A Decompression party refers to a period of time spent by deep sea divers either in decompression chambers or at various depths on their way to the surface to gradually adjust to surface pressure in order to avoid the bends.

By analogy, a decompression party is a small local reunion for Burning Man participants to help ease themselves back into everyday society after the event (they are also known as Decompression). These parties are sometimes reminiscent of early Burning Man festivals due to their informality and smaller size. They are a related phenomenon to the dead dog parties common at science fiction conventions.