4 minute read
Inside Burning Man
@nomad.ness
Burning Man Inside Take a look behind the doors of one of the world’s most exclusive events, set in the heart of the Nevada desert…
THE secretive, yet magical world of Burning Man is on every festival-lovers bucket list. Except, you’re not allowed to call it a festival. The nine-day, 70,000-person event is held each year in the middle of Nevada’s Black Rock Desert, and is home to a celebration of creativity, selfexpression, community, and culture.
It’s for this reason it’s gathered a cult following of celebrity and wealthy tech elite attendees (also known as burners), and is centred around the burning of a large wooden effigy.
“Burning Man is not a festival, Burning Man is a community.” The website reads. “A temporary city. A global cultural movement based on 10 practical principles.”
These practical principles include radical inclusion (“Anyone may be a part of Burning Man”), gifting, and radical self-reliance.
Burning Man does not book any entertainment for the event, but instead encourages participants to perform for the community free of charge. That means you could end up getting massages, making art, going ziplining, and even wine tasting all for free.
A ticket to the experience will set you back $575 (around £425), but in line with the event’s values, no money can exchange hands while there, meaning you’ll need to bring food, shelter, supplies…and pretty much anything you might need to survive in a desert for a week. But that doesn’t mean you should hang around to decide if you can hack it, because tickets can sell out within hours of being released.
The first tickets that go on sale are priced far higher than the regular price,
ranging from $1,500 to $2,500 (£1,100 to £1,850) – with the aim of supporting Burning Man and the wider community that surrounds the event. It also allows people on lower incomes to apply for the second batch of tickets that go on sale for a cheaper price. The Ticket Aid Program accepts “applications that demonstrate that their circumstances merit financial assistance and convey their intended engagement in Black Rock City in a meaningful contribution to the community”. For one of these speciallypriced tickets, you’re looking at around $225 (£167).
From afar, it can look like a place where ‘hippies’ gather, but the likes of Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, and Elon Musk have reportedly attended before. The nearest large city to Black Rock City is Reno, about a 2.5-hour drive away, so you can see why it makes the perfect remote escape for Silicon Valley-dwellers.
Anisett Jacques-Willis, CEO and Co-Founder of One Centric City has attended Burning Man a number of times over the last few years, and credits its “anything goes” way of thinking that has ‘burners’ wanting more.
“Getting a ticket and going to Burning Man is not by chance. I think the universe pushes you to go when you’re ready. I hesitated for some years before making that plunge and it was everything I didn’t know I needed,” she told us.
“Learning to survive with so little but then having so much to fill your heart and soul was indescribable. I took this lesson back home with me and gave up control of things that would hold me down including material items and have felt so free since.”
So what should you wear to the middle of the desert? Surprisingly, you’ll need clothes for wrapping up. “Daytime think shorts, swimwear. At night leggings, fur, even gloves,” Anisett says. “But get creative and have fun with it. Think of it like you’re playing your alter ego.”
She also says you should consider bringing include baby wipes, water and goggles – all of the standard festival essentials. That being said, you should be ready for a very different way of life than on the outside world.
“For a first-time burner, I would say go with no expectation and expect everything. Burning Man often gets confused as a music festival, and yes, while there is tons of music and dancing all day, it’s more about the community that is formed. Think of going to a big city and walking or driving around to discover new sights, people, and each experience different from the next.
“What also makes this place special is the connections you will make along your journey. The first time I planned 2 weeks before and did research to make a list of what I needed. It was a lot of work but worth every minute. I would say 100% plan - although the community is set on giving, it’s also your own survival experience, which will test your will.”
Despite the adult-only nature of the event, children are surprisingly, allowed to attend. 2022’s Burning Man will be the first since Covid forced organisers to take a two-year hiatus, so it’s set to be bigger and better than ever. Get ready to feel the burn!
Photographer: Erin Douglas
@blackburnerproject
