Who We Are
Four Elders.
One Heading.
The Rusted Dawn is a tribe of Wasteland Weekend — the world's largest post-apocalyptic festival, five days of dust, engines, and fire in the Mojave Desert. We rolled in for our first gathering in 2025 and came home with sand in everything and no intention of stopping.
We're a small outfit by design: four founding Elders, a banner in black, red, brown, and dark green, and a sigil that points one direction — east, where the sun comes up. No thrones, no warlords. Everyone gets a vote on the big things and a job on the daily ones. The kitchen feeds the whole camp, and anyone who finds our banner finds a seat at the fire.
How the Tribe Runs
No Thrones.
Just Jobs.
Two ranks, four posts. Elder isn't a crown — it just marks the founding four, and the only thing it buys is a vote. Everyone else is a Tribal Member. The work that keeps the camp alive is split into Tribal Leader posts, each run by whoever leads that job.
- Mess BossHead of kitchen — runs the meal plan and prep for every day of the event, and delegates kitchen work, cooking and cleaning both, to the tribe. Held by Champ Chicharrón.
- Waste EnvoyExterior relations — handles land allocation and camp placement, and settles disputes with other Wasteland groups. Held by Brisket.
- Camp MommyInner camp relations — shows new members the ropes and mediates conflict inside the tribe before it grows teeth. Held by Sweet Tooth.
- Road WardenHead safety officer — keeps every member inside Wasteland Weekend safety rules and runs concerns up to event staff when they arise. Held by Grandpa.
Open Recruitment
The Dawn Is Always Rising
Four Elders strong and recruiting our first Tribal Members. No experience required — only the will to build a kit, the patience to distress it, and the good sense to drink water. Start with the Field Manual; it covers everything from garb to bottlecaps.