In all honesty, everything you need to know is on the website. Granted, it’s difficult for a “virgin” – or even a well-seasoned Burner! – to figure out where it all is, sometimes. My friend Ethernight has put together a page she calls the Sane Navigation Project, with all the links you’re most likely to be looking for:

http://dusk.org/alissa/burningman-find/

Start with the Survival Guide page. If you don’t read anything else on burningman.com, READ THIS. You’ll get a hard-copy snail mailed to you, as well. And for anybody reading this who might be thinking “Well, hell, I’ve been out there before, why do I need to bother?” There have been minor, but IMPORTANT changes in the Survival Guide each of the last three years. You Want To Know This Stuff.