Where You Can Be Yourself
Ninety-nine percent of the time, you might feel trapped. Maybe you have to wear a tie, or scrubs, or jeans. Not at Burning Man, as this rad dude shows. This isn’t the kind of look that most will rock while out and about.
Shimmering shades, tats, body paint, piercings, and what looks to be the wildest dreads we’ve ever seen atop his head. It all comes together to make something that wouldn’t look out of place in a “Mad Max” film. He’s standing in front of a big sculpture that seems to say “Earth,” which very possibly means something. Hard to tell.
Burning “The Man” Is How Burning Man Started
It was a gathering that became an event. A community that started a tradition. In a 2018 WaPo interview, New Yorker Jim Glaser shared his thoughts. He describes it as “kaleidoscopic magic,” saying, “it is just huge! There are lasers, there are art cars, and there are flames shooting out of everything. And people do all of this for basically no money.” “It is one of the most barren places in the country, and it blossoms with more creativity, life, and love than anything ever in the history of mankind,” Glaser explained.
It attracts the eccentric, the experimental, the curious, and the strange. It’s a barter and trade community where nothing is for sale. It’s about giving and receiving and self-reliance. People pilgrimage to the Black Rock Desert, a remote area two-and-a-half hours north of Reno, to live free in an open and radically inclusive community for nine blissful days.
The Child Inside Us
Breaking the routine is what Burning Man is all about, but there's a lot more to see as well. Art installations are common, and this one is a perfect example of the beauty and emotion that people are able to provide. With the Playa being a dried lakebed that Black Rock City sits upon, it provides the perfect blank canvas to the Burners' various works of art.
Huge wrought-iron sculptures that look like two adults at odds surround a pair of glowing children who are reaching out to each other. Is it telling us to go back to our childlike states?
Where Else But Burning Man?
To say that Burning Man is a unique place is not going far enough. This yearly gathering has created some of the most incredible sights and pictures for the world to see. The metal sculptures, the people dressed in whatever they want, the desert heat, the setting sun, the dust storms. It is all just so otherworldly
So very often it all comes together to create something that you'll never forget. If your heart belongs to this festival, then this is the picture for you. The people around the metal heart will never be identified, but that doesn't really matter.
A Dip in the Pool
Burning Man takes place in a desert, that much you know. While not all deserts are hot (Antarctica is a desert, believe it or not), this one certainly is. With plenty of sun, gross dust, sweat, and other people, sometimes the thing you need the most is to take a nice dip in some fresh water.
This guy knows what's up. You might even enjoy Burning Man for all the normal stuff, but it's hard not to think that cleansing yourself in a tub full of ice water would feel REALLY good after all that excitement. Plus, you can get all the dirt and dust off you.