Really, it's about the individual and what's inside that makes it. Every person who comes to WickerMan is a participant, not a passive observer. Individuals and groups make gifts of their time, creativity and expression. We consciously come together to foster a vibrant community of artists, creators, yea-sayers and everything in between. If you come empty, you'll leave empty. So there! We can't tell you what it is. Wouldn't even try. But here's a clue:

Inspired as we are by the work of Burning Man,
we actively incorporate their founding principles:

   * Radical Inclusion: Anyone may be a part of Wicker Man.
We welcome and respect the stranger with no prerequisites.
   * Gifting: Wicker Man is devoted to acts of unconditional gift giving
without expectation of return or exchange.
   * Decommodification: In order to preserve the spirit of gifting, we create a social environment that is unmediated by commercial sponsorships, transactions, or advertising.
Consumption is not participatory experience.
   * Radical Self-reliance: Wicker Man encourages the individual to
discover, exercise and rely on his or her inner resources.
   * Radical Self-expression: Self-expression arises from the unique
gifts of the individual and only the individual or a collaborating
group can determine its content as a gift to others. In this spirit,
the giver respects the rights and liberties of the recipient.
   * Communal Effort: Our community values creative cooperation and collaboration. We strive to produce, promote and protect social networks, public spaces, works of art,
and methods of communication that support such interaction.
   * Civic Responsibility: We value a civil society. Community members who organize giftings must assume responsibility for public welfare and communicate civic responsibilities to participants in accordance with local, state and federal laws.
   * Leave No Trace: Our community is part of the environment. We are committed to leaving no physical trace of our activities when we gather. We leave the Land in a better state than when we found it.
   * Participation: Our community is committed to a radically participatory ethic. We believe that transformative change occurs through deeply personal participation. We achieve being through doing, working and play.
   * Immediacy: Immediate experience is, in many ways, the most important touchstone of value in our culture. No idea can substitute for this experience.

And we can tell you what it is for some of us.

Kate says:
   For me, creating an environment of personal participation, community building and ecological awareness is what it's about. Radical self reliance and radical self expression, with emphasis on participation. That's in keeping with the culture of Four Quarters; an environment where diversity is welcomed and celebrated, a safe place to discover the endless possibilities of your own Spirit. So I'm looking to combine Radical Expression with Radical Earth Spirit, offering new opportunities for personal exploration.
   Within the Flames of Conception I'd ask, What is your beginning? Inspiration without sanction, possibility without constraint. In the fire that burns with creativity, anything is possible.

OP says:
   I've never been a party guy, for me it's all hands on. I want to help build a simply amazing Man, wring that guy up to a fever pitch, and burn him to the ground. So for me the means is the message. How do we build a 40 foot Man, plumb him up with propane lines, tesla coils, animate the arms, give him a face that burns with his features. Provide a Temple space for simple wonder, beauty for its own sake. Pyrotechnics and small yield tactical nukes too, if possible. You get the idea.

Tammie says:
    Here at home, I'm an office manager and partner in a real estate company my father started nearly 45 years ago. I've had this job for 27 years. I've lived in my house for 22 years. I'm a stable and responsible person. I think about my actions around town because I know they reflect back on my father and my company.
    Wicker Man means I can set aside my responsibilities and take myself "out there". I can set aside the inner voice that says "I'm not an artist" and create art.
 

Ariel says:
Social gatherings are usually painfully run of the mill for me. For some reason, people get tied down mentally by worrying about what others think of them. Most parties get stuck in a groove on repeat- it's the same thing every time! People should allow themselves to be the explosive crazy things that they are! So when something like WickerMan or BurningMan happens, you can walk around and BE a part of it. You're intrumental in providing pieces of yourself to contribute to the scene, it depends on you. It depends on everyone shedding their egos and getting down with what's real. It's a conglomeration of quirks, gifts of self, skills, attitudes, talents, toys and atmosphere that makes a real experience.

Kate, who won't shut up, says:
   WickerMan is based on the tenets of Burning Man held in Black Rock City, Nevada; and is similar to regional events such as Transformus in North Carolina and PdF in Delaware. For those of you unfamiliar with the Burn Culture, burn events are based on the principals of self-expression, self reliance, inclusion, communal effort and participation, leave no trace and civic responsibility. Art, in its many forms, is at the core of this event, and we are providing Art Grants to support the creation of Art for WickerMan.
    Theme Camps, organized and run by the attendees, provide daily "entertainment", including everything from body painting, performance art, themed happy hours, meditation and yoga workshops, and anything in between. Highly hedonistic, its an over the top party with an (almost) anything goes attitude.
   A number of Theme Towns are already being planned too. We will Rock the North Crook with "Sound Town" an opportunity to trance, dance and create a space of sound and energy.You can join us in the "Ring of Fire" drum camp, with nightly drum circles. And we invite you to stand at "Center Circle," located in the Circle of Standing Stones; for connection with Earth Spirit, however you manifest it. If the creation of a Theme Camp interests you, we welcome your ideas. The only limit is your imagination.
   Oh, and speaking of imagination, consider the creation of the biggest, most active, most fabulous effigy this side of the Mississippi. At a planned 40 feet tall, The WickerMan will be a monolith of fire and movement. Enter the belly of the beast, into a temple to burn your offerings, and on Saturday night join us for the climax, when we set that soul on fire.


And a legaleaze disclaimer thingy:
"Wicker Man is not affiliated with "Burning Man" as a "Burning Man Regional Event.
If you have been as inspired by these events as we have been, you can learn much more about them at the following links:"

Needful links to help focus this picture.

Burning Man, the original Big Daddy.
Black Rock City, Nevada. Start here

AfterBurn, Florida

Alchemy, Georgia

Frost Burn, Pittsburgh PA

Playa del Fuego, Delaware

Transformus, North Carolina.

Scorched Nuts, Ohio