The Crazier, the Better
Community participation is one of the ten principles of Burning Man. The more radical your participation, the better. According to the principle, “everyone is invited to play” and participate in deeply personal experiences that elevate their Burning Man experience into something transcendent. For many people, community participation involves group outfits, wild wigs, and plenty of body paint.
This group is having an absolute blast doing a can-can line in the middle of the desert. Nudity is pretty common at Burning Man, so it’s no surprise that these Burners covered every nook and cranny on their bodies with bright paint. Hopefully, they put some sunblock on beforehand.
These Stills Were Made for Walking
It seems that Burning Man sees more and more attendees every year. As a result, the event sees wilder and more outlandish costumes every year, too. Stilts are a common costume prop that Burners love to wear out on the Playa. Stilts are popular because it gives people added height amongst the masses. Plus, extra-long legs automatically add an element of weirdness to any outfit.
Troupes of Burners will often amble through the camp on their stilts, creating a traveling art performance. One thing to keep in mind is safety. Attendees should only wear stilts with their costumes if they are highly skilled and comfortable walking on loose sand. If it’s your first time stilt-walking, you better spend a few hours practicing at home before you head out to the desert.
Burning Man Loves Steampunk
If there’s one aesthetic that has remained popular with Burning Man attendees, it’s steampunk. Steampunk is a subculture that combines Victorian culture and fashion with a retrofuturistic, industrial vibe. Think lots of top hats, goggles, and metal gears. This art installation from 2018 shows Burning Man’s steampunk influence hard at work.
The metal gears, the larger-than-life angel theme, and the brutal metal all bring to mind a dystopian steampunk fairytale. Thankfully, it was built for climbing so plenty of Burners got their photo-op atop the giant wing sculpture. We can’t help but wonder how this guy got down after getting his photo.
Leave No MOOP
Burning Man has its own special lingo that regular Burners know by heart. The term “MOOP” means “matter out of place” and is used to describe anything not part of the Black Rock Desert environment. The goal of Burning Man is to leave no MOOP behind after the event. That means all bikes, interactive installations, and trash must be hauled out when people go home.
Having a MOOP-free event is admirable. Many have praised Burning Man for how clean attendees leave the desert afterward. Everyone takes the “leave no trace” principle very seriously. There are some problems when Burners get back to the “real world,” though. Some nearby cities and businesses have complained about Burners dumping bags full of trash in their dumpsters, causing a mess and an inconvenience. However, many think an inconvenience is better than leaving behind detrimental litter that harms desert wildlife.
Burn Man has a DMV
You can never escape DMV, even at Burning Man, the hub of counter-culture and radical creativity. However, the Burning Man DMV is a little different. First off, “DMV” stands for “Department of Mutant Vehicles” instead of “Department of Motor Vehicles.” So what’s a mutant vehicle, you ask? Well, this traveling tent-slash-car is a perfect example.
Mutant vehicles are basically traveling art pieces on the Playa They’re a big deal. Attendees trick out vehicles to look like giant bunnies, neon sharks, and so much more. Before these cars enter the Playa, they must be inspected and registered by the Burning Man DMV. That means it has to pass a brake and headlight inspection, among other things. Another requirement is that all vehicles at Burning Man have to be sufficiently weird. If you show up with your ‘87 Civic and some fuzzy dice, you’ll probably get turned away.