What If

Thursday July 23rd to Monday July 27th, 2026 in Merritt, BC

What a fabulous What If 2026! Thanks to everyone for their magnificent PARTICIPATION!

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We'll keep the 2026 website content live for reference until new content for 2027 is available.

What If News

July 20, 2026

General ticket sales will close TONIGHT, JULY 20 at 11:59PM!

All aboard the Feline Dream Machine! We have a huge increase in theme camps this year with 57 placed camps and 71 pieces of art.…

July 16, 2026

What Where When Guide/Dust app & Print-at-Home are READY!

What When Where guide goes virtual! We’re excited to once again be going digital with the Dust app! Dust is an unofficial app for Black Rock…

July 16, 2026

Survival Guide 2026

(or how not to have a Bad Time™ at What If!) The Survival Guide is now available on the What If website! While some content…

July 16, 2026

Effigy update! We need your help!

This coming weekend (18th/19th) is the LAST weekend to work on our Effigy! PLEASE help us get over the finish line. We need anyone regardless…

July 16, 2026

Early Arrival form closes FRIDAY!

You can’t just show up on site early! Everyone arriving on site early must to register in advance, AND have a good reason to be on…

July 16, 2026

VOLUNTEER: Gate Shift Leads urgently needed

We need a couple more Gate Shift Leads to keep the Gate open! The Flow is looking for extraordinary cat-herders to KITTY-CAPTAIN THE GATE! As…

More News

What is What If?

What If, the event formerly known as Burn in the Forest (BitF) is the Greater Vancouver Interactive Arts Society’s (GVIAS) Official Burning Man Regional annual summer event.

We support the diversity and experimentation of experience and ideas.
We will create a Temporary Autonomous Zone where people may safely engage in new experiences without judgement.
We will strengthen existing friendships and build new ones, rewarding each other in special ways.
We are self-sufficient and leave no trace except in our memories.

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Event Info

Each summer we build a temporary community over an extended weekend. Together we create a village and gift each other in many ways that express our creativity and play.

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Participate

Our community is built on the participation of its members – from the simple exchange of food, stories, or a lending hand, to the elaborate construction of an interactive art project.

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