We would like to express our "Thanx" to all the drummers who have joined us in supporting the fire community and each other in past years at FireDrums. It would not be the amazing gathering it has become without you. As FireDrums has grown and evolved considerably, there have been many changes in how FireDrums has been organized since our first gathering at Pismo Beach. After much feedback and discussion since our last gathering and in the spirit of evolution, we are moving forward to try something different, with the goal of creating a clearer container for our exploration of drumming and fire, while still being inclusive.

This year we offer workshops in Djembe, DunDun, Taiko and Doumbek drumming and polyrhythms. We're also stepping it up and adding something special this year. We'll have two drumming areas at night and are bringing in several drumming ensembles to teach and perform special sets for FireDrums.

In addition we are also encouraging all drummers to participate in the various drumming workshops, impromptu drumming sessions, individual and group performances and opportunities to play with some of the movement workshops during the day. As always, the evening will begin with everyone at the bon fires around the main fire play area and we encourage all drummers beginning and advanced to join in.

We have several awesome drummers to facilitate the drumming and we are going to set up mics and reference monitors around the drummers to boost the energy for both the drummers and those at the periphery of the bon fires.

We are also creating a tighter 'U' off the bon fires to facilitate all drummers more easily and clearly hearing each other. Early in the night there will be some video projection and music at the amphitheater adjacent to the bon fire area for individual fire dancers. As the night progresses the music will end at the amphitheater and drummers are invited to join in there as well if you would like to participate in a more intimate 'drum circle' style setting. At this time there will also be a few sets by the performance ensembles at the bon fires.

We've been discussing how to improve the drumming experience and have been working very hard to improve upon the gatherings. In this light, as participants of past gatherings have asked for recorded music sets for a 'portion' of the evening, we'll also have DJ's spinning for the wee hours to supplement the drumming later in the night when the drummers are usually ready for a break. We are not seeking to move away from drumming, rather to provide a bit of variety to satisfy the request of the fire artists and are optimistic this year's additions will make for an even better FireDrums experience for everyone.