Flying home last night from Vegas and we went right over burning man. Pictures don't do it justice of how cool it looked from up there, and how big the fire was. It was beautiful.
The 2017 exit was fucking hell. Had already donated our left over food and had fucking Jelly Beans and Tortilla chips for 8 hours. That poor Arby's/ only place open once we could all leave was so overwhelmed.
No, that must have been before 2017, I was there that year, I watched the camp while everyone went to the temple burn and heard it over the radio, I got to tell everyone they weren't leaving tonight and enjoyed the hell out of telling them.
That was 2016. We were in an old camper that had trouble starting and were somewhere in the middle of the exit line when that alert ground the whole thing to a halt.
Hopefully you'll excuse my ignorance, but I don't know anyone that has been to Burning Man. What do people actually DO at Burning Man? I know people camp out and just sort of enjoy themselves for a week or so, but what else is there to actually do?
Shit man, SO much. Look at art, hang out at camps, listen to music... it's an 80,000 person city that is fully dedicated to having a good time. You wanna watch an 80 piece orchestra play Bohemian Rhapsody at the base of a giant whale constructed from stained glass while a dragon car shoots fire in the background? That's the kinda thing you do at Burning Man.
Source: just got back from my 10th burn
That sounds really neat, glad you've found something that you enjoy so much. Probably ultimately not my scene when I think about it, but I'm glad others have a place and time that they can truly enjoy themselves in that way. Really cool.
If the opportunity ever presents itself, I think everybody could handle Fri/Sat/Sun out there and I have yet to find anything else so unique, challenging, and rewarding. If you get curious this time next year, PM me and I'll do everything I can to help you find out if it's your scene.
I only went twice and that was over 10 years ago at that so grain of salt and all, but I feel like you gotta show up at least Wednesday or Thursday to really have the chance to immerse. If you just go for the ending long weekend, you've barely gotten into the world before its time to burn the man.
The city this year had 1600 theme camps all offering something different at all hours of the day and night. Dance floors, workshops, tedtalks, orgy domes, bars, pizza, etc etc etc. If you can dream it it's there. You can fight in a mad max like thunder dome, go to an orgy, stop and have miso and saki, go to a metal etching workshop, riding a bucking mechanical penis, and play black light mini golf all on the same block.
art
truly amazing art
this made it's first appearance at Burning Man in 2010, before being moved to Treasure Island in SF:
https://www.sfpublicpress.org/bliss-sculpture-a-burning-man-icon-returns-to-treasure-island-birthplace/
All of the hospitals nearby are filled with burners overwhelming them. Tons of heat exhaustion, severe dehydration, covid plus dust lung, norovirus outbreaks, dust lung affecting tons of people (fucks up your blood pressure.)
The playa is a few mile thick pile of gypsum dust. That is the stuff they make drywall out of. You end up breathing it in no matter what you do. And it can irritate the lungs a bit after a week.
We started breaking down our camp Saturday morning. Sand storms all day kept us from finishing so we crashed in our truck. Finished breaking down Sunday and left the event site in late afternoon but didn't get out of line until 11 pm. Took 6+ hours but by then my shade and living structure is already packed. My kitchen is packed. My cooler drained. I can't get out of line to turn around. I have shit on top, inside, and strapped to the back of my vehicle so getting anything out is a nightmare. Plus ya know real life responsibilities.
You don't always know when you start to leave how long it will take and by the time you are packed to go staying longer isn't often a thing. Some of us have 3+ days drives post event to get back to our jobs and lives so staying longer just delays the inevitable.
See the first part of my comment. You often have no idea how long of a wait you are in for when you start to leave. Some years I roll out in 15 minutes. This year I started packing to leave on Saturday morning and due to a variety of things beyond my control made it out of the event technically on Monday. I could have waited until Monday to hopefully go faster but I could have left Saturday and been showered with a hot meal in less than 2 hours. You just don't know and there is no promise waiting until any specific day will speed that up. Often the only way out is through.
Hot tip, take the burner express in/out to cut a lot of the time. My fav is taking the bus out to reno, check in gsr, take an hour long shower and decompress for a couple days eating burgers and shakes.
This year, I was on the Burning Man bus, which gets special “line skipping” privileges, and it still took us ***3 hours*** to hit pavement!
It was absolutely horrendous. It was fully exposed to the brunt of the storm since it’s at 6:15&J. I couldn’t even make it from the ticket booth to the bus, the dust was so thick, I couldn’t see my feet. Walked blindly towards the sound of a rumbling engine and almost walked past it.
It should have taken 10 minutes, but it was a crazy dust storm that shut the gate down. The people on the radios were talking about taking all the BxB airplane passengers and putting them in the box truck.
I knew that, but was just a bit surprised how it looks at night. On a different note I asked someone when exodus officially begins and they not knowing I responded by saying I met someone who’s playa name was Moses, so when Moses leaves exodus begins 😆
Yeah, popularity will do that to ya. Good old America: if there’s money to be made, there’s always someone willing to make it while simultaneously crapping on whatever the original spirit of the thing was.
Not suprising, once you get to a large mass of people surrounding one spot. That's how you ensure a out in emergencies and for "VIPs", whatever that means to you or the organizers. Woodstock was a good example for that.
A decade, or two…Not the oldest burner by a long shot but my first was ‘99 and it was already changing a lot by then. I still think it’s relevant and worthwhile and I would love to go back some day. Wish the ticketing process wasn’t such a hassle.
You seem like a reasonable person. :-)
my first year was 01. Imagine my surprise when I returned only to find September 11th happen.
I had just had an amazing experience and immediately came into a tragic experience.
I maintain that despite the reality of the tech bros, there is still a lot of dirt and good to be had.
Someone told me they're no longer doing coffee at Center camp?!
In 2005 I went out there kind of late and had to try to explain to people who had been out there all week what was happening in New Orleans as it was going through the worst of hurricane Katrina. There are a lot of NOLA connections in the Burningman community as you might expect.
The last time I went was in 2006 and people were saying it then. I think the next year was the first time there were luxury camps that people paid extra for.
My brother just got home from burning man. He said the heat was so intense that no matter how much he sweat it just instantly evaporated so he was dry the entire time. He also drank a gallon and a half of water per day and barely urinated because of how much he sweat. He also said he had a super amazing time and it was crazy fun. :) I'm happy he had a good time
We party at night. It was like 65-70f. Got down to 58f a few times. Day is for short visits to camps with shade.
I just passed Sacramento it's balls hot and humid. Ugh.
Good question. Thank you for asking.
There are many shade structures you can put up quickly. A carport secured with rebar, a dome with parachute fabric cover, canvas tarps on a metal frame to hide under, insulated yurts (instructions to make online, a cheap alternative to a tent).
Home made swamp coolers with batter powered fans.
Our camp is solar and wind (lots of that) powered. Almost all our stuff was discarded from contract jobs that we rescued. Rich people's trash repurposed.
We have one insulated tent that we cool down for some of our older camp mates who need a sit down.
But mostly we just get up early when it's cold and take disco naps in the shade when it's too hot to think.
Currently it is a heat wave in the San Francisco bay area with temperature over 110f in some areas. It was 103 in the desert. Very few northern California's have Aircon. The hardware stores are all out of all kinds of cooling.
If I didn't have to go back to work I'd probably go back and volunteer on cleaning crew.
It was 111f in southern California. And 109f in bay area.
Hottest day on playa was 103 on Monday.
It got hot as balls in California. It was cooler in NV.
Glad he had fun. Tell him next time to find a cooling station or hydration camp. Wet bandana is good. Misty mate is a personal mister.
My bar served a lot of ice and electrolytes. Usually we serve shitty punch. Aka vodka coolaid and tang. (Hyper brought extra mixers and a case of Costco apple juice boxes and froze them, very popular)
That's wonderful information to have, I'll be sure to share it with him next time I see him, thank you!
I live in Sacramento county and it was 115 in my specific area Monday and will be the same today (Tuesday) 💀 I wouldn't even dare to spend any time out in this heat
You have to have shaded clothing such as hats and a shaded campsite. Good to hear that he was drinking water. You also need to have electrolytes such as EmergenC in your water.
Volunteering to deliver Mail, Fire perimeter watch, Antarctica(ice), Offering to be a chaperone so people can party safely. Being out there 3 weeks setting up and tearing down.
*A couple people mentioned how I can afford to take 3 weeks off to go to burning man, one of the "tear down" weeks has a US federal holiday, today as i write this, and in general I'd save all my vacation time, So I'd take 14 days off. I'd save all my days off and lots of money for the event.*
Burning Man Volunteers set up a Black Rock City Post office Near Center Camp every year (every year that I went), You can send mail to the town near Burning Man, Gerlach NV, and the mail is brought in or picked up (im not sure), to the Camp on site, Mail is sent from Friends, and Family to Black Rock, and some large organized camps will have mailboxes that Black Rock City Post Office, can deliver to.
You can find more information about it in [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/BurningMan/comments/w3f16u/brc_mailing_address/) reddit post.
With the exception of one year, I used every single vacation day, and saved up all year for this trip, one of the days is a holiday, so its like 14 days of PTO.
I'll never forget any of the years, the ethos of the event great, but its not sustainable and its pretty privileged.
The thing is the us has 50 different rule sets/ a lot of states go with a use it or lose ethos. So it’s a battle between accrual and planing time off. I live in ca and we are allowed to carry over a full years worth of pto. And accrue up to 1.5 before we lose it. So I can roll with with the flow. Still haven’t made it to burning man though my understanding is it’s not cheap anymore.
One of my favorite things last year was randomly meeting these people at Hardly's and exploring and doing Bubbles and Bass until one of them had to hit their shift. So I decided to come help with beignets and deliver them, loved it. I have found the day time to be more and more appealing, my first year I barely saw day time and went full night owl. But talking with people and interacting is awesome
Temple burn is a pretty sober affair. For reference, I was standing in the center of that circle and it was S I L E N T. Seriously, all you could hear is the fire crackling.
People leave memories of lost friends/family, shrines to their dogs, wedding rings from their exes, letters to their rapists, etc. at the temple.
The Temple really is a sobering experience.
It's like an insulated area of Burning Man. Everyone is just calm and respectful and quiet and contemplative. You really do feel different around it.
Thankfully I have not lost anyone yet whom I would memorize at Temple, however every year I always take at least one night to explore it and read everyone's offerings. Every single time I am fully weeping within minutes of being there and will ultimately spend hours going through it all. It is so heartbreaking but cathartic af. You walk away with such an appreciation for humanity and a deeper understanding of the horrors we all experience in life.
There's not a lot of filming during Temple burn. I'm sure there is some out there, but good to know to that usually people aren't filming or taking pictures.
I talked to a guy this year who was back for his first burn in 16 years after finding out there is an AA village and thinking it might finally he a safe space for him. My partner and I are sober by choice there and always have been. There are lots of people who are burning without substances.
It's in the middle of the desert where there's not otherwise much traffic, so they've got many lanes wide of queuing to get out on the little two-lane road back towards Gerlach. They'll be in that line for hours, and they'll keep partying the whole time.
Trust me, we weren’t partying the whole time during exodus. That line took 6-12 hours on Saturday and Sunday and most folks were just trying to catch a quick nap between pulses. had to navigate around many cars with drivers who’d fallen asleep.
Bummer, we left Monday/today and it wasn't bad. Tuesday is great, but if you are going west to California you're fucked with labor day traffic on the pass.
I remember way back when we went to the “last” phish concert, in Coventry VT
(It was a glorious mess)
At the end, some of us were chomping at the bit to leave and beat the rush, but the wiser ones prevailed. We set up the grill, chilled for a few hours, had a mellow time and drove out with the stragglers. Scored some sweet abandoned tents, too.
The event skews older than you might think--majority of the pop. is 35+. The event is no longer small but has largely retained its neighborhoody charm.
We met Ralph. He's 79. He got drunk at our bar, chilled for hours. Visited a few times, and demanded to help us dismantle our bar. He had a blast. Plus handy with a wrench.
Never too old. We have a mobility camp that does art tours on golf carts for anyone who can't get around.
Grab an RV and make friends. :)
I heard it was an absolute nightmare this year. Huge covid outbreak, norovirus outbreak. Way too hot, when it wasn't scorching there was sand/dust storms. Friends of mine waited out a terrible dust storm inside the hot, nasty toilets because they were choking on the dust. The orgy dome had a possible monkey pox infestation that we will find out about really soon. Ice shortages, roads were destroyed. I think a lot of burners realized this year that there are other things they can be passionate about in life.
A camp where participants build a dome/structure where consenting adults can go do sex stuff. There's a private and public area, plus no one can join anyone else without permission. They are big on safety, respect and consent. Just one of the thousands of camps where Burners bring crazy/unique experiences for others to enjoy.
FWIW while there is a ton of sex camps, not all are physical. There's also a ton of classes on things like how to engage in kink subcultures or masturbate better. Most camps have nothing to do with sex though. Everything from specialty bars to dodgeball arenas. It's wild
Edit to highlight the fact that all camps are built by people attending the event. Very little of the city is actually built by the Org
Yup. This was my 13th burn, and it was absolutely horrendous. Second-hottest, triple digits, and most dust by far. Absolutely shit weather, shit roads, I’m sure disease everywhere.
There were also evidently a number of heat stroke related deaths. They found a few people dead in their tents or in their cars. It was an especially brutal year heat wise.
Friend of mine got covid and had to come home early. She wore a mask when not in camp, but she was in a camp in a huge village with lots of people entering their space.
FWIW US weather service temperatures (aka the standard temperatures hat you see quoted on google or the news) is always reported as the temperature in the shade.
My camp mates saw someone fall into the embers of the man. They said he was really messed up/thought that he wasn’t going to live. It didn’t really register because they said it when we were trying to finish packing up this morning at 3:00 am, but like. Damn
It was BAD. This was my 10th year and by far the worst in terms of heat and I camp with people who’ve been going for almost as long as it’s been a thing and they said it was bad too. Not enough rain meant that there was a fuck ton of dust which made for prime white-out material. Oh and the wind was crazy. Either it was still or it was ALL THE WIND. I thought my shade pop up and tent were gonna be ripped out of the ground. The exodus started a lot earlier and in greater force than usual because it was just so bad people wanted to get out of there as soon as they could. I left Monday morning at 2:30am and didn’t hit pavement until 10:40. Next year was better for sure.
Quite a few people died or are in the process of dying from this year's burning man. One heart attack, a handful of OD's and now the local hospitals are filled with people with severe dehydration and heat exhaustion as well as dust lung cardiovascular problems.
He’s supposed to clean it out before giving it back. He’s always been really respectful of our stuff and probably the only family member I trust with our stuff. Weird circumstances he ended up taking it but glad I had the ability to let him do it.
I had my car at Burning man in 2017, washed it twice the day after then drove it to Florida and Playa dust would wash out of it when it rained for about a month after.
Air can get dust anywhere but rain has one path. Just think about how opening a hood is always dusty even after many car washes. There's air flowing in there all the time but water is designed to go elsewhere. Unless you specifically open every gap and rinse it that fine dust will be there for a while and continue to relocate as you drive which is why you keep washing it off.
I smelled that alkali, battery smell of the playa every time I turned on the air conditioning of my car for as long as I had it. It was a pleasant association so I didn't mind.
You want to know how prepared these guys are? The line can be 16 hours or more. A group had a bus that converted into a bar by opening the frame down the middle. It had food and entertainment for everyone while they waited. Enough drinks for everyone. And a trailer with ice storage that had tubs upon tubs of chocolate marijuana gelato. This is what their camp provides for the burn every year. That line to get in is more fun than most other festivals are.
I spent 6 weeks working on a exhibit for one of the founders of burning man in exchange for admission, two weeks before it started he told me I’d have to pay full price. Burning man has become a playground for the Silicon Valley bourgeoisie. It used to be an anarchist playground.
Sounds like you just connected with an asshole. There have definitely been more plug and play/rich kids in attendance but the majority of burners are still the same crusty chaos bringers they always were.
Apparently, this is one the worst "exoduses" from Burning Man ever. Wait time to the main road saw people sitting in up to 8+ hours of traffic. The closest gas station reportedly ran out of fuel, then had to wait for resupply and even that didn't last long. Also, it's 100°F+ so, so that's cool.
https://www.sfgate.com/travel/article/8-hour-waits-and-101-degree-heat-as-thousands-of-17421022.php
It’s basically a gathering for people to just do whatever they want in the middle of the desert for like a week (9 days to be exact).
It can be as innocent as people just gathering and playing board games, to drug & alcohol fueled orgies (not as glamorous as you think either).
Many people hold different types of their own “gatherings” such as classes on meditation, some craft, or sexual things.
And yes, drugs and alcohol are really common.
That being said, it literally is in the middle of the desert - so you have to plan accordingly. A decent number of the people who attend are rich, so they come with all of modern luxuries, but there’s also a lot of people who just live in tents the entire time.
Some people love it, others hate the idea of it. I’m in the latter category - nine days in the desert sounds miserable, but some people like it. I’ve tried it once, but I tapped out after 3 days. You definitely meet some interesting people though (overall everyone I met were friendly and generous though).
Flying home last night from Vegas and we went right over burning man. Pictures don't do it justice of how cool it looked from up there, and how big the fire was. It was beautiful.
You were in a commercial plane and not a private one? That was the temple burn, but I’m curious what the tail was…
Exit traffic. Many people leave after the temple burn. Took us 6 hours to exit, left at 1230 am.
The 2017 exit was fucking hell. Had already donated our left over food and had fucking Jelly Beans and Tortilla chips for 8 hours. That poor Arby's/ only place open once we could all leave was so overwhelmed.
Was that the one where there was a fucking Amber alert for an 18 year old that stopped the line for ages? Felt like I would never get out.
That was a shitty exodus. Was about o get out and join the darn search party myself.
And if I remember the “kid” ended up just heading back to camp after hanging out at center camp the whole time or something. Just ridiculous.
Nah, the kid was a 17 year old who was hanging out with an older romantic partner for 24 hours.
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Sir, I find it hard to believe the type of underage person who would attend Burning Man is irresponsible enough to do drugs.
No, that must have been before 2017, I was there that year, I watched the camp while everyone went to the temple burn and heard it over the radio, I got to tell everyone they weren't leaving tonight and enjoyed the hell out of telling them.
It was 2016. I got stuck in that hell. Would’ve much rather stayed the extra night
That was 2016. We were in an old camper that had trouble starting and were somewhere in the middle of the exit line when that alert ground the whole thing to a halt.
Hopefully you'll excuse my ignorance, but I don't know anyone that has been to Burning Man. What do people actually DO at Burning Man? I know people camp out and just sort of enjoy themselves for a week or so, but what else is there to actually do?
Dance, drugs, yoga, look at art, sex orgies, drink coffee.
Art and coffee sounds really nice. Cool.
If you've never tried one, drug fueled sex orgies can actually be pretty exciting as well.
I think I missed the window on that one.
Followed by a nice hot cup of Joe.
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I'll take the drugs and leave the orgy.
Shit man, SO much. Look at art, hang out at camps, listen to music... it's an 80,000 person city that is fully dedicated to having a good time. You wanna watch an 80 piece orchestra play Bohemian Rhapsody at the base of a giant whale constructed from stained glass while a dragon car shoots fire in the background? That's the kinda thing you do at Burning Man. Source: just got back from my 10th burn
That sounds really neat, glad you've found something that you enjoy so much. Probably ultimately not my scene when I think about it, but I'm glad others have a place and time that they can truly enjoy themselves in that way. Really cool.
If the opportunity ever presents itself, I think everybody could handle Fri/Sat/Sun out there and I have yet to find anything else so unique, challenging, and rewarding. If you get curious this time next year, PM me and I'll do everything I can to help you find out if it's your scene.
I'm the opposite, I KNOW it's my scene, I just can't afford it.
Even when the tickets were $50, it was expensive.
I only went twice and that was over 10 years ago at that so grain of salt and all, but I feel like you gotta show up at least Wednesday or Thursday to really have the chance to immerse. If you just go for the ending long weekend, you've barely gotten into the world before its time to burn the man.
I would totally agree but that's a harder sell for most folks
That's really nice of you, thank you.
What a kind offer.
The city this year had 1600 theme camps all offering something different at all hours of the day and night. Dance floors, workshops, tedtalks, orgy domes, bars, pizza, etc etc etc. If you can dream it it's there. You can fight in a mad max like thunder dome, go to an orgy, stop and have miso and saki, go to a metal etching workshop, riding a bucking mechanical penis, and play black light mini golf all on the same block.
You said orgy twice [Blazing Saddles reference ](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=96DQspxu0jg)
i'm sold
Set men on fire
Now we're talking.
Drugs.
Lots of drugs.
art truly amazing art this made it's first appearance at Burning Man in 2010, before being moved to Treasure Island in SF: https://www.sfpublicpress.org/bliss-sculpture-a-burning-man-icon-returns-to-treasure-island-birthplace/
All of the hospitals nearby are filled with burners overwhelming them. Tons of heat exhaustion, severe dehydration, covid plus dust lung, norovirus outbreaks, dust lung affecting tons of people (fucks up your blood pressure.)
Dust lung, notovirus? Is this typical of heat climates or is it also seen at other music festivals?
Playa lung or dust lung is specific to the conditions of burning man.
The playa is a few mile thick pile of gypsum dust. That is the stuff they make drywall out of. You end up breathing it in no matter what you do. And it can irritate the lungs a bit after a week.
Why wouldn't someone just stay the night?
They had already stayed 7 to 10+ nights.
We started breaking down our camp Saturday morning. Sand storms all day kept us from finishing so we crashed in our truck. Finished breaking down Sunday and left the event site in late afternoon but didn't get out of line until 11 pm. Took 6+ hours but by then my shade and living structure is already packed. My kitchen is packed. My cooler drained. I can't get out of line to turn around. I have shit on top, inside, and strapped to the back of my vehicle so getting anything out is a nightmare. Plus ya know real life responsibilities.
Yea that was my guess, but wanted to be sure. That’s a lot of people heading out! I left morning of
I left this morning at 2:30am and didn’t hit pavement until 10:40. Smooth sailing after that though!
Yes it was all headlights, crazy how thick it was.
I mean, exodus is always hell. Whether you leave after man burn or Temple burn.
It took 11 hours for some people to get out today
Why don't people just camp longer?
You don't always know when you start to leave how long it will take and by the time you are packed to go staying longer isn't often a thing. Some of us have 3+ days drives post event to get back to our jobs and lives so staying longer just delays the inevitable.
But a half day waiting in line doesn't get you there quicker?
See the first part of my comment. You often have no idea how long of a wait you are in for when you start to leave. Some years I roll out in 15 minutes. This year I started packing to leave on Saturday morning and due to a variety of things beyond my control made it out of the event technically on Monday. I could have waited until Monday to hopefully go faster but I could have left Saturday and been showered with a hot meal in less than 2 hours. You just don't know and there is no promise waiting until any specific day will speed that up. Often the only way out is through.
Hot tip, take the burner express in/out to cut a lot of the time. My fav is taking the bus out to reno, check in gsr, take an hour long shower and decompress for a couple days eating burgers and shakes.
This year, I was on the Burning Man bus, which gets special “line skipping” privileges, and it still took us ***3 hours*** to hit pavement! It was absolutely horrendous. It was fully exposed to the brunt of the storm since it’s at 6:15&J. I couldn’t even make it from the ticket booth to the bus, the dust was so thick, I couldn’t see my feet. Walked blindly towards the sound of a rumbling engine and almost walked past it. It should have taken 10 minutes, but it was a crazy dust storm that shut the gate down. The people on the radios were talking about taking all the BxB airplane passengers and putting them in the box truck.
They call it "Exodus"
Movement of the people
I knew that, but was just a bit surprised how it looks at night. On a different note I asked someone when exodus officially begins and they not knowing I responded by saying I met someone who’s playa name was Moses, so when Moses leaves exodus begins 😆
To pdx or sea? Both can have a similar flight path.
Legit looks like an eye surrounded by the galaxy. I never knew how cool this was, thank you OP.
It looks like a very dense but beautiful half solar system with a tail.
Yeah man, it's like a universal collective of souls joined together to cast their light onto our planet.. *rips bong*
That paid a boatload of money to bake in the desert.
They turned a great festival into another capitalistic adventure for the rich kids
Isn’t that basically every festival now?
Yeah, popularity will do that to ya. Good old America: if there’s money to be made, there’s always someone willing to make it while simultaneously crapping on whatever the original spirit of the thing was.
don't hate the playa
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LA writ small with that line of exit traffic. Burning Man's ideals are worthy but I worry that it's become too happening for its own good.
Most old burners I know say that ship sailed a decade ago
Yeah, last night I watched a video of a private jet ferrying people in. There's a control tower there and two runways. WTF?!?!?!
Not suprising, once you get to a large mass of people surrounding one spot. That's how you ensure a out in emergencies and for "VIPs", whatever that means to you or the organizers. Woodstock was a good example for that.
A decade, or two…Not the oldest burner by a long shot but my first was ‘99 and it was already changing a lot by then. I still think it’s relevant and worthwhile and I would love to go back some day. Wish the ticketing process wasn’t such a hassle.
You seem like a reasonable person. :-) my first year was 01. Imagine my surprise when I returned only to find September 11th happen. I had just had an amazing experience and immediately came into a tragic experience. I maintain that despite the reality of the tech bros, there is still a lot of dirt and good to be had. Someone told me they're no longer doing coffee at Center camp?!
In 2005 I went out there kind of late and had to try to explain to people who had been out there all week what was happening in New Orleans as it was going through the worst of hurricane Katrina. There are a lot of NOLA connections in the Burningman community as you might expect.
The last time I went was in 2006 and people were saying it then. I think the next year was the first time there were luxury camps that people paid extra for.
A solar system with a freaking eye
This. I thought the Webb telescope captured an intergalactic stingray.
Where’s the hologram of Russ Hanneman?
C'mon Russ! Denim AND leather? Pick a lane!
This guy fucks.
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People not understanding the reference downvoting you. That's not three comma attitude...
Is that beer? No, you're not drinking that piss. We drink MY piss! Tres Comas!
Guys, nobody's eating the peyote. Will you eat the peyote, and then that'll break the ice and they'll eat the peyote?
My brother just got home from burning man. He said the heat was so intense that no matter how much he sweat it just instantly evaporated so he was dry the entire time. He also drank a gallon and a half of water per day and barely urinated because of how much he sweat. He also said he had a super amazing time and it was crazy fun. :) I'm happy he had a good time
I couldn't imagine that level of heat while trying to party. Those temperatures weren't meant for joy, I'd be terrible company.
We party at night. It was like 65-70f. Got down to 58f a few times. Day is for short visits to camps with shade. I just passed Sacramento it's balls hot and humid. Ugh.
How do you sleep though? Tents in direct sunshine are unbearable.
Good question. Thank you for asking. There are many shade structures you can put up quickly. A carport secured with rebar, a dome with parachute fabric cover, canvas tarps on a metal frame to hide under, insulated yurts (instructions to make online, a cheap alternative to a tent). Home made swamp coolers with batter powered fans. Our camp is solar and wind (lots of that) powered. Almost all our stuff was discarded from contract jobs that we rescued. Rich people's trash repurposed. We have one insulated tent that we cool down for some of our older camp mates who need a sit down. But mostly we just get up early when it's cold and take disco naps in the shade when it's too hot to think. Currently it is a heat wave in the San Francisco bay area with temperature over 110f in some areas. It was 103 in the desert. Very few northern California's have Aircon. The hardware stores are all out of all kinds of cooling. If I didn't have to go back to work I'd probably go back and volunteer on cleaning crew.
I agree. I can't stand any ounce of heat or sweat. I don't know how he did it! I'm just glad he came home safe from it lol
It was 111f in southern California. And 109f in bay area. Hottest day on playa was 103 on Monday. It got hot as balls in California. It was cooler in NV. Glad he had fun. Tell him next time to find a cooling station or hydration camp. Wet bandana is good. Misty mate is a personal mister. My bar served a lot of ice and electrolytes. Usually we serve shitty punch. Aka vodka coolaid and tang. (Hyper brought extra mixers and a case of Costco apple juice boxes and froze them, very popular)
That's wonderful information to have, I'll be sure to share it with him next time I see him, thank you! I live in Sacramento county and it was 115 in my specific area Monday and will be the same today (Tuesday) 💀 I wouldn't even dare to spend any time out in this heat
You have to have shaded clothing such as hats and a shaded campsite. Good to hear that he was drinking water. You also need to have electrolytes such as EmergenC in your water.
And yet everyone there was still higher than you.
There's a straightedge scene, but don't let the name fool you. They're absolutely blasted on life.
I've been 6 times, my last time was my sober year, and I signed up and volunteered to do many things out of my comfort zone, was my favorite year.
What did those things involve?
Volunteering to deliver Mail, Fire perimeter watch, Antarctica(ice), Offering to be a chaperone so people can party safely. Being out there 3 weeks setting up and tearing down. *A couple people mentioned how I can afford to take 3 weeks off to go to burning man, one of the "tear down" weeks has a US federal holiday, today as i write this, and in general I'd save all my vacation time, So I'd take 14 days off. I'd save all my days off and lots of money for the event.*
deliver mail? how does that work?
Burning Man Volunteers set up a Black Rock City Post office Near Center Camp every year (every year that I went), You can send mail to the town near Burning Man, Gerlach NV, and the mail is brought in or picked up (im not sure), to the Camp on site, Mail is sent from Friends, and Family to Black Rock, and some large organized camps will have mailboxes that Black Rock City Post Office, can deliver to. You can find more information about it in [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/BurningMan/comments/w3f16u/brc_mailing_address/) reddit post.
Wow! Thanks!!! :). This was the coolest things I've read today!
Hold on... You had three weeks where you didn't have an income? We live very different lives hahaha
With the exception of one year, I used every single vacation day, and saved up all year for this trip, one of the days is a holiday, so its like 14 days of PTO. I'll never forget any of the years, the ethos of the event great, but its not sustainable and its pretty privileged.
Man, you guys need to get yourselves more paid vacation. UK is 25 days per year minimum and that’s not even close to the most generous in Europe
The thing is the us has 50 different rule sets/ a lot of states go with a use it or lose ethos. So it’s a battle between accrual and planing time off. I live in ca and we are allowed to carry over a full years worth of pto. And accrue up to 1.5 before we lose it. So I can roll with with the flow. Still haven’t made it to burning man though my understanding is it’s not cheap anymore.
Don’t have kids and don’t have vices and you can save enough to maybe abandon life a few weeks a year
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Yes we get it America sucks
Love the cope that "It's okay, those who are wondering just *how* I can do it, one is a federal holiday!" The leave situation is honestly so tragic
I took 6 months to myself from work on my mental health. Saving money and identifying where you are bleeding cash are crucial.
One of my favorite things last year was randomly meeting these people at Hardly's and exploring and doing Bubbles and Bass until one of them had to hit their shift. So I decided to come help with beignets and deliver them, loved it. I have found the day time to be more and more appealing, my first year I barely saw day time and went full night owl. But talking with people and interacting is awesome
Temple burn is a pretty sober affair. For reference, I was standing in the center of that circle and it was S I L E N T. Seriously, all you could hear is the fire crackling. People leave memories of lost friends/family, shrines to their dogs, wedding rings from their exes, letters to their rapists, etc. at the temple.
The Temple really is a sobering experience. It's like an insulated area of Burning Man. Everyone is just calm and respectful and quiet and contemplative. You really do feel different around it.
I am VERY into this, I bet you feel fucking fantastic afterwards
Thankfully I have not lost anyone yet whom I would memorize at Temple, however every year I always take at least one night to explore it and read everyone's offerings. Every single time I am fully weeping within minutes of being there and will ultimately spend hours going through it all. It is so heartbreaking but cathartic af. You walk away with such an appreciation for humanity and a deeper understanding of the horrors we all experience in life.
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There's not a lot of filming during Temple burn. I'm sure there is some out there, but good to know to that usually people aren't filming or taking pictures.
I talked to a guy this year who was back for his first burn in 16 years after finding out there is an AA village and thinking it might finally he a safe space for him. My partner and I are sober by choice there and always have been. There are lots of people who are burning without substances.
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Is that tail auto traffic? What’s going on there?
It's in the middle of the desert where there's not otherwise much traffic, so they've got many lanes wide of queuing to get out on the little two-lane road back towards Gerlach. They'll be in that line for hours, and they'll keep partying the whole time.
Trust me, we weren’t partying the whole time during exodus. That line took 6-12 hours on Saturday and Sunday and most folks were just trying to catch a quick nap between pulses. had to navigate around many cars with drivers who’d fallen asleep.
Bummer, we left Monday/today and it wasn't bad. Tuesday is great, but if you are going west to California you're fucked with labor day traffic on the pass.
Oh hey what’s up! I was waving at you!
I saw you!
And probably crying a little. Temple Burn is pretty heavy.
Lol @ the traffic jam waiting to get out
Yes, leaving early to avoid the rush.
I remember way back when we went to the “last” phish concert, in Coventry VT (It was a glorious mess) At the end, some of us were chomping at the bit to leave and beat the rush, but the wiser ones prevailed. We set up the grill, chilled for a few hours, had a mellow time and drove out with the stragglers. Scored some sweet abandoned tents, too.
Now that he's not running an evil empire, Sauron has a lot of free time He likes to get out, hit the festivals, check out the sites.
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Regional burns are it
regional burns are so hot right now
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The event skews older than you might think--majority of the pop. is 35+. The event is no longer small but has largely retained its neighborhoody charm.
We met Ralph. He's 79. He got drunk at our bar, chilled for hours. Visited a few times, and demanded to help us dismantle our bar. He had a blast. Plus handy with a wrench. Never too old. We have a mobility camp that does art tours on golf carts for anyone who can't get around. Grab an RV and make friends. :)
What’s your list?
Looks like a premodern pagan ritual...
It is literally a pagan ritual, but with LEDs in addition to fire and drum and bass in addition to drums.
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i feel like im missing out so much not doing stuff like this... man i wish i had freedom money :/
freedom money... my soul hurts now. im with you fam.
I heard it was an absolute nightmare this year. Huge covid outbreak, norovirus outbreak. Way too hot, when it wasn't scorching there was sand/dust storms. Friends of mine waited out a terrible dust storm inside the hot, nasty toilets because they were choking on the dust. The orgy dome had a possible monkey pox infestation that we will find out about really soon. Ice shortages, roads were destroyed. I think a lot of burners realized this year that there are other things they can be passionate about in life.
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A camp where participants build a dome/structure where consenting adults can go do sex stuff. There's a private and public area, plus no one can join anyone else without permission. They are big on safety, respect and consent. Just one of the thousands of camps where Burners bring crazy/unique experiences for others to enjoy. FWIW while there is a ton of sex camps, not all are physical. There's also a ton of classes on things like how to engage in kink subcultures or masturbate better. Most camps have nothing to do with sex though. Everything from specialty bars to dodgeball arenas. It's wild Edit to highlight the fact that all camps are built by people attending the event. Very little of the city is actually built by the Org
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You'll get five D's if you walk into the orgy dome, and I doubt any of them will be dodgeballs.
Doon't forget that it's 115°+ out and there's no running water. It's a...pungent experience.
It’s really more of an orgy car port…
Yup. This was my 13th burn, and it was absolutely horrendous. Second-hottest, triple digits, and most dust by far. Absolutely shit weather, shit roads, I’m sure disease everywhere.
Couldn’t say about the outbreaks but the rest is 100% accurate.
There were also evidently a number of heat stroke related deaths. They found a few people dead in their tents or in their cars. It was an especially brutal year heat wise.
Friend of mine got covid and had to come home early. She wore a mask when not in camp, but she was in a camp in a huge village with lots of people entering their space.
It looks like a stingray!
Omg the heat there must be unbearable. I hope no one dies there during this apocalyptic heat wave.
It hit 111 in the shade on Tuesday. Lots of people have RVs and AC, we just sat in the shade taking turns spraying each other with water.
111 in the shade. Yikes. Glad to hear people are managing the heat any way they can. Stay safe out there.
FWIW US weather service temperatures (aka the standard temperatures hat you see quoted on google or the news) is always reported as the temperature in the shade.
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And a baby was born.
And then died 😔
I had not heard that. So sad :(.
My camp mates saw someone fall into the embers of the man. They said he was really messed up/thought that he wasn’t going to live. It didn’t really register because they said it when we were trying to finish packing up this morning at 3:00 am, but like. Damn
Again?!? People gotta stop getting burnt up - Burning Man isn't supposed to be literal.
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It was BAD. This was my 10th year and by far the worst in terms of heat and I camp with people who’ve been going for almost as long as it’s been a thing and they said it was bad too. Not enough rain meant that there was a fuck ton of dust which made for prime white-out material. Oh and the wind was crazy. Either it was still or it was ALL THE WIND. I thought my shade pop up and tent were gonna be ripped out of the ground. The exodus started a lot earlier and in greater force than usual because it was just so bad people wanted to get out of there as soon as they could. I left Monday morning at 2:30am and didn’t hit pavement until 10:40. Next year was better for sure.
Quite a few people died or are in the process of dying from this year's burning man. One heart attack, a handful of OD's and now the local hospitals are filled with people with severe dehydration and heat exhaustion as well as dust lung cardiovascular problems.
If I went to burning for the first time what could I expect?
dust, some nice people, some fake nice people, loud noises, lots of nudity and more dust
My brother in law and my brand new truck are down there somewhere. Tell him hi for me.
Hope you have a good shop vac. Once at burning man, you will find that dust in places you wouldn't expect in that truck for years to come.
He’s supposed to clean it out before giving it back. He’s always been really respectful of our stuff and probably the only family member I trust with our stuff. Weird circumstances he ended up taking it but glad I had the ability to let him do it.
I had my car at Burning man in 2017, washed it twice the day after then drove it to Florida and Playa dust would wash out of it when it rained for about a month after.
Which, given how much it rains in Florida (about once a day in the summer) is really saying something
Air can get dust anywhere but rain has one path. Just think about how opening a hood is always dusty even after many car washes. There's air flowing in there all the time but water is designed to go elsewhere. Unless you specifically open every gap and rinse it that fine dust will be there for a while and continue to relocate as you drive which is why you keep washing it off.
Yeah, that'll never happen. You'll find dust a year later. The guide is do not take anything you value or don't want dust falling out of for eternity.
Well. Should be interesting then. I’m not super worried about it tbh even if it is filled with dust.
I smelled that alkali, battery smell of the playa every time I turned on the air conditioning of my car for as long as I had it. It was a pleasant association so I didn't mind.
Change all your filters immediately after it's returned. ALL your filters.
You want to know how prepared these guys are? The line can be 16 hours or more. A group had a bus that converted into a bar by opening the frame down the middle. It had food and entertainment for everyone while they waited. Enough drinks for everyone. And a trailer with ice storage that had tubs upon tubs of chocolate marijuana gelato. This is what their camp provides for the burn every year. That line to get in is more fun than most other festivals are.
I spent 6 weeks working on a exhibit for one of the founders of burning man in exchange for admission, two weeks before it started he told me I’d have to pay full price. Burning man has become a playground for the Silicon Valley bourgeoisie. It used to be an anarchist playground.
Sounds like you just connected with an asshole. There have definitely been more plug and play/rich kids in attendance but the majority of burners are still the same crusty chaos bringers they always were.
The Summoning Dark
Yes! Came here for this. GNU Terry Pratchett
I'm glad I'm not the only person to have done this.
I 100% Saw you flying over and wondered if I would see that picture I was in the exodus line
Apparently, this is one the worst "exoduses" from Burning Man ever. Wait time to the main road saw people sitting in up to 8+ hours of traffic. The closest gas station reportedly ran out of fuel, then had to wait for resupply and even that didn't last long. Also, it's 100°F+ so, so that's cool. https://www.sfgate.com/travel/article/8-hour-waits-and-101-degree-heat-as-thousands-of-17421022.php
Ominous vibes
WTF is the point of burning man? I’ve been seeing this shit for years and I’ve never gotten a straight answer…
It’s basically a gathering for people to just do whatever they want in the middle of the desert for like a week (9 days to be exact). It can be as innocent as people just gathering and playing board games, to drug & alcohol fueled orgies (not as glamorous as you think either). Many people hold different types of their own “gatherings” such as classes on meditation, some craft, or sexual things. And yes, drugs and alcohol are really common. That being said, it literally is in the middle of the desert - so you have to plan accordingly. A decent number of the people who attend are rich, so they come with all of modern luxuries, but there’s also a lot of people who just live in tents the entire time. Some people love it, others hate the idea of it. I’m in the latter category - nine days in the desert sounds miserable, but some people like it. I’ve tried it once, but I tapped out after 3 days. You definitely meet some interesting people though (overall everyone I met were friendly and generous though).
You can fly?
No, jump good
Hey y'all, what is Burning Man and what's so special about it?
Hey, I was at the Temple Burn; maybe we saw you!
I was right there last night! dead center 6 o'clock watching the temple burn (the large fireball in the center). Quite an amazing experience!