There is no simple way to describe or categorise Burning Man. But we’ll give it our best shot; the event is an annual celebration of summer’s end in the heart of Nevada’s barren landscape. It shares certain similarities with the Woodstock counterculture movement, but it is also distinct. Numerous musicians exist, but no performances have been arranged. No one at Burning Man cares about making a profit from their performances. It’s about art, after all. These carefully selected images of intricate sculptures are sure to capture your attention. At the culmination of the celebration, a huge wooden effigy of “the Man” is torched. The week-long celebration culminates in a huge, roaring bonfire.
The first Burning Man was sparked by the ritualistic burning of a cardboard cutout of the titular “Man.”
It started out as a get-together but ended up being something far bigger. A group of people who established a custom. New Yorker Jim Glaser gave his opinion in a 2018 interview with the WaPo. To quote him: “It is really tremendous! It is a multicoloured wonder.” There are lasers, art cars, and flaming projectiles everywhere. “It is one of the most barren spots in the country, and it blossoms with more creativity, life, and love than anything ever seen before in the history of mankind,” Glaser said. It’s a place where people come to barter and exchange rather than buy and sell because there is literally nothing for sale there. Self-reliance and mutual aid are major themes. Nine happy days of freedom in an open and radically inclusive community is what draws people from all over the world to the Black Rock Desert, a desolate area two and a half hours north of Reno.