The Fluffy Bus at Highlight New Year’s Eve in in Burlington
The Fluffy Bus at Highlight New Year’s Eve in in Burlington Credit: Luke Awtry

The Fluffy Bus at Highlight New Year’s Eve, Waterfront Park in Burlington, Wednesday, December 31:

It was the chilliest New Year’s Eve in recent years, and Burlington City Arts’ Highlight celebration at Waterfront Park was ready for it. Options abounded to keep the body temperature up: Take a break at one of the nearby indoor venues, make open-fire s’mores with Miss Vermont, circle up at one of the many blazing firepits or hang out at the Fluffy Bus. Also known as Fluffy the Floating Cloud Bank, it’s a 40-foot school bus outfitted with a sound system, elevated DJ booth, dance floor and more than 14,000 programmable LEDs nestled in the cloudlike designs wrapping its frame. The art car was originally built to transport a convoy to Nevada’s annual Burning Man festival. What makes Fluffy a good hang on a cold day is the 17-foot “poofer mast” — a propane-powered vertical flamethrower operated by a large red “BLAST” button. While Two Sev was on the decks, I made my way to the controls and lit up the area with a few blasts. The heat from the poofer is intense and brought back to life my uncovered fingers and face. I climbed down and danced my way back into the park.

This article appears in January 7 • 2026.

Luke Awtry took the long way to becoming a professional photographer, with a path through music, technology and engineering, and he remains active in each. His first Seven Days assignment was on Town Meeting Day in March 2018, and he has since supported more than 500 Seven Days stories with his photography.