Allison
Date: Monday, August 29, 2022 – Monday, September 5, 2022
Where: Black Rock City, Reno, Nevada, United States
A yearly event, Burning Man attracts more than 50 thousand people to the Black Rock Desert in Nevada. The “city” of black rock city is built every year for this festival that takes place 3 hours north of Reno, NV. It has become a growing trend with many who take part in its unique events and art installations being drawn by its interactive culture where participants are encouraged to participate freely as an individual creative expression instead of following any particular traditional format or convention while still maintaining some basic safety guidelines (like not starting fires).
“Reaching the place: there is a shuttle bus from Reno and San Francisco, or by private cars, RV, or hitchhiking. During the festival’s days,” I thought as we walked into what seemed like an entire city made of wood with scaffolding for roofs and ceilings “the statue of a man-made out of wood can be seen from every point.”
About Burning man festival
The statue of the god is destroyed by fire in front of a joyful crowd. It’s only two days before, but participants are already building their burn-day art projects and activities as they build new friendships with neighbors who have never met one another before this festival. They share common spaces like showers or kitchens to create communal living arrangements which mimic what it would be like if we lived life together every day.
Burning Man is known for its outrageous and surreal imagery, but what often goes unnoticed are the life-affirming ideals that unite all of these different people in one location. People come from all over to experience this creative awakening with their fellow creatives as they enjoy hedonistic pleasures or discuss idealism with other intellects at play parties.
There is now a free option to visit each and every one of the six officially licensed Worlds of #VirtualBurn2021! Some Worlds will have optional paid feature upgrades; ALL will be offering rich interactivity, mind-bending art, performances + more—FREE. https://t.co/xNaitbDijv pic.twitter.com/g5mByk8b6z
— Burning Man Project (@burningman) August 17, 2021
As the founding legend is told, in 1986 Larry Harvey and a dozen friends burned an effigy of a man on San Francisco’s Baker Beach. This experience of reconciliation and rebirth quickly grew into an annual ritual with hundreds of people, leading Harvey to move his Burning Man experience to U.S. government land in northern Nevada’s remote Black Rock desert where 70,000 gather for this cathartic act called “The Burn.
Burning Man is a celebration of artistic self-expression for those who have an optimistic view of the world. For some, it’s about creating a spiritual sense of togetherness in an intentional community based upon 10 principles. For others, it’s all about partying and dancing with friends until dawn; biking around naked, or dressing up as your favorite movie star to participate in Slut Olympics (which are just one category out of hundreds). But no matter what archetype defines you and your experience at Burning Man, anyone who has done the pilgrimage to Black Rock City shall never be called anything other than “Burner”, even if they’ve had their life changed by this unique festival.
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10 important things to know before going burning man festival in 2022
Radical Inclusion
The festival is open to all. We welcome anyone willing, regardless of their background or experience in the arts and community fields.
Gifting
Attendees of Burning Man are encouraged to give gifts, and the value is not dependent on how much it costs. The festival emphasizes that gift-giving doesn’t have any strings attached or expectations for a return in kind.
Decommodification
We are committed to the idea of gifting and want this spirit to remain unfettered by commercialism. Commercial sponsorships, transactions, or advertising have no place in our community so we’ll resist any exploitation that might come with them. We refuse consumption as a substitute for the participatory experience because it would be against everything we stand for.
Radical Self-reliance
An event is a place where people are free to explore themselves and their boundaries. You can go as far as you want, but the only thing stopping you from going any further will be your self-imposed limitations.
Radical Self-expression
Radical self-expression can come from the unique gifts of an individual. It is a gift to others no matter what it may be, and should always respect rights and liberties in order for everyone involved to have their say.
Communal Effort
Our community values the creative process. We work to produce and promote art that stimulates collaboration by supporting social networks, public spaces, individual works of art as well as methods for communication.
Civic Responsibility
We value civil society. Community members who organize events should be civically minded and responsible, endeavor to communicate civic responsibilities with participants, take responsibility for conducting the event in accordance with local laws as well as state and federal statutes.
Leaving No Trace
We are committed to leaving no physical trace of our activities wherever we gather. We clean up after ourselves and endeavor, whenever possible, to leave such places in a better state than when we found them with the least impact on wildlife habitats possible.
Participation
The community is committed to a radically participatory ethic. Everyone can make the world real by opening their heart through actions that have personal meaning and significance for them, whether it be work or play.
Immediacy
The importance of our personal experiences is often overlooked in an attempt to over-rationalize the world. We need not turn away from this reality for it can be a fascinating and powerful way of exploring ourselves, others around us, society as a whole, and nature at its best.
