Church Night, –noun, Central Texas boasts one of the largest, most well organized regional burn communities. Part of the ticket fee for Burning Flipside goes toward the rental of a warehouse in Austin. Though the primary use of the space is as a staging area for construction of the effigy and other large-scale projects for this annual event, the warehouse is available throughout the year for other projects and events. The most regular and well-known is Church Night.
The event began in an embryonic form as social gatherings organized by St. Tiki, the founder of the Texas burner community, dating back to the 90s. The first events called ‘Church Night’ began in 2002 under the direction of the Rev. Dr. Duby. However, the modern tradition of weekly gatherings at the Warehouse began after the 2007 effigy build, when the DAFT crew sought an excuse to continue gathering. Consisting of socializing, beer drinking, and art making (to varying degrees depending on the night), it has become one of the best ways for locals and out of town visitors to connect with their community.
Its popularity even led to the creation of Church Night in Houston, Texas, held at a warehouse rented by an area burner’s business.
Lone Star is the unofficial official beer of Church Night.
Church Night is a great way to remind area burners that the warehouse and its supplies are there for them to use (under the watchful eyes of warehouse managers). In recent years, it has also been home to an art showing as part of the East Austin Studio Tour.
Thanks to various Church Night regulars for contributing to this entry, and to Alex for corrections.
Other entries in A Burner Lexicon can be found at https://kitoconnell.com/lexicon/
