Under the pecan trees, a camp of would-be Broadway stars is rehearsing its opening number. A woman in a folded-paper fan headdress counts "five, six, seven, eight" on the dirt road while three campers in tutus hit their marks. Downhill, the San Gabriel River slides past, green and slow. Out west, a bank of spring clouds is deciding whether to join the cast.
What to wear to Burning Flipside, Texas's regional burn, plays out in three acts: a warm afternoon by the river, a costume worthy of the 2027 theme, and a cool night, sometimes a stormy one, out by the Effigy.
Burning Flipside 2027 runs Thursday, April 29 to Monday, May 3, according to the official event page, with the theme "Flipside: The Musical." We're Magus and Lylyth Fawn, Los Angeles visionary artists and festival lifers, and this is how we'd costume the cast.
Burning Flipside 2027 at a glance: the costume plan from orchard to Effigy
A Flipside day runs in shifts, and so does the wardrobe. Magus Fawn's plan moves from sun-smart pieces and swimwear in the afternoon to a full musical costume at golden hour, then crushed velvet and a faux-fur-lined cloak once the field cools.
| Scene | On the land | Costume |
|---|---|---|
| Afternoon | Hot sun, orchard shade | Snapback, leggings or a dress, closed-toe boots |
| River hours | The San Gabriel | Swimsuit, water bottle in the backpack |
| Golden hour | Theme camps take the stage | Lace-up dress or velvet polo |
| After dark | 55–65°F, storms possible | Velvet crop hoodie, a shell in your bag |
| Sunday night | The Effigy burns | Hooded cloak, headlamp, earplugs |
Pack it all from home. The survival guide says it plainly: "There are no concession stands, vendors, or cash transactions (except ice sales)." Read it closely: Greeters quiz you on it when you arrive.
What should you wear for Flipside: The Musical?
Dress like a cast member, because at Flipside everyone is one. The 2027 theme is "Flipside: The Musical," and the event page puts it plainly: "There are no spectators." Magus Fawn's take is one showstopper per person, velvet that catches the art-car lights, and shoes you can dance in on grass and gravel.
The theme archive reads like a playbill of past seasons, including 2004's "Glitter Monkey Rodeo." Glitter now sits on the survival guide's leave-at-home list ("seriously, how are you going to clean that up?!"), right beside feathers, so let the print bring the sparkle.
The leading lady. The Psy Swirl lace-up tube dress ($70, S–5XL) spins violet and fuchsia spirals around apricot orbs, each holding a pale six-petal flower, with coral scrolls sweeping between them like a conductor's baton. It's off the shoulder with long sleeves and a lace-up back, in 90/10 poly-spandex with a skinny fit.
The leading man. The Cosmic Knight crushed velvet polo ($65, S–5XL) sets a radiant sunburst at the collar around a dark silhouette, then runs a column of silver, teal and gold filigree to the hem, armor drawn in starlight. It's 240 g/m² crushed velvet in a regular fit.
The orchard, the river and the ground under your boots
Flipside camps on about 100 acres beside the San Gabriel River, among the pecan trees of a working orchard. The survival guide calls those pecans "beautiful, sacred, fragile" and asks that nothing be hung from them, so hang your costumes from your own shade structure.
The ground has its own supporting cast: fire ants, scorpions that hide "in things (like shoes)" and plenty of poison ivy, which is why "Sturdy closed-toe footwear" is on the guide's list of necessities.
For the trails. The Mystic Eye Blue men's festival leggings ($65, XS–3XL) flow with cobalt and electric-blue arcs and almond shapes outlined in sky blue, a cool-water print for a Texas afternoon. They're smooth, breathable 90/10 microfiber in a skinny fit that tucks neatly into boots.
The river is the afternoon's intermission. Per the guide, the San Gabriel "is a great place to cool off," but it's a public waterway and "we are downstream of a dam," so the water can rise fast when rain is near. When a storm rolls in, everyone heads for the bank.
For the river. The Crystal Shroom Kingdom one-piece swimsuit ($65, XS–3XL) builds a glowing realm of teal crystal spires, violet and lilac mushroom caps and gold arches on midnight navy (its story: Turn Your Coat). It's Lylyth's Personal Pick: 225 g/m² four-way stretch with a double-layer front and a low scoop back, listed as quick-dry.
What's the weather like at Burning Flipside?
Warm to hot by day and mild at night, with spring storms. Flipside's survival guide says "Extreme heat is to be expected and flash flood conditions are possible," and late-April nights in central Texas run about 55–65°F. Magus Fawn's plan: a cap and sunglasses by day, a warm layer at dusk, and a rain shell in the tent.
The history page even remembers one year as "Floodside 2015." Pair velvet and faux fur with a light shell and keep a dry layer zipped in your bag; our guide to dressing for a festival in the rain has the full plan. For a Texas regional burn story with a spring storm at its heart, read The Fourth Feather.
For the sun. The Ophanim snapback ($40) crowns a violet field of flower-of-life petals with a luminous winged figure around a glowing orb. It's 150 g/m² poly, one size fits most, with an adjustable snap closure (its story: Wheels Within Wheels).
For the walkabout. The Cosmic Space Cats backpack ($55 in M, $60 in L, $65 in XL) carries a crowd of kittens drifting among ringed planets, with one tall cat traced in orange light at the center: the only Cats reference a musical burn will ever need. It has a laptop sleeve, organized compartments and a mesh side pocket for your water bottle, and the guide calls a backpack "great for MOOP on the go!"
What do you wear to the Effigy burn at Flipside?
Wear a warm hooded layer, closed-toe shoes and a headlamp. Flipside burns its Effigy on Sunday night, when central Texas evenings settle around 55–65°F after a hot day. Magus Fawn's pick is a crushed velvet crop hoodie or a faux-fur-lined festival cloak, worn open for dancing and kept well back from the fire line.
DaFT, the Design and Fabrication Team, builds a new Effigy inspired by each year's theme, and the effigy page says it burns "in a large ceremonial bonfire celebration." The city is sorted by sound, "Loud, Really Loud, and Slightly Less Loud," with no quiet zone, so earplugs ride in the cloak pocket.
The velvet layer. The Mechanical Kraken crushed velvet crop hoodie ($75, S–3XL) sends a lavender kraken's tentacles down the front through silver and violet filigree, with glowing orbs and drifting jellyfish along the sleeves: a deep-sea overture in 240 g/m² crushed velvet (its story: The Lights Under the Wake).
The curtain call. The Angel Catcher Orange women's festival cloak ($250) opens on a peach flower-of-life in a rust-red hexagon, ringed by spiral curls and amber feathered rays, with gold six-pointed stars above and below and charcoal Celtic knotwork to the hem. Like every Magus Fawn cloak, it has a faux-fur lining in black or white, a double front zipper and four pockets, unisex XS–5XL. Phil, reviewing an Angel Catcher cloak in October 2023: "I was pretty dang skeptical to make this purchase due to price… Was it worth it? Hell YES it was!"
For colder burns, our guide to how to stay warm at a festival at night builds the full layer system.
What's the last day to order a Flipside outfit for 2027?
Monday, March 22, 2027. Magus Fawn makes each piece to order, and a March 22 order clears our longest run, 11 business days in production plus 14 on the road, to arrive by Monday, April 26. That's three days of curtain-call cushion before the Thursday, April 29 gates.
- US shipping is free on orders of $70 and up.
- Size for the velvet underneath. Our FAQ suggests sizing up on cloaks and hoodies, "sometimes even 2 sizes up to fit extra layers under."
- All sales are final, so if you're between sizes, email your measurements to art@magusfawn.com. We typically reply within 1–2 business days.
Flipside was the first Regional Event of them all, and its 2027 siblings keep close company: AfrikaBurn fills the Tankwa Karoo the same week, and Apogaea takes to Colorado's mountains in early summer. The whole family lives in our guide to regional burns and what to wear to each.
Dress the rest of the Flipside cast: women's cloaks · men's cloaks · crushed velvet · dresses · leggings · women's swimwear · backpacks
Frequently asked questions
When is Burning Flipside 2027?
Burning Flipside 2027 runs Thursday, April 29 to Monday, May 3, 2027, according to the official event page. Gates usually open 9 a.m. to midnight on Thursday and Friday, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, and everyone leaves the land by 5 p.m. on Monday.
Where is Burning Flipside held?
Flipside's 2026 survival guide places it at Apache Passtures on County Road 428 near Rockdale, Texas, north of the San Gabriel River, and notes that it isn't the Apache Pass Event Center. It's at least an hour's drive from Austin. The site covers about 100 acres of pecan orchard, fields and riverbank, and cell signal is thin.
Is there poison ivy at Burning Flipside?
Yes. Flipside's survival guide says poison ivy "is abundant" and asks everyone to learn what it looks like before arriving. If you brush against it, the guide suggests washing with grease-cutting dish soap and warm water, then wiping your gear down with rubbing alcohol. Long leggings and closed-toe boots make trail walks easier.
Does Burning Flipside have a temple burn?
Flipside's ceremonial centerpiece is the Effigy, burned on Sunday night, and its survival guide doesn't list an official Temple. The idea is on the table, though: the community's Combustion Chamber took up "Is it time for an 'Official' Temple?" at its September 2026 meeting, according to Flipside's September Announce newsletter.
Written by Magus & Lylyth Fawn, the Los Angeles artists behind Magus Fawn. Magus makes VR and digital visionary art and produces Psy EDM. Lylyth makes fractal digital art and runs design and customer care. We've been selling wearable art since 2020 on Etsy (4.7★ from 144 reviews as of October 2026) and here at magusfawn.com. Come say hi on Instagram @magusfawn.
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