Mars College: Building the Future, Off-Grid and Together

Martian Algorave with Alejandro, Marzipan, and Quentin

In the middle of the California desert, where wide skies meet open horizons, a temporary village rises every winter. This is Mars College, a three-month experiment in living, learning, and building together. It's part educational program, part R&D lab, part intentional community. And at its heart, Mars College is a living question: What if the future was low-cost, high-tech, and joyful?

What Happens at Mars College?

Starting in the barren landscape of the desert each year Mars College, MC, crew begin by building an off grid village. What this means for MC is setting up solar power systems, water and irrigation systems, communal kitchens, and experimental shelters. Participants arrive by new year, affectionately nicknamed ''Martians'', and they use this space in their three month journey.

The academic side of Mars College is just as exciting. Instead of traditional classrooms, there are "majors" and camps, where people choose focus areas ranging from creative AI, off-grid living, 3D design, art and craft, and DAOs/crypto. These aren't rigid tracks; they're just collaborative learning hubs where knowledge flows freely, often in unexpected directions.

Some of the unique camps and residencies include:

Tool Camp, exploring low-cost, open-source infrastructure for living and working sustainably.

Bodywork Residency, teaching Thai and Shiatsu practices.

Sunflower Lab, a home for experimental, interdisciplinary creative work.

Beyond structured learning, Mars College is filled with informal clubs and passions: yoga in the mornings, electric unicycle riding, ceramics, mural painting, livecoding algoraves, and plenty of spontaneous art. The mix of skills and backgrounds makes the campus feel alive, and everyone is encouraged to both teach and learn.

The season culminates in Mars Electronica, a multi-day showcase of projects, research, and performances. It's part art festival, part science fair, part celebration of everything the community has created together, and even more importantly a showcase to the world of what can be achieved when working in unison.

Why It Matters

Mars College isn't just about escaping society, it's about prototyping better ways of living. In a world where many people feel disconnected from their work, their environment, or each other, this desert campus offers a radical alternative. It demonstrates that communities can come together, share resources, and invent new tools for the betterment and future of that community and do it in a way that's exciting.

It also shows that serious learning doesn't have to be locked away in ivory towers. At Mars College, ideas are tested in real time. Whether you're building a solar oven, designing an AI-driven artwork, or learning how to make electronic music it all starts when you put down the 9-5 and embrace better ways of learning and living.

For many the most powerful part of Mars College has been the sense of agency it gives. They arrive in an almost empty desert and leave having helped build an entire world and feelings like those stick with you no matter where you go from there.

Mars College and Electronic Music / Music Production

Enrollment & Dates

2024 Group Photo

Mars College is embarking on its 2025-2026 season and enrollment is open! Here's what their timeline looks like for this and how to get involved:

Build Phase begins: November 1, 2025 – Early residents arrive to help set up core infrastructure.

Quarter officially starts: January 5, 2026 – Orientation week and the beginning of academic life.

Mars Electronica showcase: Early April 2026 – A festival of art, research, and performance.

Unbuild concludes: April 27, 2026 – The village is carefully dismantled, leaving the desert as it was.

Applications are open on the Mars College website. Prospective participants are encouraged to not just apply as students, but to propose projects, camps, or services they'd like to bring. In other words, it's not about fitting into someone else's curriculum, it's about helping to shape the culture of Mars College itself.

Mars College's way of learning might not be for everyone, it's dusty, it's challenging, and it demands real participation. But for those who are curious about the future of technology, sustainability, and community, it's a rare opportunity to live the questions that matter most.

As the next season approaches, I encourage anyone intrigued by this vision to take a closer look. Whether you want to explore creative AI, learn off-grid living skills, or simply join a group of adventurous people building something together in the desert, Mars College is an unforgettable way to spend a season of your life.

Nes & Beat DJ

Our founder Nes Croft has attended Mars College twice teaching livecoding and electronic music production. Nes has also performed at Mars Electronica and collaborated with other Martians on various projects.

Nes teaching a Beat DJ Workshop at the Electric Lounge in Bombay Beach

You can find multiple performances from Nes at Mars on our youtube Sonic Sets playlist.