight on December 31st to honor the old and celebrate the new year.

Despite the weather, David Bortoletti (the owner of Oasis Surf Camp & Beach Bar) estimates that over 500 people were in attendance, celebrating and sending their intentions into the new year as the Oasis fireworks display exploded overhead.
The vision for Burning Woman and her construction is made possible by a group of female residents of Santa Catalina. Since 2019, they have continued to build on and create this unique interactive ritual. After the Christmas holiday these ladies come together at the Estero Beach with lumber, power tools, a wide spectrum of skills, and ideas to begin planning, constructing, and the gathering of materials. Her exterior is carefully woven with local sticks and plants and her interior is left hollow to fill with dry materials to set a flame

The creators of Burning Woman plan to continue this growing tradition, changing her theme each year (this year’s theme was a Dryad or a Tree Spirit) and improving her designs as they gain more knowledge and experience. Jennifer Castro (a key energetic force behind Burning Woman) is creating a manual that will include measurements and designs used as well as lessons learned over the years and all the little details to remember to have a successful burn. Jenn is hoping that future generations will carry on this tradition, so that when she and the other current creators of Burning Women, “Are no longer here on the material plane, but have crossed into the spiritual realm, we will be the Burning Women carrying everyone’s messages towards the stars.”
