New-ish to Burning Man? Black Rock City is built and managed by every person who comes to the event — that means YOU! Read on to meet Black Rock City volunteers whose on-playa work is ideally suited to first- or second-year Burners. To get involved, create a Burner Profile, fill out the Volunteer Questionnaire in your profile and select the volunteer teams that spark your curiosity! Jump to our Volunteering page to learn about all Black Rock City’s volunteer teams.

A dust storm.

A tent.

The ninja kindness of strangers.

A constellation of small playa moments signaled the connections that would shape Jonathan Penn’s first year as a Lamplighter.

In 2024, after reading all things Burning Man, Jonathan and his wife decided volunteering had to be part of their first playa foray. A self-proclaimed sucker for traditions and rituals, Jonathan, who goes by HardHat on playa, thought the Lamplighters team would be his jam and their village would make a good playa home.

What he found was family.

“We arrived in the middle of a sandstorm. The sun was going down, and I’d never put up our rental tent. It was not gonna be fun. Then, two guys on either side of us were like: ‘We got you’, and they put up the tent and were gone before I could even say thank you,” Jonathan says.

“And every time we turned around, there was some other amazing gesture of family and kindness from people we’d known for 36 hours.”

Once he hit Black Rock City’s streets as a Lamplighter, he continued to be moved by his interactions with people: “There were people lining the route, cheering for us, and just getting fully immersed in the ritual.” 

Lighting Up

Each night of the Burn, around 140 Lamplighters take part in the ritualistic pageantry of hanging 700 kerosene lamps across the city. Around 50 participants are Lamplighter villagers; the rest are BRC citizens who put their hands up to help. 

They don robes with flame-licked hems, shoulder yokes strung with lanterns, and slowly — almost meditatively — walk in procession down six city routes. On Burn Night, they help light the Man from El Diabla, the Center Camp cauldron.

It was here that Jonathan experienced one of his most memorable moments. The closet-thespian had just nervously delivered his first cauldron invocation, a prayer that kicks off the city’s ritual illumination, when he was approached by a long-time Burner who had returned to playa after a five-year hiatus.

She was crying.

“She said to me: ‘I was freaking out because it wasn’t the same, and I didn’t know if it was still right for me to be here. Then I heard you give the invocation and it reminded me that traditions are still here, and I just have to find them’,” says Jonathan.

“She’s telling me this while tears are streaming down her face and she’s profusely thanking me. Then I’m crying, and we give each other this huge hug, she rides off, and I’m like: What just happened!?”

To become a Lamplighter in Black Rock City 2026, create a Burner Profile, fill out the Volunteer Questionnaire, and select Lamplighters as your preferred team.

The Potency of Moments

You can’t spit without hitting a Burner who has had one of these strangely potent moments from gifting their time on playa.

These moments help explain why every participant in Black Rock City helps raise, run, color in, and return the city to dust each year. Gifting, Participation, Communal Effort, and Leaving No Trace are the lifeblood of Black Rock City’s epic, annual barn-raising. Participants build the city, manage its services, create awe-inspiring art, organize and build theme camps and gatherings, and gift their time and talents to create a shared experience far bigger than any one person could imagine alone.

“The moments you have and the connections you make in Black Rock City are hard to define or quantify. I feel like I’m being given so much by the Burn, I’ve got to give back as much as I can,” says Jonathan, who also volunteers as a Temple Guardian.

Moreover, his volunteering experience has trickled back into his day-to-day life. 

“Burning Man at large, and volunteering with Lamplighters specifically, has restored some of my faith that there are still lots of good people out there who want to do good things and who aren’t just in it for themselves. I think we need volunteering and that community service and spirit beyond Black Rock City, now more than ever,” Jonathan says.

The Joy of Service

For Julie Starr, known in Black Rock City as VegasQueen, the “joy of service” was a no-brainer when she first came to playa.

“Being of service has always been a big part of my life, so it was just natural to bring volunteering into my experience of Burning Man. My father’s a rabbi and my mother’s a therapist, so I grew up volunteering. Jews call it tzedakah: it’s just good deeds,” she says.

Julie first dipped her toe in playa life in 2013 after some encouragement from new Burner friends in Vegas. Despite an aversion to any sort of camping that didn’t involve a cabin with electricity and running water, she took to playa life like a jackrabbit to dust. She started volunteering in her second year.

The newly-minted Burner loved her shifts with Arctica and Center Camp Café. But it was the Greeters team, “their amazing humans,” and the gifting of experiences that stole her heart.

“You have the opportunity to set the tone for this amazing journey that some people have done 20 times but others may only do once. And it’s just such an honor and privilege to be able to welcome people into the city,” she says.

Each year, approximately 500 people join the Greeters’ ranks to help people transition from the default world into the liminal space of the playa. They orient participants with maps, guides and hugs, and initiate Burgins with well-loved rituals such as dust angels and bell ringing. (They’re also the soft ‘n cuddly yin to the Gate team’s crustier yang — but more on Gate in an upcoming Journal post.)

Like Jonathan, Julie’s Greeters experience has created chosen family and rippled out from the playa.

“One of the things that I love about the Burning Man community is it fosters intergenerational relationships in a way that the default world does not: I have friends who are 90 and friends who are 17. I have also become a better person and leader because of my volunteering experience,” says the now volunteer Greeters Project Manager, who also supports other volunteer teams year round.

Walk-On Teams and Top Tips

Arctica, Census, Earth Guardians, Greeters, and Lamplighters are some of the teams that are particularly easy for first-time volunteers to join, both pre-playa and once you arrive.

“We love when you plan — because we have to fill our shifts — but if you’re on playa and think, ‘I just want to help today’, you can walk up to Greeters, Lamplighters and Arctica and be a volunteer in five minutes,” says Julie.

For those considering volunteering for the first time, she also has a formula for working out where to land: “If you can find the intersection between availability, ability, and interest, then you’re going to be happy, and that’s the most important thing.”

Not the cuddly, lamp-lighting, ice-wielding type? No problem.

Volunteering comes in all shapes and sizes to suit all skills, ages, and energy. Ultimately, however you choose to show up, your participation helps create something greater than the sum total of its parts — and a little bit magic.

“All of us are co-creating magic,” Julie says,” whether we’re with Greeters, or running a theme camp, or bringing an art car, or doing performance art. And without all of the people creating all that magic, Burning Man would not exist. 

To get involved, learn about Volunteer teams here. Then create a Burner Profile, fill out the Volunteer Questionnaire, and select the teams that you’re interested in joining!

Around the world, people are integrating Burning Man’s connection and creativity into their day-to-day lives in many inspired ways, informing how they live, work, and play. Some are making a bigger commitment by purchasing land where they can produce Regional Events. Others are building long-term communities inspired by the same principles. Still others are studying what makes Burner-led communities function in the first place.

The results are taking many forms — from land purchased in the forests of Sweden or Michigan’s lake country, to a Burner Village springing up in rural Portugal, and green homes in Ukraine. Taken together, they evolve and deepen Burning Man’s impact, from ephemeral spaces to a network of year-round cultural laboratories.

Regional Burns Moving to Permanent Homes

One way Burners have extended the culture is by creating permanent homes for Regional Events. For many years, burns around the world took place on rented land, where spaces were temporarily transformed into participatory cities. Recently, several Burning Man communities have begun buying land of their own. The shift often begins with practical concerns such as stability, permits or long-term planning, but it quickly becomes something more cultural.

The Borderland, the Scandinavian Regional burn, now takes place in Alversjö, outside the town of Eksjö in southern Sweden. The land, consisting of open fields and undulating hills, cushioned by dense nature reserve forests on all sides, was purchased in 2022 after a multi-year community-driven fundraising effort.

“We were always dreaming of going from ‘leave no trace’ to ‘leave a good trace’. Now having this land ties us together and makes this possible. – Hampus Lindblad, Alversjö

The land hosts the annual event as well as smaller gatherings throughout the year where participants work on art, infrastructure, and shared projects such as gardens, sculpture parks and art symposiums. Hampus Lindblad, one of the founders, explains the motivation behind buying land, “We were always dreaming of going from ‘leave no trace’ to ‘leave a good trace’. Now having this land ties us together and makes this possible. We can go there throughout the year, build iteratively and both think and act within as well as beyond the scope of burns. This place is now truly ours and we intend to make the most of it. Not just for the benefit of ourselves but also for the existing local community.”

Hear Borderland community members Hampus Lindblad and Liselotte Norman share the Alversjö story on Burning Man LIVE:

AfrikaBurn followed a similar path in South Africa, securing a long-term lease on land in the arid Tankwa desert after years of hosting the event there.

In the United States, the Michigan Regional Burn Lakes of Fire recently reached the same milestone. When I spoke with Scott Vandevyver, one of the organizers, the purchase had only happened weeks earlier. “We actually closed on the property about thirteen days ago,” he excitedly told me. The community had been discussing the idea for nearly a decade before finally making it happen. The property spans 80 acres of woods, fields, and streams, along with a small house that might someday host workshops or gatherings.

For Scott, the significance of owning land goes beyond convenience. “Ownership gives you a seat at the table,” he explained. “You’re not dependent on someone else’s rules about what you can and can’t do.” And perhaps more importantly, it changes how people relate to the place. “At our previous venue we used to say ‘welcome home,’ but technically it was someone else’s property,” he said. “Now we can say ‘welcome home’ and actually mean it.”

Owning land changes the relationship between a community and the place where it gathers. Instead of appearing for a short period of time and disappearing again, people can return throughout the year, building infrastructure gradually and shaping the landscape over time.

Year-Round Communities Built Around the Principles

Not all of these experiments revolve around hosting events. Some Burners have taken the leap further, building permanent communities inspired by the culture they experienced through participation in Burning Man.

Just a few miles from the playa where Black Rock City rises each year, Fly Ranch has long been intertwined with Burning Man history. Black Rock City was held there in 1997 during a year when hosting it on federal land in the Black Rock Desert wasn’t an option. In 2016, Burning Man Project acquired Fly Ranch and began transforming it into a year-round cultural and ecological experiment.

Today Fly hosts a wide array of projects: regenerative practices, art installations, Burners Without Borders (BWB) gatherings, educational programs, and research initiatives. The land itself has become a fertile testing ground where Burners explore how creativity, regeneration, and community might intersect beyond the playa. “When people bring us their ideas [about what to do with the land] we say: how can we help you do that?” explains Matt Sundquist, Director of Fly Ranch.

Beyond the Nevada desert, similar experiments are unfolding in many other independent Burner communities. One example is Emerald Village Oasis (EVO), a small intentional community in the green hills above San Diego. The project began 15 years ago when a group of friends returned from Black Rock City with a shared question: what would life look like if the sense of community they experienced there didn’t disappear afterward?

There’s a common Burner joke that you shouldn’t “divorce your parakeet” and make life-changing decisions immediately after returning from the playa. This group ignored that advice completely. “We filled a blackboard with sticky notes,” one of the founders, Nick Heyming, told me when I visited EVO. “And the same themes kept showing up: land, space, community.” Within months they had found a property and moved in together.

Fifteen years later the project has grown into a small village. Residents live in individual homes but share weekly meals and care for the land together. There are gardens, gathering spaces, and workshops where people host events and creative projects.

A newer experiment is unfolding in rural Portugal with Burn Village. Its main founder, Avner Had, first encountered Burning Man culture at Midburn in Israel in 2017. “I felt like I was discovering a new planet,” he told me. Years later, after organizing a small burn in Thailand during the COVID-19 pandemic, he began imagining what he calls a “slow burn” — a community where the principles could shape daily life rather than just a single event.

In 2024, Avner purchased rural land in Portugal and began building what is now called Burn Village. The early phase was simple: people living in trailers and tents, building cabins, installing electricity and internet. But gradually the infrastructure took shape. Now the project is ready for its next step, inviting residents and hosting small gatherings to grow the community.

At its core, the Burn Village is meant to explore the question: “Is it possible to create a society that lives with those principles while still being part of the modern world?” In his vision, the village functions much like a burn itself, with different “camps” focused on various interests such as permaculture, workshops, or creative projects. “The idea,” he said, “is to make the default world a bit more similar to that special week.” He hopes that, over time, a network of Burn Villages will emerge.

Avner began imagining what he calls a “slow burn” — a community where the principles could shape daily life rather than just a single event.

Other projects are being started in places where the stakes are higher. In Ukraine, Burners Without Borders grant recipient NGO 001 is developing a community of sustainable, off-grid homes. Its founder, Sergii Dumyk, found his inspiration in Black Rock City 2016, where he contributed his hardware skills to the Tesla Coils at Sextant camp. That experience led him to build House 001, the first in a village of fully autonomous homes that generate their own energy, water, and utilities. Today, NGO 001 is an official partner of the New European Bauhaus, a movement reimagining how we build for the future.

Where the Culture Goes Next

Looking across these projects — the newly purchased land of Lakes of Fire, the long-running experiment of EVO, and the emerging Burn Village in Portugal — a pattern begins to appear. Burning Man has always been a cultural laboratory. For decades that laboratory existed primarily in temporary environments. In these spaces, people experimented with new forms of community and creativity, within a limited timeframe. Land-based projects extend the creative cultural Burning Man experiment in a different direction.

Each project is unique, yet bound by the same ethos. Some revolve around events, others around daily life. But they share the same thread: to create a permanent expression of the learnings and participatory creativity sparked by participating in Burning Man. Spaces such as Black Rock City will always remain ephemeral. Each year the city will rise and disappear again in the desert. But the ideas that take shape there continue to resonate, shape lives, and serve as the basis for year-round projects that continue to evolve.

Cover photo: “Protea” Borderland 2024 effigy at Alversjö by Annie Locke Scherer (Photo by Cipriano Mauricio)

Participation doesn’t have to happen at a huge scale or with a big budget. You can have a massive impact without massive effort; even the smallest, most humble gift can create a profound moment of awe for another human. Start where you are, bring what you’ve got, and let it be enough.

>> Fill out the Collaborator Interest Form

>> Fill out the Volunteer Interest Form

Low Stakes, High Impact

The Canopy is one of the most accessible entry points to your version of participation. There are no theme camp requirements, no need to build complex infrastructure, and no need for a “polished” event. Here, we prioritize human connection over the ‘arms race’ of production. You can host a daily or one-time event or offering, decorate a zone, or simply walk in with a deck of cards or a yoga mat and immediately be an official event — a beat of the heart of Black Rock City.

Two Ways to Step Into the Circle

1. Become a Collaborator (Bring the Magic)

We provide the shade, the stage, the sound, and the nooks; you provide the soul. The Canopy is the community’s venue for ideas at any scale. Since every year is different and everything happens just once, now is the time to seize your moment under the Canopy.

• Host an event: A workshop, a yoga flow, a discussion panel, a craft, or a debate.
• Share a gift: Brew coffee, mix cocktails, bake waffles, or host a game.
• Show your art: Display your work in the Gallery, paint a mural, share a sculpture, or create your piece live.
• Perform: We have a stage ready for your musical act, theater, poetry, or circus skills.

While we love spontaneous sparks, getting your event in via the Collaborator Interest Form helps the Canopy team support any build, location, or technical needs. Plus, your event will be listed in the WhatWhereWhen guide, the Canopy online list of happenings, and the on-site event schedule. Share your idea, and our team will help make it real.

>> Fill out the Collaborator Interest Form

2. Become a Steward (Volunteer)

Regardless of your skill level, there’s a place for you here. When we build something amazing together, something shifts within us. No experience needed!

Build & Strike (hands-on crew): Help assemble and break down the Canopy space — decor, painting, carpentry, A/V, staging, structure builds, layout, and decor. This is where people meet through doing — working side by side, figuring things out together, and watching something take shape because you showed up for it.

Stewardship & Support: Keep things running day-to-day during the event — wayfinding, safekeeping, light logistics, stage managing, and helping the community navigate the space. Ideal for organizers, social folks, and people who like being in the flow. You’re often the first point of contact for participants, connecting dots, and facilitating what’s happening in the moment.

>> Fill out the Volunteer Interest Form

A Practice of Presence

In a fractured world where so many feel the weight of disconnection, exhaustion, and digital overload, the temporary rise of Black Rock City offers a vital alternative: a culture and a place dedicated to presence, connection, and shared humanity. From a cosmic perspective, our week together is but a tiny whisper, but when we show up to build, create, and experience something bigger than ourselves, that whisper resonates into a timeless roar. Even Black Rock City can feel overwhelming, and the Canopy is the calm within the eye of the storm. Here, we prioritize the real, in-the-moment magic of shared human experience. In this sanctuary of ephemerality, you are welcomed and celebrated exactly as you are. Here, the dust behaves differently; it settles, and as it does, we find each other.

See you under the Canopy!

The Center Camp Canopy team

Cover photo: Espressobuzz

Naming the streets has become part of the annual process of mapping the city, and you are welcome to view them all in the shiny new 2026 Black Rock City Plan. If some of these are tongue-twisters, consider it a challenge to embrace the theme, and try saying them without giving up and resorting to their boring initial letters.

Ararat
The storied landing spot of Noah’s ark in the Old Testament version of the global flood myth, Mount Ararat is located in present-day Turkey near the Armenian border. It is Armenia’s national symbol, and prior to its association with Noah’s ark by 11th century Christian scholars, it was central to pre-Christian pagan traditions of the region, revered as the home of the gods.

Bodhi
Central to the Buddhist tradition is the Bodhi Tree, a ficus in India where the Guatama Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment while meditating beneath its branches. After 2,500 years the original tree is long gone, but the grove remains on the grounds of the Mahabodhi Temple. Saplings from the Bodhi Tree and its descendants have been sent over the years to sprout in sacred gardens as far away as Hawai’i.

Chomolungma
The highest point on Earth, rising 8,849 meters above sea level, Mount Everest is known in Tibetan as Qomolangma, and if any spot on the planet can be said to connect with the heavens this is the one. The Sherpa people hold that it is highly charged with spiritual energy, a place where the karmic effects of one’s actions are magnified, and that one should show reverence when passing through its sacred landscape.

Delphi
The ancient Greeks considered the center of the world to be at Delphi on the flanks of Mount Parnassus, a spot marked by a stone monument known as the Omphalos, the navel of the world. It was also, of course, the location of the fabled Oracle of Delphi, the Sybil with a private line to the god Apollo that allowed her to tell pilgrims of their fate.

Eternal
Science may be divided on the matter of eternity, as it is on infinity, but in many traditions there is an abiding belief in the eternal, and the possibility that time is either circular or illusory. In that sense the axis mundi was always there, waiting to be identified, and always will be there, long after we are gone.

Fulcrum
One interpretation of the axis mundi is that it is a pivot point or fulcrum between the planes of existence, uniting and balancing the realms of the eternal, the physical, and the infernal.

Great Oak
In many European traditions, including Slavic, Germanic, and Celtic, the sacred tree uniting the planes of existence may be known as the Great Oak. As a meeting point between earth and sky, councils and sacred gatherings were often convened under old oak trees.

Heiau
The Heiau is a ritual platform built of stone, central to spiritual life in pre-contact Hawai’i. Often sited in locations deemed to have innate spiritual power, it was a form of ritual architecture that provided a focus point for religious life, a place for worship, ritual, and communication with the gods.

Iroko
In the Yoruba tradition of West Africa, the Iroku tree is both a cosmic pillar and the home of a powerful spirit. It serves as a reminder that the natural world has a life of its own not subject to human control, and that the boundary between worlds is both real and dangerous to cross.

Jiba
In the Mande-speaking cultures of West Africa, the Jiba is the inner spiritual center of a being, a sort of personal axis mundi where the life force or nyama is concentrated.

Kundalini
In Indian spiritual traditions, kundalini is a spiritual energy that, when activated by practices such as meditation or yoga, spreads up through the chakras to connect one’s earthly body to higher consciousness, a personal pathway to the divine.

Just like that, Black Rock City 2026 has its Axis Mundi street names. If you find any of these difficult to pronounce, just be glad we don’t have a Y street — so no one will have to try to say “Yggdrasil” on the radio.

Cover photo: Amber Reynolds

Seize the moment. It all begins with a ticket. The Main Sale for tickets to Black Rock City 2026 is April 29 at 12pm PT. Register starting April 20 to participate in the sale and secure your best chance for lowest-priced tickets. Mark your calendars and get all the details on our ticketing page!

Here is what you need to know about the Black Rock City 2026 Main Sale:

• Open to everyone!
• There is an optional payment plan for this sale
• Register starting April 20 for your best chance to score the lowest priced tickets
• Ticket sale starts April 29 at 12pm PT / 3pm ET / 9pm CET
• Prices: $550, $675, $775, $975, $1,500, $3,000
• Vehicle passes: $165 each
• 2 tickets + 1 vehicle pass per purchase
• Full details at tickets.burningman.org

New to Burning Man? Start where you are. Be your weird, playful self. Camp on your own or join a theme camp, and help out on a project or crew. Through building Black Rock City together we spark connective magic. We find ourselves, and our community.

Been around the dusty block? Burning Man is a vehicle for reinvention. Every year opens a new door; stay with the project you know, or branch out with a new volunteer team or idea. Nothing is static in the Burnerverse.

We build Black Rock City together! Participation is the secret sauce to creating joy, purpose and connection in the dust. Help make the rocket go by joining a volunteer team — an art or mutant vehicle crew, or one of the teams that builds and operates the city — you’ll connect with new friends, and learn skills. Learn about volunteering here.

Communal Effort Ticketing for this Cultural Experiment

Black Rock City tickets are offered at tiered pricing levels to support operational costs and keep the event financially accessible to all who wish to participate. When you choose a higher-priced ticket tier, you help make Ticket Aid and Resilience ticket programs possible, and support artists through Honoraria grants. What’s not to love about that?

• A payment plan is available for all ticket prices
• Pay Your Way: $775 + taxes & fees → cover the cost to produce Black Rock City for one participant; tickets will be available while supplies last
• Give the Gift: $975, $1,500 and $3,000 + taxes & fees → pay your way, support Honoraria art grants, BRC operational costs, plus Ticket Aid and Resilience programs
• Get the Gift: A limited number of $675 and $550 tickets will be available
• Get all the details on the Black Rock City 2026 tickets page

Cover photo: Duncan Rawlinson

TL;DR: We want to know your thoughts about how mutant vehicles have evolved in Black Rock City. Click here to jump right to the participatory bit.

If you’ve ever built a mutant vehicle or enjoyed the spectacle of a mobile art piece — spouting fire or not — or a mobile mutant stage bumping house music, here is your chance to help shape the future of mutant vehicles in Black Rock City!

We at Your Friendly Neighborhood Department of Mutant Vehicles (DMV) see the incredible heart that is poured into these rigs. Every year, we’re floored by the creativity that comes to Black Rock City, the mobile wonders that decorate the playa horizon. Mutant vehicles are more than just transportation; they are moving, interactive pieces of art that facilitate communal effort and gifting. And, we’ve started hearing some important philosophical questions from mutant vehicle builders, artists, theme campers, and Burners.

To better understand how the culture of mutant vehicles has evolved and to think about how we best set ourselves up for the future, we are launching a two-year community deep dive. We’re calling it The Wheel Deal.

Whether you’re a veteran mutant vehicle builder who’s been here since the 1990s, or a first-timer freshly inspired by an unexpected ride in something that may once have been a lawnmower — we need your brain — and participation.

>> Fill out the form

What Are We Talking About?

• The Loudness Wars: We love the bass, but we need to talk about the urge to be the biggest and loudest, and how that affects the quiet corners and intentional art of the city.
• Access vs. VIP: Are mutant vehicles still interactive gifts to the playa? We want to ensure we aren’t trending toward private parties and velvet ropes.
• Photon Phenom: Just as sound carries, mutant vehicles with lasers and spotlights can dominate the horizon. Are we washing away the stars, or bringing the vibe?
• The Little Guys: How do we make sure the whimsical, small-scale mutations (the couches, the muffins, the weird little sculptures) don’t get squeezed out by the giants?
• Policy & Support: How can the DMV better support the city’s needs? Should there be limits on size, function, or anything related to mutant vehicles?
• Civic Responsibility vs. Radical Self-expression: Where is the line? We all love the freedom in BRC, but what happens when a mutant vehicle acts in a way that isn’t civically minded — such as ignoring safety rules or blasting sound over a quiet sunrise? How many rules are too many, and how do we hold each other accountable without policing?
• Radical Decentralization: Where is the opportunity for the mutant vehicle community to participate in governance of the mutant vehicles?

The 2026 Roadmap (How We’re Doing This)

Here’s the plan for the coming year:

Spring 2026 | Community Surveys: Here is a link to a survey and participation form. Your responses will help us see what the community values, what concerns there are, and whether there are even problems that need to be solved.

May – July 2026 | Town Halls: We’ll host virtual Town Halls to discuss what we learn from the survey and explore the contours of any issues that emerge. Exact dates will be shared as soon as we finalize them. You can express interest in participating via the form. (And if you can’t make the forum, there will be a way to share your feedback online.)

August 2026 | On-Playa Vibe Check: The team will be out in the dust, talking to Black Rock citizens, conducting interviews, facilitating conversations, visiting camps, and seeing how things play out in real time. You can be part of the actual survey process by, you guessed it, using the form above.

October – November 2026 | Status Report: We’ll summarize everything we’ve learned so far and publish it for all to read.

Winter 2026 & Beyond: With your help, we’ll take all that data and consider how to move forward.

Get Involved!

We care about your voice and want this work to be people-powered — by the community, for the community. If you’re interested in sharing your perspective, take our initial survey. The form asks for your thoughts on mutant vehicles, offers a couple of options for getting more involved in the process, and provides a space to share anything vehicle-related on your mind. It’ll take about 5-10 minutes of your time.

We’ve got a lot of road ahead of us, and we’re glad you’re in the driver’s seat with us. So take the wheel, and we will take the pedals.

See you in the dust,

Your friendly neighborhood Department of Mutant Vehicles

Cover photo: Dan Adams

These coveted stickers are designed by YOU. That’s right — anyone and everyone is invited to submit one or more designs to be considered for the official Black Rock City 2026 stickers.

Want to submit a sticker design? For your Black Rock City 2026 design to be considered, carefully read (then re-read) each of the submission requirements listed below. How will you visually express the 2026 theme, Axis Mundi? We can’t wait to find out. Selected sticker designs will be contacted via email.

Your 2026 Sticker Submission Guidelines

• SIZE — Your sticker design(s) must fit within one of the following die sizes:
  • 3” diameter circle
  • 3″x3″ square with a 0.062” corner radius
  • 2.5″x6” with a 0.125” corner radius
• WORDS — Please try to include either “Burning Man” or “Black Rock City” along with the year “2026” into your design.
• COLORS — If using 1–3 colors, set up the file to print as PMS; If using 4 or more colors, set up the file to print as CMYK.
• FONTS — you must OUTLINE all fonts (meaning all text must be vector shapes).
• GATE STICKER — Remember that ROUND stickers are given priority for scoring the coveted “Gate sticker” spot, gifted to all BRC citizens.
• THEME — Since preference is often given to designs incorporating the theme, feel free to get more intimately acquainted with this year’s theme Axis Mundi for additional design inspiration.
• SUBMISSIONS — Please email the original vector file of your sticker design(s) to Stickers@BurningMan.org with your FIRST and LAST NAME along with the phrase “2026 Sticker Submission” in the subject header. (Note: just because you can send a high-resolution PDF, doesn’t mean you should. The original ai. file is always preferred.)
• DEADLINE — You must submit your design(s) by Friday, May 29, 2026 (no exceptions).

Cover photo: Black Rock City 2023 sticker designers hold their designs up in front of Media Mecca (Photo by Jamen Percy)

All those already on playa or in the city felt it too, including Gate, Perimeter, and Exodus (GPE) — the team responsible for getting you safely into the city. So, looking forward to 2026, we’re working hard, reviewing what went wrong, learning lessons, and updating plans and protocols to make entry into Black Rock City smoother for all.

Here’s How:

We’ve convened a dedicated team to take a thorough look at how we move the community in and out of Black Rock City — especially when weather forces closure. This group brings together GPE veterans, external transportation engineers, large-scale event logistics experts, and informed community members. Together, we’re conducting a full review of staffing, layout, operations, communications, and coordination across Burning Man Project departments.

What We’re Working On:

• Four-Hour Travel Time: We’re aiming for a maximum ingress travel time — from the gravel to the Gate — of four hours whenever possible, with safer vehicle management on Gate Road during delays.
• Volunteer Recruitment: We’re bolstering our team rosters and shift design to ensure we have the people we need when we need them.
• Real-Time Information: We’re improving traffic data collection so we can give you accurate, timely guidance — whether you’re heading in or heading home.
• Faster Response: We’re updating contingency protocols to staff up, reroute, and adapt more quickly when weather or emergencies hit.
• Regional Coordination: In partnership with Government Affairs, we’re reviewing plans with local agencies and event leadership to better manage traffic in surrounding towns and reduce the impact on our neighbors.

A Note on Preparation — and Participation

To everyone who came prepared and arrived in good spirits in 2025 — thank you. You embodied the self-reliance and communal care that Burning Man is built on, and it made a real difference to the people around you.

Having all your tickets and passes IN YOUR HANDS is the best way to help Gate move quickly. Even an extra 30 seconds per car can add many hours to the processing time. YAY for having all the things ready to go!

And if you’d like to be part of the solution more directly, join the team! GPE volunteers have the privilege of being the first face our Burner family sees when they arrive at the best place on Earth. GPE is a volunteer-powered machine (75%, in fact!), and needs helpful, eager, and awesome humans to make the wheels turn. There is a stellar crew ready to welcome you in, teach you the ropes, and there is a killer social hub where you can celebrate after your shifts. It’s a hoot, we promise!

Sign up for YOUR Gate Experience Here

Thank You to Our Gate Crews

To every volunteer and staff member who worked at Gate in 2025 — thank you. You held the line through some of the most difficult conditions GPE has ever faced, and your dedication to the community did not go unnoticed. We’re committed to ensuring you have better tools, better plans, and better support in 2026.
We’ll have more to share this summer. Until then, take care, and happy planning.

Louder, Charlie!
BRC Event Director

Cover photo: Axis

After reviewing hundreds of proposals and individually discussing them, we are proud to announce that 75 projects will receive funding for Black Rock City in 2026, with $1.3 million awarded directly to artists. This funding is part of Burning Man Project’s nearly $6 million annual investment for the arts, 95% of which supports Black Rock City art through Honoraria grants, heavy equipment, art support, and other services. We extend enormous gratitude to everyone whose generous donations and higher-priced ticket purchases make this possible.

The power of BRC comes from the full spectrum of human creativity: the monumental and the small-scale, the contemplative and the wonderfully silly, the fiery and the surreal. Art of every kind creates awe, inspiration, and human connection. Whether these works were made by seasoned artists or first-timers, whether they span 200 feet or less than ten, they are proof that Burning Man’s culture is built by everyone who steps up to contribute something of themselves to share with all — creating shared experience and bridging differences in a divisive time.

A full list of projects and artists can be found at the end of this article.

Axis Mundi: Pathways Between Worlds

The 2026 theme, Axis Mundi, explores the concept of “a celestial column that connects us with powers greater than ourselves,” a concept found in nearly every culture on Earth under different names and forms. “Yggdrasil” is perhaps the most literal interpretation, depicting the Norse World Tree by a Danish architect who now calls Nicaragua home. The sculpture is built from bamboo grown and harvested by the artist’s community. “Axis Mundi: Resonant Spire” takes a similarly literal approach: a 33-foot wooden tower captures participant voices and transforms them into a continuously evolving column of light and sound.

We received 41 proposals featuring trees in some form, and the committee ultimately selected six, including a 40-foot-tall immersive treehouse sculpture “Above and Below,” which features a sinuous beanstalk connecting two structures representing the nostalgia of home and the adventure of storytelling. “Freedom Dancers” brings a human dimension to the tree form, featuring seven female figures with branch-like arms and root-like bases, created collaboratively through community art workshops. In this way, the human body itself becomes a connection between Heaven and Earth: rooted below, reaching above.

Drawing on the serpent as another living symbol of the axis mundi, “The Serpents” offers a colorful, spiraling snake you can climb up and slide down. You will be able to explore a bamboo meditation labyrinth, “Headwaters,” inspired by Mount Kailash, the sacred mountain in Tibet revered as an axis mundi.

As always, not every project engages the theme directly, and that’s exactly as it should be! We look to fund artworks that reflect the range of human experience. We select projects that ignite communities around the world to come together to co-create, inspire individuals to push their creative boundaries and take risks, and embolden new artists alongside longtime contributors whose work continues to surprise and evolve.

Connecting a World of Cultures

Burning Man has always stimulated innovation and creativity. Along with artists from 17 states in the U.S., this year’s international cohort of artists is among the most vibrant we’ve seen. Their work draws on cultural traditions, cosmologies, and craft practices from across the globe, a gift to everyone who says yes to Black Rock City! We are proud to welcome 15 international projects from Australia, Canada, Colombia, Indonesia, Italy, New Zealand, *Nicaragua, the Philippines, *Poland, *Romania, Spain, *Turkey, the United Kingdom, and *Vietnam. Five of the countries, which are starred, are receiving funding for the first time in Burning Man history.

“ALUNA The Frequency of Being” merges ancestral Tayrona Pre-Columbian symbolism with modern technology, inviting participants to alter the frequency and waveform of vibrations that reveal patterns in the water contained in the sculpture’s core, as a tangible experience of vibrational consciousness. “Mebuyan Pulse” is a climbable constellation of suspended spheres inspired by the Bagobo figure of Mebuyan, a guide between life and death who nourishes spirits into growth — an archetype of protection and transformation. “CORREFOC,” whose name means “run from fire,” channels the spirit of Las Fallas, an epic fire festival tradition in Valencia, Spain, and invites participants to unite in dance with the flames.

One of the most extraordinary stories this year is “Do Baskets Dream of Shores or Sea,” featuring traditional Vietnamese basket boats (thúng chài), handwoven and painted on the coast of Vietnam before traveling by sea to the Black Rock Desert. These vessels were once the lifelines of coastal fishing communities; now they carry memory, song, stories, and an invitation to explore and remember. The crew is 70% BIPOC, and they are partnering with local craftspeople who will also receive support to enable their participation in BRC.

Other international projects include “For They Know Not What They Do,” a 21-foot steel caduceus from Australia, “Heart Remains,” a glowing ribcage with a suspended heart by a Turkish artist, and “PULSE,” a cracked heart sculpture from Italy and Mexico City that contains a pulsating light representing the Earth’s heartbeat.

New Voices on the Playa

Every year, one of the greatest joys is watching new artists step into the creative territory of Black Rock City. The Honoraria Program gives artists the resources and encouragement to bring something they’ve been imagining into reality. This year, five Honoraria recipients will be stepping onto the playa for the very first time, each taking an even bigger step by leading an art project as well.

Dragons may belong to the folklore of Transylvania, but a Romanian artist is visiting Gerlach for the first time to source branches and roots from Fly Ranch to create “Elemental Dragon,” planned to rise nine feet tall and 40 feet long. “Open Arms” is a large handmade soft sculpture with outstretched arms that will offer a place to rest and connect; the Mexican-American artist is traveling from El Paso, Texas for his inaugural trip to BRC.

While British-Caribbean multidisciplinary artist Zak Ové is new to BRC, he has the support of Project Aikido, an organization that brings African art and music to Burning Man. “Aikido — The Mothership Connection” is a 32-foot-tall sculpture interweaving elements of totem making, tribal masks, and an Afrofuturist space travel vehicle, while paying tribute to the African diaspora.

These first-time voices join a rich mix of returning artists and longtime contributors, all united by the urge to create something to share with strangers who will become neighbors and friends.

Every Scale Has a Story

Black Rock City is known for towering sculptures and epic large-scale spectacles, and yes, we have plenty of that this year. “TITANIC” is a sculpture of the famed sinking ship, broken in half to create climbable and explorable spaces 200’ in diameter. Similar to the larger-than-life traffic cone from 2024, “LOOKOUT!” is a 48-foot-tall fire lookout tower disguised as a fire extinguisher, continuing the tradition of taking everyday objects and rendering them at gigantic scale. It may have originated with Pop Art, but it’s unmistakably Burning Man: climbable, interactive, and complete with burn barrels for gathering around the fire.

One of the most persistent myths about the Honoraria Program is that Burning Man Project only funds big art. In reality, we also love supporting that piece you nearly rode your bike past, the one your campmates stumbled upon at 3am, or that trippy thing near the trash fence.

Sometimes it’s the simple things that are so effective in the vast desert landscape and wide open skies, and we think “Seven Sisters” might be one of those “Is that real?” moments. Illuminated star sculptures mounted to tall black masts representing the Pleiades constellation will seem to vanish into the night sky. Across the world, unrelated cultures have told similar stories about this same small cluster of sister stars, and unique stories are represented at the base of each star. And rising only six feet high, “Iguana-na” contains interactive musical elements for those who seek out an intimate and hilarious experience.

You may (literally!) stumble upon “Carnac 2026” and see 1,000 unique and colorful 2-foot statues, inspired by ancient megalithic stone art in northwestern France and realized with contemporary materials. Participants will be immersed in a grid-like alignment reminiscent of prehistoric monuments, made of small forms of colored acrylic that evoke wonder and act as digital relics, merging technology and myth.

BRC has always been a place where a single glowing object in the dark can stop you in your tracks just as surely as a 50-foot structure. Both have meaning, and both bring the playa to life for everyone.

More to Discover

Animalia may have been the 2023 BRC theme, but animals continue to have a strong presence in BRC. Two octopuses will propel their way to the playa this year: “Octopolis,” a ~40’-diameter immersive installation raising awareness about ocean conservation, and “Project O.C.T.O.P.U.S.,” a human-powered kinetic octopus with 65 points of articulation activated by hand cranks. Turtles, beetles, birds (a pelican, a goose, and penguins, oh my!), and even a disco dog join the menagerie, among other creatures. “Kaleidoscope” invites you to sit among 500 fused glass monarch butterflies arranged in an organic murmuration that glows with a warm light at night (and who knew the collective noun for a butterfly swarm is “kaleidoscope?!”).

BRC is full of odd creatures, and they’re well represented in the art as well! A kinetic and adorable half cat/half mermaid tells the ecological story of kelp forests, and is appropriately named “Purrmaid.” The not-quite-human figure “Behind Closed Eyes” invites you to feel the topographic surface textures shaped by the hand tools of Balinese and Javanese craftspeople. “Resilience” is a fire sculpture of a tardigrade, a microscopic water bear, one of the most indestructible organisms on Earth, capable of surviving in the vacuum of space.

Nearly half of this year’s projects are led by artists who identify as women or non-binary, with several exploring the experience of being a woman while inviting everyone to reflect on their messages. “QUEEN: Quantum Universal Epic Era Now!” is a reclining sculpture of a midlife woman, powerful, claiming space, and celebrating a stage of life that is often made invisible. In large block letters filled with pastel flowers, “NO” examines social conditioning that teaches women to soften refusals, decorate boundaries, and make declines more palatable.

Fourteen projects plan on using fire and flame effects to bring them to life. “Dusty Heart, Tumbleweed Soul” is a 10-foot tumbleweed ignited from its core, spinning via hand-crank. “The Royal Trumpets” features six 15-foot propane trumpets tuned to the chromatic scale. “The Flaming Carousel” offers rideable creatures made by various artists rotating under flames, while the whimsical “Fire Gnome,” a 30-foot garden gnome, emits controlled bursts of flame from its mouth.

A quieter thread running through this year’s Honoraria is an exploration of the inner landscape, art that invites pause and introspection. “1/1000 — A Wish for Recovery” is a luminous steel paper crane inspired by the Japanese tradition of folding 1,000 cranes, offering a space for reflection and wishes. Participants are invited into a state of attunement with “The Sanctuary of the Silent Star,” which is a lotus-shaped cocoon that is activated by quiet rather than sound. “D.A.R.E. — Does Art Reside Everywhere” is a large syringe, a tribute to the artist’s upbringing in the D.A.R.E. era and a memorial to her brother, who died of an overdose. These pieces may not be the loudest, but they are among the most resonant.

The playa has always invited questions about reality, and several works lean fully into the surreal. Imagine wandering through the magical landscape of the open playa and coming upon a typical suburban garage, complete with yard tools, boxes of decorations, and a basketball hoop attached! “The Garage” pays tribute to the builders of BRC who have worked out of their own garages. “As Above, So Within” is a large 3D-printed Mandelbulb fractal sculpture rendered in intricate organic geometry, shaped by the belief that the boundary between inner and outer worlds is an illusion. The axis mundi is not a distant mountain or mythic pillar; it lives within each of us. We are microcosms of the infinite, the axis through which the universe gets to know itself.

Your Turn to Create

We’re pulling out our megaphones for this one: you do not need a grant to bring art to Black Rock City! You don’t need a professional studio, a large crew, or years of experience. These 75 projects highlighted are just a fraction of the 400+ art installations that will transform the open playa and city plazas in 2026, not to mention all the creativity that will adorn camps, bicycles, mutant vehicles, and bodies. The rest are made by people who simply decide they have something to make… and then they make it!

If you would like to bring an artwork to be placed on the open playa, please register your art by completing the Art Installation Questionnaire. All registered artists (whether funded by Burning Man or not) receive support and mentorship via a dedicated Artist Liaison, on-playa services including heavy equipment, and allows artworks to be featured in the WhatWhereWhen, on the Burning Man Project website, on Black Rock City art tours, and more. Online registration is open now through May 20, 2026, and you can do a walk-in registration for smaller-scale projects 10’ or less once you arrive in Black Rock City. Art in camps doesn’t need to be registered.

Burning Man’s creative culture grew from the ground up. It wasn’t curated into existence, it was built by anyone who wanted to participate in something special. A silly sculpture made in your garage for your camp. A performance you rehearsed in your backyard. A meaningful gift you made for strangers. This is the foundation of our culture.

If you’ve been waiting for a sign to bring something to playa, this is it! If you’re curious what that looks like in practice, check out the Journal post “The Art of Leveling Up: Your Small Project Can Have a Huge Impact” to see how others have brought their visions to life. Explore the list of 2026 Honoraria projects below, and if you feel inspired to create something, you are warmly invited to register an art project of your own. If you’re looking to lend your skills, learn under an experienced lead, or connect with artists, check out the collaboration tool Spark.

And if you’re already thinking big, we’re looking ahead to the 2027 BRC Temple! We’re moving the process earlier so artists will have a longer timeline. If you’re inspired to submit a proposal, get ready because the form will open at the end of April, with a deadline in early June. Watch for more information in the coming weeks.

Black Rock City exists because we dream it together and then create it together. We can’t wait to see what YOU bring!

Drum roll, please…

The 2026 Black Rock City Honoraria Recipients

1/1000 – A wish for recovery — Steel Tigerlillies — Milwaukee, WI

Above and Below — Sean Orlando — Richmond, CA

Acinonyx — Liminal Collective — Seattle, WA

Aetheric Ascension Tower — Andrey Sledkov and Artsled — Salt Lake City, UT

Aikido – The Mothership Connection — Zak Ové — London, United Kingdom

ALUNA The Frequency of Being — Santiago Caro and Tixana Ospina and Outline Creative Lab — Bogotá D.C and Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia

As Above, So Within — Mahshid Moghadasi — San Francisco, CA

Axis Mundi: Resonant Spire — Sergei Konchekov — New York, NY

Beetle — Barry Crawford — Silver Springs, NV

Behind Closed Eyes — Spencer Hansen and Team — Jimbaran, Indonesia and Grass Valley, CA

Bless My Meat — Dolce Remi and Esmeralda — Nevada City, CA

Brews 12 v Uno: cLOUD OF WIT-nesses — Eric E. Brown, Jr. — Brooklyn, NY

Carnac 2026 — Michael Ciulla and Walid Nasrala — San Francisco, CA and Beirut, Lebanon

Cocoon — Jillian Culver and the Pilot Hill Art Collective — Truckee, CA

COMING HOME — Deborah Lambin and Lambin Arts — Carson City, NV

Compost Playground — Jen Reed — San Francisco, CA

Confessional Alter: Demoop du Soul — Jacob Hanshaw and Looking Up Arts — San Francisco, CA

CORREFOC — Daniel Nebot and Miguel Arraiz — Valencia, Spain

D.A.R.E – Does Art Reside Everywhere — Rachel O’Hara — Honolulu, HI

Disco Mushroom — Alpine Artists Collective — Alpine Meadows, CA

Do Baskets Dream of Shores or Sea — Luke Lin, Auroborium — San Francisco Bay Area, CA and Hoi An and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Dusty Heart, Tumbleweed Soul — Calli Beck and Stark Raven Fab — Santa Fe, NM

Elemental Dragon — Arterra Techtonics — Romania

epod — Michael Christian — Bay Area, CA

Fire Gnome — Fire Gnome Collective — Emeryville, CA and Northampton, MA

For They Know Not What They Do — Jai Hackl — Yamba, Australia

Freedom Dancers — Ashley Stoddard — Seaside, CA

Harmonic Orbiter — Linda Qian and the Harmonic Orbiters — Cambridge, MA

Headwaters — MSALIGNED CREATIVE LTD — Wellington, New Zealand

Heart Remains — Giselle Çisel Çakıroğlu — Turkey and New Mexico

Honey — Elizabeth Laul Healey and Duffy Healey — Wilson, NC

Iguana-na — Julia Andalora — Portland, OR

illumaphonium — Gemma Mills and illumaphonium — Somerset, United Kingdom

Just A Spoonful — JoLean Barkley & WENDO — New Orleans, LA

Kaleidoscope — Studio Woo Woo — Nevada City and San Francisco, CA

Keyhole to Other Dimensions — John H Dill III — New York, NY and San Francisco, CA

Limen — Taylor Dean Harrison — Penngrove, CA

LOOKOUT! —Franzi Ponzi and the Homo Erectors — Portland, OR, Oakland, CA, and Reno, NV

Mebuyan Pulse — Leeroy New, Luca Parolari, Sherif Koyes, Erick Estrada — New York, NY and Manila, The Philippines

NO — D. Striley — Sacramento, CA

Notorious BIG Spinning Wheels — Josh Cohen and PDA — Roxbury, NY

Octopolis — Laynajoy Rivas and Big Art Collective — Clearlake Oaks, Petaluma, and Oakland, CA

Open Arms — Jorge E. Martinez — El Paso, TX

Our Own Devices — Glass House Arts — Escondido, CA

Pandora’s Eye — Joe Di Marco and Hannah Yata — Wassaic, NY and Lords Valley, PA

Penny The Goose — Mr and Mrs Ferguson — Alameda, CA

Petaled Portal — David Oliver — Ventura, CA

Playa Penguins — Paula Aranda — Whitefish, MT

Project O.C.T.O.P.U.S. — Tyler FuQua Creations — Oregon City, OR

PULSE — Manuela Magni — Milan, Italy, Mexico City, Mexico and Reno, NV

Purrmaid — Paige Tashner — Richmond, CA

QUEEN: Quantum Universal Epic Era Now! — Sophi Kravitz and Ollie Tanner — Kingston, NY

Resilience — Resilience Art Collective — Berkeley, CA

Seven Sisters — Caleb Nederhood and Crew — Oakland, CA

Spectral Scarab — Tremendous Machine Farm — Salem, WI

The Circle of Ancestors — Maurice Cavness — Eureka, CA

The Council of Animals, what to do about the Humans — Quill Hyde — Tonasket, WA

The Flaming Carousel — The Flaming Carousel Crew — Atlanta, GA and Portland, OR

The Garage — Brendon O’Halloran and the O’Tools — Topanga, CA and Reno, NV

The Love Nest — RFLloyd — Modesto, CA

The Portal of Collective Imagination — Kim Carson — San Francisco, CA

The Race of Hearts — Ali Agus Ardie and Nina B. Paul, PhD — Indonesia and Germany

The Royal Trumpets — Adam Foster and Foster’s Cosmic Creations LLC — Rochester, NY

The Sanctuary of the Silent Star — Michael McIntosh — San Francisco, CA

The Serpent — The Serpent Servants — Dallas, TX and New Orleans, LA

The Solar Library Expansion — Jared Ficklin aka Pearlsnaps — Austin, TX

The Sound of Time — Adrian Landon — Reno, NV

The Weight of Light — In Theory Art Collective — Huntsville, UT

The Wishing Tree — Rockford Revelry — Rockford, IL

TITANIC — Titanic’s End — San Francisco, CA

Totem of Transformation, The Shifting Balance — Alvise and the Hippo Love Art Society — Calgary, Canada

Tree of Photon — Artur Grycuk — Bialystok, Poland

We The Sheeple — Frank Jerolimov — San Jose, CA

Yggdrasil — Morten Ørtenblad — Nicaragua and California

ZARVAN — Gazelle Dasti — Reno, NV

Full project descriptions, images, and links will be available later in the spring.

The BRC Honoraria Program relies on the generosity of our community. You can help support this program, and an array of on- and off-playa artist services, by making a gift here.

We’re deeply grateful to all the artists who will be sharing their creativity in Black Rock City in 2026, and we can’t wait to experience this outpouring of creativity together!

Cover image: Rendering of “Heart Remains” by Giselle Çisel Çakıroğlu

2025 was challenging. Early event-week rain and wind created tough MOOP conditions across Black Rock City. True to form, the Black Rock City community rebuilt, had a Burn, and cleaned up — followed by the 150-person Playa Restoration crew (Resto). Together, we once again passed the Bureau of Land Management’s Post-Event Inspection, staying under the one-square-foot-per-acre standard limit (under 0.002% MOOP). One clear word of warning from Resto: more than 2,000 lag bolts were still left anchored into the playa. Lag bolts remain the most serious recurring MOOP issue, and the primary focus for improvement as we come together for Axis Mundi 2026.

Burning Man’s Leaving No Trace Principle

One of the 10 guiding Principles of Burning Man, Leaving No Trace, states:

“The Burning Man community respects the environment. 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.”

Community Problem Solving: The #1 Worst MOOP — Lag Bolts / Tent Stakes / Rebar (But Really Lag Bolts)

While we initially hoped lag bolts were just a temporary rising MOOP trend back in 2022, three consecutive years at #1 Worst MOOP tells a different story. Lag bolts are a problem that the Black Rock City participants must solve. The good news: it ain’t rocket science.

Defining the Lag Bolt Problem

Lag bolts are highly effective for anchoring objects into the playa. But when screwed flush into — or below — the surface, they disappear into the dust. Overlooked, they become both a leave no trace failure and a safety hazard for vehicles and people.

Resto’s MOOP data shows something important about the problem. This isn’t about a few camps missing many lag bolts — the problem is that many camps are missing a few. Across Black Rock City’s 157 million square feet, those small, easy-to-miss lag bolts — often no larger than half an inch at the surface — added up to 2,304 lag bolts in 2025.

If you have developed reliable techniques for managing and recovering lag bolts, we welcome those solutions in the comments. Shared practices help the community get stronger at Leaving No Trace.

So what are the not-rocket-science solutions?

Lag Bolt Finding Solutions

• Visibly tag your lag bolts when you screw them in so they’re easy to locate and unscrew during breakdown. Use solutions such as marking whiskers, heavy-duty flagging tape, cords, ties, etc., that won’t become MOOP issues themselves.
• Use a metal detector to help ensure no lag bolts or anchors remain hidden beneath the surface.

Leaving No Trace works when the community takes responsibility for the city we build together. Theme camps, art projects, and event infrastructure teams manage spaces ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand square feet, and are responsible for restoring those spaces before they leave. The 150-person Playa Restoration crew, made up of community members like you, stays behind for weeks to inspect and scour roughly 157 million square feet of playa. Resto is not the primary cleanup crew for camps and projects. Our role is to verify, remediate what’s missed, and ensure we meet federal standards.

The scale difference is enormous, but the principle remains the same: the care taken within each camp, project, or infrastructure footprint directly determines the work required to restore the playa, and whether we pass inspection.

MOOP Map 2025: What the Colors Actually Mean

The MOOP Map records cleanup effort and time spent by Playa Restoration crews across Black Rock City.

Clear areas indicate normal forward progress — occasional MOOP, but nothing worth writing home about. Yellow areas reflect moderate MOOP conditions, requiring slower, cautious, stop-and-go movement to avoid missing anything. Red areas represent difficult-progress cleanup conditions that stopped us in our tracks, impeding our momentum as we work to cover the entirety of Black Rock City’s roughly 3,700 acres before the BLM Post-Event Inspection.

Orange dots mark locations where Resto placed traffic cones to identify concentrated problem areas requiring additional remediation. New to the MOOP Map this year are Light Grey and Dark Red dots, which reflect Resto’s pre-testing using the standard BLM inspection method. Light Grey indicates areas that passed under the one-square-foot-per-acre limit. Dark Red indicates areas that exceeded the limit and would have failed inspection.

The MOOP Map serves as feedback for the BRC community, highlighting where leave no trace practices supported efficient restoration, and where conditions demanded additional field effort.

(Click on the MOOP Map below to view and zoom in on a high-resolution version.)

Some Specifics About the 2025 MOOP Map

Storm–hit areas left behind a patchier MOOP pattern than usual and some shocking surprises — such as the long stretch of red that was an embedded paper towel explosion that landed along K-street between 6:30 and 7:15!

In the City Grid (2:00-10:00, Esplanade to K streets), the back blocks along I, J, and K streets improved a lot since recent years, while it seems the mid-blocks in 2025 of D, E, F, G, and H were MOOPier than usual.

Overall, theme camps, art projects, and event infrastructure are generally cleaning up well, with fewer large problem areas but many more smaller issues. Now, if we all consistently located and removed all of our lag bolts, stakes, and rebar, that would eliminate roughly half of the red points from the MOOP Map, and we’d be in considerably better shape.

See the Playa Restoration 2026 Playbook for practical instructions from the Playa Restoration team, including proven tools, methods, and tips to help camps and art projects successfully pass their MOOP test and leave no trace.

BLM Post-Event Inspection: Pass — Thank You, Citizens of Black Rock City and Thank You, Resto

The Bureau of Land Management’s allowable MOOP threshold on the Black Rock Desert is one square foot per acre on average (under 0.002%). Under the 2019 Environmental Impact Statement, no more than ten percent of the 120 test points may exceed this limit — a remarkably strict standard that Burning Man continues to meet on federal public land.

In early October, the BLM conducted its annual inspection.

Results indicate a slight increase from 2024: seven of 120 test points exceeded the allowable threshold, all within the city grid (Esplanade through K Street, 2:00 through 10:00). Overall conditions remain stable compared to 2023, when eleven test points exceeded the limit — a result that approached the 10% maximum.

An additional seven Points of Interest are monitored separately, including Man Pavilion, the Temple, and other key locations. Of these, only one exceeded the threshold.

Onward to Axis Mundi 2026

With more than 70,000 participants, Leaving No Trace only succeeds when we, the community, hold ourselves accountable for our shared use of national public lands. Burning Man’s continued Post-Event Inspection success reflects that collective effort, with Playa Restoration providing the final sweep to ensure the Black Rock Desert is left clean and without a trace.

This victory belongs to the entire community — and it is a commitment we carry forward together through the Axis Mundi of Burning Man 2026 and beyond.

Under the stars of the AfrikaBurn Tankwa desert, Bastiaan den Braber reconnected with his love for the African continent, and began to implement an idea that could be a gamechanger for African wildlife conservation. While at BRC, Dara Dotz helped manage a chaotic 3D printing art project that kept going wrong. She would later use the skills she learned on playa to prototype tools that would be rolled out in disaster situations in over 20 countries. Already experimenting with early 3D printing and CNC technologies, Kate Gage drew inspiration from the creative ways Black Rock citizens were applying these tools to build art and solve immediate problems on playa.

Helping build temporary cities was a formative experience for all three. Participating in Burning Man can help shape “changemakers,” people who take positive action out in the world. At the same time, it allows those already working in social impact to experiment and rethink how they work.

Meet three changemakers whose experiences carried outward in unexpected ways. Each show how experimentation through Burning Man can translate into meaningful change — both in their own lives and in their broader communities. Sometimes all it takes is stepping away from the noise of the outside world to reconnect with a sense of purpose.

In Black Rock City and across the Regional Network, many others are involved in inspiring initiatives. If you’re one of them, please get in touch or comment on the article, we’d love to hear your story.

Kate Gage: From Makerspaces to City-scale Systems

When Kate Gage arrived at Black Rock City in 2017, she had been working to support makerspaces and communities across the United States. She describes the maker movement as being rooted in empowerment. “It’s about giving communities the tools to build solutions to their own problems,” she says. “That really starts with space and access.”

At the time, rapid prototyping technologies such as 3D printing and CNC machines were beginning to lower barriers to entry. On the playa, Kate saw many of those ideas and tools being put into practice. “People were using laser cutters and fabrication tools to build art, to solve problems for their camps, and to support what was needed around them,” she says.

“It’s about giving communities the tools to build solutions to their own problems. That really starts with space and access.” – Kate Gage

Beyond the art and camps, what stood out most to Kate was the less visible work required to keep the city running. “I love the people who build the power, the water, the systems, the roads,” she says. “Some people never see that work, but those skills are brought here and used for the benefit of the whole city.”

She sees Burning Man as a culture where technical skill and creativity come together. People spend months planning, prototyping, and problem solving, learning how to work as teams under pressure and often carrying those experiences back into their lives beyond the playa. “Those skills did not stay on the playa. Many participants carried them home, sometimes starting businesses and even contributing to or building makerspaces in their local communities.”

“At its best, Burning Man is a huge mutual aid project,” she says. “People show up for each other.”

Dara Dotz: From Prototyping on the Playa to Practical Solutions

Dara Dotz’s first Burn involved helping build a performance piece that 3D scanned people and printed small statues of them on the playa. Things did not always go smoothly. “People kept stealing our power,” she says. “We had to restart the printers again and again. The statues just kept getting smaller.”

The experience became an intense lesson in leadership and improvisation. Dara learned how to pull teams together, teach people with no technical background, and adapt when systems failed.

Later, a connection from her camp led her to Haiti, where she began working alongside a nurse who had run out of basic medical supplies. Faced with that reality, Dara began to see a new possibility. “I thought, what if we could 3D print medical tools on demand?” she says. “They would come out hot and sterile, ready to use.”

That idea marked a shift from an experimental art project to teaching people how to design and make their own medical equipment. She co-founded Field Ready, an organization focused on manufacturing essential humanitarian supplies locally. The work has since been deployed in more than two dozen countries. “Believe it or not, that all ties back to Burning Man,” she says. “We apply leave no trace. If you can’t get more supplies, you grind the material down and recycle it. You use what you have.”

For Dara, Burning Man creates a particular kind of resilience. “We all become these little MacGyvers,” she says. “You solve complex problems, but no one’s life is at risk. You learn by doing.”

Bastiaan Den Braber: From Idea to Applied Conservation

Bastiaan Den Braber’s experience began at AfrikaBurn. With a passion for wildlife conservation, he found himself one night inspired by his connection to nature and the playa finally articulating an idea he had been carrying for years. “That was the moment,” he says. “I realised what my role in this whole ecosystem could be.”

After returning home, he began mapping out what would become Zambezi Zero, an organization focused on conservation in Africa, with the aim of developing scalable intelligence systems to support biodiversity protection.

Through connections made at AfrikaBurn, Bastiaan was introduced to others who would later become collaborators in Zimbabwe. Together, they began applying AI to analyze elephant vocalisations. By combining acoustic data with behavioral research, the team worked to make sense of information that was largely fragmented. “We already know what many of their vocalisations mean,” Bastiaan says. “The challenge was systemizing that knowledge.”

Once trained, the system is designed to scale through the use of low-cost sensors, for potential deployment across Africa’s 8,700 protected areas. “The goal is prevention,” he says. “Intervening before an incident happens.”

The technology is also shared with local communities. Alerts provide practical information, such as where planting conditions may be more favourable and how to respond to environmental change. The same system is being adapted to support agriculture and agroforestry, helping communities respond to shifting weather patterns.

For Bastiaan, participation in Burning Man reinforced the importance of collaboration and practical engagement. “It got my hands dirty,” he says. “The more people experience this kind of community, the better it is for humanity.”

How Participating in Burning Man Brings About Real-world Change

These stories, from Kate seeing maker spaces scale to a city, to Dara prototyping for disaster relief, to Bastiaan applying AI to conservation, describe different kinds of work, but they share a common foundation. Burning Man creates conditions where people practice responsibility with limited resources and shared systems. Some arrive already engaged in work that supports their communities. Others leave with inspiration and new ways of approaching it.

Burning Man does not produce changemakers by design. It offers spaces where skills and relationships are tested. What follows depends on how those experiences are carried out into the world.

Cover image: Photos by Jon Bookout and courtesy of Bastiaan den Braber

Across the planet, curious humans come to Burning Man events and learn to work together to make things from next to nothing. In the process, they hone skills that carry over into other human circumstances. Logistical savvy, Radical Self-reliance, collaborative problem-solving, and a spirit of hope are forged together; we learn to create and iterate living systems and practices that weave play and practicality. Even with limited resources, even in the wildest of circumstances, Burners are going to have a good time, and help each other through.

Applied to other systems and circumstances, these skills have had a huge impact on the world.

BWB volunteers weave know-how and playful camaraderie with grassroots action in a unique way, building a story that arcs from response to resilience to regeneration. As BWB enters its third decade, these threads are woven into hundreds of community-led efforts, grants, and calls to action networked all over the planet. One of the best ways to get involved with Burning Man culture today may be through a Burners Without Borders action near you.

From Hurricane Katrina to a Global Network Across Six Continents

You may already know the origin story: when Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast in 2005, participants decamped from Black Rock City and made their way to the ravaged Gulf Coast, bringing tools, know-how, and a can-do attitude. This spontaneous response to a disaster took on its own momentum, and BWB was born.

But the BWB story only started with disaster relief. From this formative moment a movement grew bigger than anyone could have planned. Two decades later, BWB has evolved into an impressive network of do-ers on six continents, and it hums with humanitarian effort, influence, and creative change. At this moment, a Burners Without Borders action is probably happening somewhere near you, ready to welcome you into helping to create a better world.

The act of participating in Burning Man cultivates a unique kind of citizenship which asks, “What can I build, and who wants to build it with me?” Psychologists call that voluntary energy “prosocial behavior,” and it’s unique — not to Burners, but unique in the way Burners enact it. Civic Responsibility, Participation, and Radical Self-expression create an extraordinary blend of meaning, doing, and joy.

Check out these BWB projects focused on Education, Indigenous Issues & Sovereignty, Community Development, and other areas with the BWB Interactive Project Map.

A Special Microgrant for Regional Events and 10-Principled Gatherings

Around the world, BWB microgrants support grassroots projects that have the potential to positively impact local communities. In 2025, BWB offered a special iteration of its Civic Ignition Grant directed to benefit innovative community projects that originate from Regional Events and other 10-Principled gatherings. Two projects were selected for the grants at a participant-powered consensus-based workshop during the 2025 Burn After Meeting (BAM) conference in Reno, Nevada

It was easy to see why the selected projects won — both applied hard-won Burner know-how to address challenges event participants face while bringing their gifts to life. Both are replicable, and can be deployed in a myriad of other environments and scenarios. Colin Jemmott and MJ Brovold are grant recipients for Lux Capacitor, an open-source, ground-mounted solar floodlight system. After experiencing BRC, Colin was “totally inspired that amateurs could do large scale, off-grid projects together.”

Rugged, repairable, and easy to fabricate, Lux Capacitor helps reduce generator dependence and e-waste at events and gatherings, while improving night safety and aesthetics. Tested in BRC and at San Diego’s YOUtopia Regional Event, Lux Capacitor is also deployable in many other civic circumstances, both at events, and during relief efforts.

“To me, the exciting thing about the [BWB] grant is visibility, being able to share this design and also the accountability, frankly, to follow through with the open sourcing,” Colin said.

Equally unsurprising was the workshop consensus around StarShade, a rapidly deployable, solar-powered shade pavilion built to generate power and gift excess power to other event participants. Initially designed for SOAK, the Pacific Northwest Regional Burn, StarShade reduces reliance on gas powered generators through teaching and exploring the use of solar to power local events.

Delighted grant recipients Sam ‘Spark’ Smith and Juliana ‘Squirtle’ Wallace say it’s “an open-source learning hub, with real-time energy displays, hands-on demos, and data we’ll share so others can build, adapt, and improve it” for use at other gatherings.

Learn more about the Regional Event Civic Ignition Grant projects in this Burning Man LIVE podcast interview with their creators:

Creative Empowerment through Action, Inclusion, and Mutual Responsibility

Response, resilience, and regeneration. These three concepts braid together and represent ways of engaging with change to empower people where they are, and with creativity and community as a forethought. Tom Price, co-founder of Burners Without Borders, puts it like this: “BWB was never just about disaster relief, any more than the playa is just about costumes. They’re instead both expressions of the same idea: that people driven by shared values and ideals around action, inclusion, and mutual responsibility can have incredible impact in even the harshest of environments. And the understanding that in the desert, in a disaster, or back home in your daily lives, the greatest tools are the people next to you.”

From recovery zone healing art in Ukraine to forest replanting collaborations, from backpacks for the unhoused in Detroit to the Spiritual Healing Center at Pyramid Lake in Nevada, examples abound and continue today. BWB-supported projects around the world are living proof that Burning Man culture has real, practical impact wherever people seek to build a better world.

Find out how you can get involved and join this global movement: visit the Burners Without Borders website; and subscribe to the BWB Newsletter; and sign up to participate in the BWB Summer Solstice Summit at Fly Ranch.

Cover image: Photo by Philip Solomonson

We are aware of the heightened conversation online about Kimbal Musk. Upon his term as a member of Burning Man Project’s Board of Directors concluding in January 2026, he chose not to renew based on other commitments and priorities. That conversation and his decision took place well before the recent information release and news cycle. We appreciate Kimbal’s participation and support as a community member across many forms of engagement.

Burning Man exists to bring people together. As was captured in my op ed that was recently published in the Reno Gazette Journal, we are a culture of human connection, participation and belonging.

Together, we can shepherd more Burning Man, awe, and joy into the world, which is good for all humanity. Burning Man endures because together with the community we create spaces for creativity — especially in moments when the world feels polarized.

Want to stay connected? Subscribe to our newsletter, the Jackrabbit Speaks, and follow us on Instagram.

Cover image: Photo by Scott London

Inspiration: The Queen of the Night

The Temple of the Moon takes its inspiration from the Queen of the Night, a desert cactus flower that blooms for a single night each year, releasing its fragrance in the moonlight before fading with the dawn. The moon also follows a natural rhythm, waxing and waning in an enduring cycle. Between these two patterns, James found a tender metaphor for our own lives, for Black Rock City, and for the Temple’s annual cycle of appearance and release.

This conceptual connection with the moon extends beyond metaphor. The Temple build will unfold in rhythm with the moon, beginning under a new moon when the crew arrives in Black Rock City to start building, and reaching a full moon during the final stretch of the build. As the moon grows brighter overhead, the Temple will rise beneath it, shaped day by day through collective effort and intention. During the Burning Man event, the moon will slowly wane, returning to a new moon just days after the Temple is released by fire, completing the full cycle.

There is a long tradition of gardens that bloom at night, of sanctuaries oriented to moonrise, and ritual architectures that respond to celestial movement; all share a common invitation to slow down and appreciate beauty in the cooler night air. For example the garden complex Mehtab Bagh, meaning ‘moonlight garden,’ was built as part of the Taj Mahal complex in India. The Temple of the Moon joins this lineage as a contemporary expression of an ancient impulse. The Queen of the Night offers a botanical counterpart to the lunar cycle, blooming briefly under cover of darkness, asking nothing but attention.

Together, flower and moon conceptually make the Temple a celebration of impermanence and immediacy. It serves as a reminder that the fleeting nature of human experience is what makes our short time here on earth so meaningful.

Design and Experience

James and his team designed the Temple using a parametric approach, shifting the creative process from manual drafting to algorithmic generation. This allowed the team to generate complex, organic curves using straight pieces of timber, something that would be nearly impossible to design by hand, and to realize a highly expressive form through careful, intentional construction.

The Temple of the Moon spans approximately 170 feet in diameter, surrounded by a perimeter fence. The fence will incorporate eight gateways, each corresponding to a major phase of the moon, and is envisioned as an opportunity for community participation. Sections of the fence will feature CNC-cut panels with designs submitted by the community, inspired by moon or flower motifs, allowing the threshold of the Temple to reflect many hands and many expressions.

The approach is designed as a journey rather than a direct path. Participants wind between large petal-like forms set into the playa, beginning a gradual transition from the open playa into a more reflective space. The indirect route slows the body and bends the line of travel, easing the transition from the energy of the city into a more contemplative state. The Temple’s curved surfaces will be articulated through closely spaced vertical elements, allowing the form to remain organic. Inspired by the immersive corridors of sculptor Richard Serra, the approach compresses and releases space, encouraging participants to arrive with heightened presence and a softened sense of time.

Inside, five archways open to a central, cathedral-like chamber. Rising through its center is a vertical element reaching 52 feet at its highest point, drawing the eye upward and representing the stamen of the flower. Above, crown petals hinge open at sunset and close again at sunrise, creating a daily ritual that will allow moonlight and starlight to wash over the interior before the space is sheltered once more.

Curved benches offer places to sit together, while five long alcoves provide more intimate spaces for private reflection. The Temple welcomes both solitude and community, honoring the many ways grief and gratitude are experienced. Like the Queen of the Night, the Temple of the Moon offers beauty with impermanence and space without prescription.

For those who’d like to explore the Temple design more deeply, including a fly-through video, visit the website.

The Hands That Build

James Gwertzman comes to the Temple through a lifetime at the intersection of art, technology, and collaborative making. Trained first in theater as a set and lighting designer, he spent decades in the video game industry creating interactive worlds before returning to the physical act of making art.

His recent Burning Man projects, “Prairie of Possibilities” (2022 and 2023) and “The Moonlight Library” (2025, now at Fly Ranch), brought together more than fifty volunteers and helped form the Moonlight Collective, a growing community of artists and builders. Those experiences have shaped a team rooted in collaboration, transparency, and care, preparing them for their next adventure of building a Temple in service to the community.

James has chosen to step away from his technology career to devote himself fully to the 2026 Temple and to pursue his artistic practice full time beyond that. The inspiration to create a Temple for BRC arrived after accompanying a close friend through a profound loss.

As James writes: “I have spent much of my life solving problems, fixing things, being productive — but in the face of that kind of loss, there was nothing to repair. There was only the invitation to stay, to listen, and to bear witness.”

Key collaborators on the Temple project include: architect Annie Locke Scherer, whose parametric design expertise bridges organic form and digital fabrication, project managers Erin O’Brien and Sabrina Miller, Tim Priest as build lead, Morgan McClure as volunteer coordinator, and advisors from across the Temple community and academia. The team will gratefully partner with the Temple Builders Guild and rely on guidance from previous Temple leads, honoring the knowledge and care passed down through decades of Temple building.

Why This Temple, Why Now

After more than two decades of the tradition of the Temple in BRC, each year we ask the question anew: how can this space best hold the evolving needs of our community?

The committee looks for designs that are imaginative, feasible within the constraints of the playa setting, and capable of welcoming thousands of personal offerings in a non-denominational spirit. We look to make sure the chosen design will burn beautifully and safely, that it can follow the Leave No Trace principle, and that the artists have taken environmental sustainability into consideration.

This year we received by far the most applications we’ve ever had in the Temple Grant Program. The Temple of the Moon stood out for the brilliant nature of its concept, reflecting the ephemerality and immediacy of Black Rock City. We appreciated the grace of its spatial journey, and the strength of its team. While the artistic concept is key, the integrity and leadership skills of the lead artist are also an important part of the selection process. James has been an excellent partner through his past projects in BRC and he really stood out for his emotional intelligence, dedication, and leadership skills.

Building It Together

Roll up your sleeves — the Temple of the Moon welcomes your participation! There are lots of ways to pitch in, from hands-on building, to remote support, and installation in BRC. The build will take place at the same location in Oakland, CA as last year’s Temple. No build experience? No problem. The Temple will come to life through many hands. Fill out this form to get involved, and follow along on social media to stay connected.

The Temple grant covers only a portion of the costs, and community support is essential. Be among the first donors and contribute today. The Temple belongs to all of us, and it takes many donations, large and small, to help it become a reality. There will also be a crowdfunding campaign launching soon.

You can contribute written offerings to the Temple, even if you can’t attend BRC. Look for more details in the coming months. Burning Man is something we create together; whether you join the Temple build, bring your own artwork, or support others in their visions, step out of the role as spectator and into active participation. Like the Queen of the Night, the city blooms only briefly. What we make together is the fragrance and memory it leaves behind.

Do You Want to Propose a Temple?

Believe it or not, we are already thinking about 2027, and we are working towards a longer timeline for the Temple artists. If you are inspired and hope to submit a proposal for next year, keep your eyes peeled for more information this spring.

Cover image: rendering of Temple of the Moon by James Gwertzman, night rendering by Annie Locke Scherer

We can consult Wikipedia and learn that Axis Mundi represents the core idea of an organizing principle, something we center ourselves around, or something that connects realms above, below and between, or even the axis pole of the Earth’s center. When we consider Axis Mundi we find ourselves at the heart of the matter — finding, perhaps, what is at our core and how we are connected.

Each year Burning Man Project invites a small group of artists to consider the theme, gather their thoughts, and respond with a concept submission for the pavilion upon which the Man rises each year. The Man is the center of Black Rock City. It is the symbol around which we physically and figuratively build our city, our ethos, and plan our annual trek. We aim for the Black Rock Desert and the Man is our central focal point. Thus, when we invite artists to submit a concept, we ask them to communicate their vision for the meaning and manifestation of the Man as a destination, a place to gather, and a symbol that beckons us to come together.

For 2026 we are pleased to share the selected concept submitted by Alexander (Zander) Rose. A long-time community member who first came to Black Rock City in 1996, he has worked on or led projects in Black Rock City that include the Manual For Civilization library at the Man Pavilion in 2025, the Shackleton theme camp in 2019 and 2022, and the Impotence Compensation Project “Fire Symphony” with Jim Mason and Dave X from 1999-2001.

Zander spent his childhood combing the junkyards of the Sausalito waterfront. His education is in design; he’s been an artist in residence at Silicon Graphics, SGI, and created world-class combat robots featured on the television show Battlebots. He may be best known for his work as the original founder of the Long Now Foundation and the creative collaboration known as the Clock of the Long Now, a 10,000 year clock. Perhaps we call him inventor, innovator, and yes, artist. Get to know Zander in this 2025 interview on the Burning Man LIVE podcast.

The concept submitted by Zander is called Cryptomeria, inspired by the Cryptomeria Japonica (Cedar) tree of Japan and specifically by the Jōmon Sugi tree, which is estimated to be between 2,170 and 7,200 years old. He was attracted to this idea because of the heart of the tree, being open and inviting, and his love of doing something unexpected that changes a conversation. Zander says about himself, “I wouldn’t call myself an artist, I like to create a single artifact, or an intervention, that gets people to think. Perhaps you would call me a designer.”

In his concept submission, Zander shares these thoughts:

The Axis Mundi is the place where worlds meet: root and crown, earth and sky, body and spirit. It is not a monument imposed from above, or a pedestal for a hero, but a living alignment revealed through participation. The Cryptomeria Man Base becomes this meeting point. Its roots invite the city to kneel, gather, and build outward together; its spiraling stairways draw bodies upward and inward, tracing the ancient helix that binds our genetic material, the past to future, and self to collective. Visitors will arrive through a pathway of meandering roots, ascend an outer helical staircase nearly sixty feet to the base of the Man, while a second spiral descends down the center, forming the double helix of DNA, and providing a continuous flow of travel. Together, these paths establish a vertical maypole, an axis around which the city symbolically turns.

Instagram: @zander_rosefutures
https://rosefutures.com/

When talking about Burning Man and Black Rock City Zander says:

Burning Man is so many things, and so many different things to so many people. It’s been different to me every year I’ve gone. The biggest thing to me is, that it is a space where nothing is for sale, that has kept it very different from every other thing or place or event on the planet. The commodity at Burning Man is fundamentally creativity and attention. You can do a pretty large thing at Burning Man that can be ignored and dwarfed or do something tiny that is entirely miraculous that changes the few people who see it. I don’t know of any other place that offers those opportunities both for failure and success. I love that about it. There’s never been a year when I wasn’t surprised by something, in someone’s work, or the weather, or never gone without having a magic moment that wasn’t expected. If you arrive with low expectation and allow for high possibility there is no better place to get a response to that openness to possibility and serendipity. You can also have a horrible time, all possibilities are there. You can build your own world and how comfortable or uncomfortable you’re going to be is up to your preparation, your friend group, and I love that civic infrastructure, the idea that the whole thing can be built and work and then come down.

Cryptomeria is one of eight concepts submitted by incredible artists:

• Alberto Marcos
• Caroline Ghosn
• Elnara Nasirli & MXNZM
• Heather Laurie (& Full of Tricks Crew)
• Leyla Brashka
• Michael White
• Raylene Gorum & Owen Laine

Watch Burning Man Project’s social media for images and information about these artists and their concepts in the weeks ahead!

Cover image rendering of Cryptomeria by Alexander Rose, 2026

• Open to everyone!
• Registration open January 26 – February 3 (9 days)
• Ticket sale starts February 4 at 12pm PT
• Sunrise Sale tickets help build Black Rock City, and enable us to add more lower-priced tickets in later sales
• Prices: $775, $975, $1,500
• There is a payment plan for this sale
• A limited number of $675 tickets will be available
• Full details at tickets.burningman.org

We are AMPED about the phenomenal art and participatory shenanigans coming to Black Rock City 2026. With the new year we’re rolling out a shiny new ticket sale. The Sunrise Sale will take place on February 4.

When you kick off your Black Rock City plans and participate in the Sunrise Sale, you help build Black Rock City and enable more lower-priced tickets to be available in later sales — opening doors for artists, dreamers and city builders from around the world to experience our co-created wild, dusty playground.

2026 Sunrise Sale Ticket Prices

• Pay Your Way: $775+ taxes & fees → cover the cost to produce Black Rock City for one participant; tickets will be available while supplies last
• Give the Gift: $975 and $1,500, and $3,000 + taxes & fees → pay your way, support Honoraria art grants and BRC operational costs, and make more $675 and Ticket Aid tickets available in later sales
• A payment plan is available for all ticket prices
• A limited number of $675 tickets will be available

A giant thank you to those who choose to buy in the Sunrise Sale — you are embodying the collaborative spirit that makes Black Rock City unlike any place in the world.

Other ways to access tickets to Black Rock City 2026 include:

• Following the Sunrise Sale will be the Stewards Sale and Main Sale. Any remaining tickets available will be sold in the OMG Sale.
• The Ticket Aid program makes $250 tickets available to participants who apply and show financial need.
• The Stewards Sale for camps, art crews, mutant vehicle crews, and other contributors will take place in March.
• The Renaissance program taps connectors to invite networks, inspired groups, and collectives to bring their magic to Black Rock City.
• The Resilience program makes tickets available to those who have recently been impacted by natural disaster or geopolitical conflict. 

You may notice that ticket resellers are already offering Black Rock City 2026 tickets in online ads and on their platforms. These platforms do not have any inventory of Black Rock City 2026 tickets; they are selling tickets on speculation with the intention to later acquire actual tickets to fulfill orders. Unfortunately it is not against the platforms’ terms and conditions, and so this activity continues. Learn more about ticket resellers here.

To be safe, only buy Black Rock City tickets from a Burning Man Project sale or through our Secure Ticket Exchange Program (STEP), and always pay face value for tickets. Selling tickets above face value is against Burning Man Project’s ticket terms and conditions. Any ticket or Vehicle Pass being sold for above face value plus service fees is at risk of being cancelled and not being valid for entry to the event.

Other Sparkly Bits

We JUST chose the artist who will build the 2026 Black Rock City Temple — and can’t wait to announce it. For 2027, the Temple artist process will open early. Watch the Jackrabbit Speaks newsletter for these tidbits and juicy updates on Burning Man around the world. Next time you stop by Burningman.org, you’ll notice we’ve rolled out a fresh website — with 98% less beige, and tons of fresh images and information.

YOU and tens of thousands of other magnificent beings will bring Axis Mundi to life in a myriad of wildly creative and interactive ways. Want to dive in? Explore the Black Rock City 2026 event section of the website for ways to plug in and participate. See you in the dust!

Cover image of the Man, 2025 (Photo by Jamen Percy)

Art That Travels: From Regionals, to Black Rock City and Beyond

Not all Burning Man art begins in Black Rock City, however. Some art starts out in other places, including Burning Man Regional Events, and then comes to the “big burn” (as Regional folks tend to call it) in Northern Nevada. I talked to Miki Masuhara-Page, a Hawaiian artist living in Portland, OR, who has brought her sculpture “Cosmic Messenger” to Black Rock City in addition to other events and festivals including SOAK, the Portland Regional burn and the Portland Winter Light Festival. “One of the big differences between a Regional Event and the playa is definitely scale,” she says. “The playa is massive, both in physical size and the number of people.”

Taking art from a smaller Regional Event to Black Rock City is certainly a jump in size, scale, and logistics. But it’s another experience going from the playa to placing art in a city. Even after playa, Burning Man art continues to challenge the norms and expand people’s ideas of what art can be. Miki says, “The vibe of the crowd is totally different. Yes, all types of people go to Burning Man, but they go knowing they’re going to see some truly wild stuff. Out in the world, people aren’t really expecting that. They’re just going about their day and suddenly there’s this giant magical creature in front of them. People seem to love the piece everywhere, but honestly, out in public is where I see the most joy and surprise, just because it’s so far outside what they’d normally see.”

“My goal has always been to make people smile, spark a little wonder, and remind people that imagination is a powerful and magical force. The best way to do that in my opinion, is to get the art out there in other places for them to experience it for themselves.” – Miki Masuhara-Page

“Burden of the Beast” Carries Its Message from the Desert to the Garden

New Orleans-based artist (and actor, and stunt performer, and generally interesting guy) Walker Babington recently had a four-month solo exhibition of his work at The Hermitage Museum and Gardens in Norfolk, Virginia. The exhibit featured two of his beloved Black Rock City artworks, “Burden of the Beast” and “Zozobot.” In between working on a giant werewolf puppet (“New Orleans is kinda like living at Burning Man”), he shared a similar sentiment about the difference he felt between art in Black Rock City versus art at The Hermitage. 

“There’s something about [my art] being at a Smithsonian-affiliate museum that makes people think ‘I shouldn’t touch this’ like it’s a centuries-old Grecian urn,” he said. “Luckily, people brought lots of kids by, and kids are kinda little Burners. They’ll run right up and start bouncing on the work. When I get a six-year-old’s approval, I know I’ve done something right.”

I was curious how his art ended up crossing the US, from the playa to The Hermitage in Virginia; it’s a leap I imagine many artists would dream about for placement after Black Rock City. Walker describes himself as creating “large-scale, dreamscape, symbolist folk art”, and he says it’s been inspired by participating in Black Rock City. His first year on playa was 2009, and he didn’t begin creating this type of art until 2015. Walker was participating in the Art department’s 2023 “Art Speaks” series of artist talks in Black Rock City, and was approached afterward by Carrie Spencer, a curator at The Hermitage. The messaging behind his Black Rock City Honoraria artwork “Burden of the Beast” (climate change and rising waters) is particularly relevant to Norfolk and The Hermitage, as it’s in a similar flood zone to New Orleans. The Hermitage launched an exhibition of Walker’s work along with programming related to rising sea waters, and a New Orleans-themed carnival event. 

Enjoy “Carnival of the Beast,” a whimsical garden party celebrating “Burden of the Beast” at The Hermitage:

It wasn’t by chance that Carrie Spencer was on playa at the “Art Speaks” series, however. The Hermitage has a history of bringing Burning Man art to the eastern US, and to people who wouldn’t otherwise encounter it. In 2017, their small but mighty staff took on the task of designing and curating the first-ever large scale museum exhibition of Burning Man art and culture. “The Art of Burning Man” broke their all-time attendance record with more than 25,000 visitors during its four-month run, galvanized an entire new Regional group of Burners who participated in the installation and events surrounding the exhibition, and resulted in the museum’s demographics continuing to shift younger even after “The Art of Burning Man” closed. I was lucky enough to be involved from the Burning Man Project side to help make this exhibition happen, and have previously written about the experience near the beginning and end of the show’s run.

Experiences that Change How People Engage, and What They Expect from Art

Carrie is a great person to speak with about the cultural differences between art in Black Rock City and art in the world, and she had a fascinating perspective about encouraging different types of interaction off playa with visitors who may not be familiar with Burning Man. “Education and interpretation are part of our practice at the Hermitage. We want to challenge them; to encourage them to contemplate topics they normally wouldn’t; to ask questions; to find answers. It’s our job to guide them through that process.”

I wanted to know more about what kinds of supplemental material and events Hermitage teams created to enrich visitors’ understanding and experience of the art. “Thoughtful activation of the artwork is a big part of our exhibitions… Activation through public programs is essential for us.” The Hermitage has definitely put in the effort to contextualize the experience of Burning Man art, whether it’s programming around rising sea waters (as during Walker’s exhibition), or “The Art of Burning Man,” which included a wide variety of public programs, workshops, and interactive events.

Following the blockbuster “Art of Burning Man” exhibition, The Hermitage’s audience and the type of artists they exhibit have both changed. 

“Artists see that we are willing to take risks, try new things, and support different types of artists,” Carrie added. This directly impacts how visitors engage with artwork. Following their interactive experiences with art from Burning Man, Carrie reports that visitors were not only more willing to interact with the art, they almost expected to be able to touch and interact with it.

The need to guide outside audiences towards interaction echoed what Miki said to me when discussing the difference in behavior: “At Burning Man, interaction of some sort feels like the norm. Out in the default world, though, people are so used to art being hands-off. They see something and assume you absolutely cannot touch it. Watching that moment click, the surprise of ‘wait, I can actually touch this?’ and the expression on their faces grow even more full of joy, shock, and delight, that’s honestly one of my favorite things.”

Art that Brings Burning Man’s Creativity, Connection, and Fun to the World

Burning Man art in the world is changing the way people experience, create, and understand the purpose of art — sparking a more curious, hands-on process. This has in turn increased the public demand for more participatory, fun artwork. When Burning Man art comes to town, people show up en masse to engage, play, and learn. The “No Spectators” exhibition of Burning Man art at the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian Art Museum in Washington, D.C. broke attendance records. That same traveling Smithsonian exhibition broke the all-time attendance record for the Cincinnati Art Museum, a museum that had been in existence for 113 years at the time of the exhibition. That’s not all: it also broke attendance records when it landed at the Oakland Museum of California. 

Bringing the connection and fun of Burning Man art to people who wouldn’t otherwise experience it is a common theme I’ve heard from artists who place art from Black Rock City in civic environments, and from Burners who were able to bring their families to these types of events. Walker says about his solo show at The Hermitage, “My entire family is from the East Coast, almost entirely between Maryland and the Carolinas. They’re not the type to venture into the desert, so my parents, siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, and in-laws all finally got to experience these projects for the first time.” 

Whether it’s at a museum, a light art festival, a Regional Event, or a street corner in a city near you: Burning Man art may be closer than you think. (Don’t turn around, it’s right behind you!) The Art department maintains a map of Burning Man art in the world: past, future, and present for you to explore. Miki Masuhara-Page and Walker Babington are only two of the many Burning Man artists who are bringing art out into the world and helping even more people experience this particular interactive, mind-opening way of thinking differently about what art in the world can be.

Cover image of “Burden of the Beast” by Walker Babington at The Hermitage Museum & Gardens, 2025 (Photo courtesy of Walker Babington)

Now you can follow the journeys of several of these art crews in a new short film. Profiles in Dust, an all-volunteer team of documentary filmmakers, covered these artists over two years as they installed their work in Black Rock City, and then again in Reno and San Francisco. The documentary that resulted, “Art into the World,” launches today. Watch it here in full screen, or below. Be sure to keep reading to learn about the crew, and what it took to create this film. 

In 2010 Terry Pratt was getting his cameras tagged at Media Mecca in Black Rock City when the late, great Tom Laporte made an interesting proposal. Would Terry be interested in producing some documentaries for Burning Man… on big art and artists?

An Emmy award-winning director of photography, Terry specializes in shooting long-form documentaries. He’d been going to Black Rock City since 2005, and was ready for a new Burning Man experience. He gathered a team — his wife Noelle Charles and ace editor JK Realms, followed by two more camera operators, Ariel Bennaroch and Shriyantha Wimalasekera.

Profiles in Dust has been creating documentaries on Burning Man ever since.

Their latest production, “Art into the World,” is the culmination of many stories and moving parts. “This one in particular did take a lot of time and effort,” Terry says, “a lot of trips in the last two years.” It began with a conversation while he was driving to Gerlach to shoot part of another documentary. What if he followed art as it traveled into the world? 

“I like the idea of Burning Man leaving the shores of the Black Rock Desert and going out into the world,” Terry mused. If you can get that art into the world and let other people see it, I think that’s pretty amazing. And now there are people making the effort to help artists — like Ben Davis from Illuminate the Arts in San Francisco — who took it upon themselves to say ‘Hey, there’s a lot of art coming out. Let’s help people find places for it to go.’” 

“Someone had told me about Burning Man art going into Reno,” Terry continued. Indeed, a hotelier was planning to install several Black Rock City artworks at a resort. “Noelle and I came to Reno and ended up filming at the J Resort; they had bought six pieces of Burning Man art. We spent about a week filming that, interviewing the artists, the owner of the resort and the mayor of Reno.”

Also featured in the documentary is the epic “Naga and the Captainess” by Cjay Roughgarden, Jacquelyn Scott, and Stephanie Shipman, a massive sea dragon installed on playa in 2024, then brought to San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park in July 2025. “They hadn’t even started constructing Naga and they already knew where they wanted to go with it. It was this flow… now we can follow them, we can film them making it, out on the playa and then putting it up in the park.”

As with all things Burning Man, “It took a bit longer than we had planned. It took about a year and a half for that whole process to work out. But we did it. We followed the whole thing. I went up to Oakland twice to film them building, and then of course we filmed them putting it up and people enjoying it.”

The expansion of Black Rock City art in the world is changing how artists build and design their work. Now some artists plan their work to accommodate the rigorous demands of public installation. “Let’s not think about this just going to Burning Man, but build it with products that can withstand time and abuse,” Terry added.

Reno is leading the way in its approach to illuminating its public space with art. Burning Man has been pivotal in this transformation. “Reno has a huge artist community, and the city itself has really embraced art, not just Burning Man art…” Terry concluded. “They’re literally paying to have art made specific for their city. So other cities are starting to take note.”

What’s next for Profiles in Dust? Terry and crew have been immersed in creating a multi-year documentary about Black Rock City’s Department of Public Works. Watch the “Out of Nothing” trailer here. And keep an eye out for that full feature in the near future.

Cover image: Drone shot of visitors gathered at “Naga & the Captainess” by Cjay Roughgarden, Jacquelyn Scott, and Stephanie Shipman, in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, 2025 (Photo by Peter Platzgummer)

Beyond the unforgettable theme camps, mutant vehicles, sculptures, and wild expressions of personality, Black Rock City serves as a crucible for projects that emanate long after the last fire burns. Each year, entrepreneurs, innovators, artists, and disruptors participate in Burning Man everywhere, to return with dusty heads full of ideas, carrying home lessons of participation, cooperation, and radical creativity that can turn into inspiring business ventures. Their success shows that Burning Man isn’t just changing lives, it’s creating real world impacts for communities and industries around the globe.

You Learn to Always Have a Second and Third Plan

David Miles Jr. loves roller skating, and he loves Burning Man.

“I’m probably the luckiest person who never won a lottery because look what I get to do,” Miles says of his everyday professional endeavors. “I do the same thing as I do at the playa.”

For more than 20 years Miles has led the Black Rock Roller Disco, a Black Rock City camp that invites anyone to put on rollerskates and do some loops on his playa rink. Off-playa he runs the Church of 8 Wheels, an institution in San Francisco’s Lower Haight neighborhood that Miles… got rolling… 12 years ago. His work is an example of how Burning Man’s principles can lead to endeavors that have a positive impact in communities around the world.

“Roller skating is my entire life,” says Miles, who’s known as The Godfather of Skate. “ I met my wife skating in Golden Gate Park in June of ‘79. We’ve been together ever since.”

For Miles — who first arrived in Black Rock City 25 years ago — participating in Burning Man validated his instincts and gave him the courage to pursue a project that might have seemed unconventional: his business is a popular roller rink in a former church where anyone can put wheels and experience Black Rock Roller Disco year-round.

“Without Burning Man, I don’t think I would’ve felt that I could do this. Burning Man let me know I was on the right path, that I was right all along,” he says as he describes the reach and impact he’s had, creating joy inspired by his Burning Man experiences at festivals and in cities across the region. “I produce roller skating events for some of the largest music festivals in the world now. We’ve done Electric Daisy Carnival for five years. We’ve done Coachella. You name it, we’ve done it. We’ve turned downtown Reno into a roller rink!”

“Church of 8 Wheels provides a space for everyone, it’s very inclusive,” says Peter Martinez, a Church regular. Martinez met Miles during pandemic-era Friday night skates at Golden Gate Park that Miles hosted, and he has now camped twice in Black Rock City with the Black Rock Roller Disco. “People bring their kids, there’s regulars that are always there. It is a place of free expression and movement.” 

The practical skills Miles acquired in Black Rock City — building structures, improvising solutions, and managing unforeseen weather, obstacles, and problems — translated directly into running his skating rink. “All this stuff I learned at Burning Man,” he says. “How to build a floor, how to fix things when they break, how to make magic out of chaos.”

Miles also emphasizes resilience and planning he’s learned on playa. “Burning Man taught me Radical Self-reliance. Every event I do now, if the power goes out I know I’ve got another generator. I’m ready,” he says.“When things go wrong— power cuts, equipment fails — I don’t panic. Burning Man prepared me for that. You learn to always have a second and third plan.”

“I never see him get flustered,” says Martinez. “He’s just very cool, and he’s got a lot of wisdom.” 

Beyond these technical and operational lessons, Miles says Burning Man instilled in him a deeper philosophy of community. Following the particularly high-wind dust storm during the building of Black Rock City in 2025, Miles had work to do to get his camp back on track.

“People we didn’t even know came and helped,” he says. “And that kind of spirit, that’s what I bring into my business.”

“I think the Church is his way of bringing the playa to the city,” Martinez says. “He’s bringing that attitude of creativity and openness and community. It’s a little microcosm of Burning Man.”

“The Church of 8 Wheels exists because of everything I learned at Burning Man,” Miles says. “Community, creativity, resilience. That’s the whole business plan right there. I basically live the Burning Man life every day now, and I tell people — if you can do it at Burning Man, you can do it anywhere.”

It’s Not About the Ticket, but About Each Other, About the Gift

While Miles applies Burning Man lessons to radical recreation, others have drawn inspiration in more restful ways. Sasha Baybarin is the co-founder of the Steamology Institute, an international nonprofit exploring the benefits of steam healing in beautiful, intentional spaces. From humble beginnings in Black Rock City, they now have public steam practice hubs operating under the name Atmos in Portugal, Bali, and an invite-only location in Los Angeles where they teach, conduct research, and support conversations on steam healing culture. He saw Burning Man as a guide for a project that literally warms its community.

“I saw so many similarities in how we build Burning Man and how we build this steam space,” he says. “How participatory it is, how much it’s not about the ticket but about each other, about the gift.”

Baybarin made his first pilgrimage to Burning Man in 2015, joining a camp that built a large playa sculpture called “Our Way,” an “extremely difficult journey,” he says. From there, Baybarin says he was inspired by Black Rock City’s blend of ritual, creativity, and communal labor to translate an idea of building a banya — a Russian sauna and social space — into a physical place on playa that could nurture connection and well-being.

“The next year this team’s idea was declined by Placement. And I came to them and said, ‘Let’s make one more proposal to Placement that we’ll bring the banya. I will find a way, I will build, I’ll do everything.’ We sent it again, and Placement agreed,” Baybarin says. “So, we built the first banya — and the banya transformed basically all of this camp and all of this team. A lot of new people came, a lot of older people — it just brought a lot of inspiration.”

It was an idea that would not just change Baybarin’s camp in Black Rock City, but his own entire path.

“At Burning Man, I understood I wanted to put my life on the altar and do this all my life” he says. “I left with the banya in a trailer and started to build.” The Steamology Institute now hosts classes, runs a Steamology Festival, and runs a hub at Fly Ranch in Northern Nevada. Each location brings together a cohort of like-minded practitioners. To get involved, anyone curious is invited to reach out to their nearest hub, or browse Steamology Institute’s educational materials to start their own sauna or practice.

“The impact of Burning Man is major,” says Zoia Comarova, who manages a Steamology location. “Because that’s where Sasha felt a lot of response from the community. Burning Man helped shape this communal approach.”

The vision Baybarin carried from Burning Man was simple yet profound. “The steam room is a medicine for community,” he says. “It’s never just about sweating, it’s about what happens with the group, their sincerity, their connection, their friendship.”

“Steamology is a creative ritual, incorporating music — we’re singing, it’s a beautiful vocal space — and the space itself is beautiful,” says Comarova. “That’s a big Burning Man inspiration. I would credit Burning Man with instilling art and aesthetics into this steam space.”

But Burning Man, Baybarin says, also nurtures a type of creativity that goes beyond aesthetics. “Burning Man showed me that real creativity is a deep search for answers, a deep willingness to share unspoken knowledge,” he says. “We build spaces that make life a little warmer, a little easier.”

You Don’t Need to Know Someone to Cooperate with Them

But Burning Man’s impact off-playa isn’t all roller skates and saunas. For Russell Jones, the founder and CEO of Private Fleet Net Zero (PFNZ), Burning Man was the blueprint for a tech business that marries sustainability with logistics.

“I see many parallels between Private Fleet Net Zero and Burning Man,” Jones says. “Our whole purpose at Private Fleet Net Zero is to bring people together who didn’t think they could or would work together, and to do it for a great cause. That’s what Burning Man does.”

PFNZ uses technology to optimize private fleet trucking operations and eliminate empty trucks on the road. See, when large private fleet trucks deliver cargo from one place to another, they are more often than not returning home with nothing inside. A waste. PFNZ reduces the number of trucks on the road by linking cargo that needs hauling with empty private fleet trucks already on their way.

Kyle Nashert, who works for PFNZ as Director of Carrier Sales, underscores the ethos behind Jones’ business strategy. “What Russ has done is make it free and easy for the private fleets to fill their backhauls. We’re helping truckers generate more revenue by connecting them with loads, and helping lessen the environmental impact. These trucks spew out so much pollution. Leaving No Trace is what we’re doing.”

Jones has been coming to Burning Man for most of the last 25 years. It’s where he came to celebrate after selling his first company, and it’s where he met his now-wife, Linda (“Lindsay”) Drucker — who also works in tech as General Counsel for a fintech startup — in 2018 when the two unexpectedly found themselves on the same bench outside the Temple late one night.

“I call her my ultimate partner of all time,” Jones says. “It’s fun to come out here and be in these challenging environments with somebody who you know is dependable beside you.”

Beyond finding love at Burning Man, Jones says over the years he’s observed how thousands of people coordinate to create a thriving, self-sufficient city.

“Burning Man taught me that you don’t need to know someone to cooperate with them,” he says. “Just share the same guiding principles, and together you can succeed.”

For Jones, running a business is like building Black Rock City. “Everyone makes their own decisions, but they’re all working toward one shared vision,” he says. And even in an industry often considered traditional and slow to change, the lessons of the playa have reshaped the way Jones approaches leadership. “When you raise your hand and say, ‘let’s do something great,’ people at Burning Man always show up,” he says. “That’s how I run my business now, by engaging the team, collaborating, and communicating thoughtfully.”

A Living Laboratory for Building Inspired Ventures in the Real World

Looking at Jones’ logistics, Baybarin’s communal wellness, and Miles’ sanctified skating, common threads emerge. Burning Man, it would seem, serves as a living laboratory for experimentation, cooperation, and skill-building. Future entrepreneurs leave the desert not just dusty and inspired, but equipped with the mindset and practical tools to turn their ideas into real-world ventures. Burning Man is not just an event, it’s an incubator.

We want to hear from you: how does participating in Burning Man — however YOU get involved — influence the work you do in the world? Drop it in the comments below.

Cover image collage by Martin Rodriguez: 1. David Miles, the Godfather of Skate, at Black Rock Roller Disco, 2024 (Photo by Mark Mennie) 2. Russell Jones at “The Afterlife Reincarnate” by Blitzy and The Afterlife Artist Collective, 2025 (Photo by Mark Fromson) 3. Baybarin at the Steamology banya in Black Rock City (Photo courtesy of Sasha Baybarin)

The magic of Burning Man has never been just about the art or the play. So much is about the work — the planning, collaboration, building, and problem-solving — that re-form our character and reveal our potential. Those same acts of collaboration and creativity, learned in an ephemeral city or gathering, become tools for how we live and lead the rest of the year.

This story explores just some of the many ways Burners weave those lessons into their professional callings. While the three Burners profiled happen to be Black Rock Rangers, they embody lessons anyone can apply. Every camp lead, every kitchen volunteer, and every art builder learns the same truth: the work is the practice.

Elected Office: Micro-wins in the Civic Imagination

Catherine Carlton, who goes by Ranger Monster on playa (“for my monster hugs”), first came to Black Rock City not as a participant, but as the mayor of Menlo Park, California. “I was attending a conference where Burning Man Project came and spoke about building community and sustainability,” Cat recalls. “They had a program to bring mayors out to the Burn, and I took advantage of it.”

Cat arrived curious and a little skeptical and, like so many, left a true believer. 

A few years later, Cat became a Black Rock Ranger after a personal encounter with their care. “I had gotten overheated and passed out,” she says. “The Rangers came and made sure I was okay. They came back later to check on me. I thought, Wow, that’s really special. It would be really fun to help people like that.”

As a civic leader, Cat recognizes the value of the risk and innovation she sees in the way Rangers go about resolving conflicts and offering their knowledge in so many other ways. “Being an elected official is really tough,” Cat admits. “There’s a portion of the population just waiting for you to make a mistake. That makes leaders risk-averse. At Burning Man, you see micro-wins all the time — camps running on solar, doing great recycling projects. Being able to show those micro-wins is great.”

Cat sees that experimental spirit as the heart of progress. “People from all over the world come to Burning Man,” she said. “A lot of the research that comes out of Harvard talks about how, in the business world, the more diversity of thought you have, the better the decision-making. You have access to a tremendous amount of diversity here.”

In her current international work speaking at events and mentoring impact start-up leaders, Cat doesn’t bring home the spectacle of Burning Man, but its civic blueprint — the faith that creativity and compassion can coexist in governance.

A Principal Integrating the 10 Principles

Each year on their way to Black Rock City, close to 70,000 people pass through the tiny town of Gerlach Nevada, population 53 (according to census.gov as of 2023). Ranger Keeper, known off playa as Stacey Black, lives there and leads an institution with similar DNA to the Black Rock Rangers: The Gerlach K-12 School.

“One of the features of the Rangers,” Stacey says, “is riding the edge of chaos. The Rangers are kind of a Catcher-in-the-Rye type of vibe, helping people stay safe, helping them have whatever experience they want to have.”

Stacey has carried this ethos into the school she’s led since its population collapsed, following closure of the gypsum mine in nearby Empire, Nevada (where many of the school’s students lived). “When that happened, we went from about 85 students down to eight,” Stacey recalls. “We told the district: ‘If you close the school, you’re going to kill the town. And that’s not an option.’”

Her solution was to rebuild the Gerlach K-12 School using the same ingredients drawn upon by many a theme camp: collaboration, and creativity borne of constraint, deep care, and unflagging devotion to her students. 

The Gerlach K-12 School is a unique educational institution that calls for innovative and unconventional approaches. To foster that mindset, Stacey also draws on some of the same practices Rangers use to hold space in the dust. 

“Good teachers do a similar thing to what happens inside of Rangers.” Stacey says. “They build a room that’s ripe for learning and exploration. A place where it’s okay and, in fact, encouraged to make mistakes, try new things, and find your way.”

Every year in her role as Principal Black, Stacey takes her students on a field trip to the Black Rock City build site. They tour the Man Pavillion, the Temple, and meet a collection of Black Rock City’s builders and artists. “I want our students to feel proud of where they live,” Stacey said. “To embrace that idea of stewardship of the Black Rock Desert.”

For Stacey, the lesson is simple but profound: “We have some level of responsibility to build spaces that reflect the values that we want to see in the world. We want to see art and creativity. And we have a city that reflects art and creativity, a place that’s a living, breathing art exhibit and playground.”

Leadership means making room for trial and error, what Stacey calls “a room that’s ripe for learning,” and what Cat Carlton recognizes in her field as a kind of civic courage elected officials can muster to try new things to make their city, county, or state better. Both women see Burning Man as a rehearsal space for that kind courage. It’s a place where failure isn’t fatal, it’s formative.

Listen to Ranger Keeper’s full story and further thoughts on Rangering and principal-ing on the Burning Man LIVE podcast:

Entrepreneurship: Leading Through Chaos

Ranger Tulsa, who goes by Curtis Kline back at home in Tulsa, Oklahoma, has been volunteering as a Black Rock Ranger since 2000 when he first stumbled across the Rangers section of the Burning Man Project website. “It just spoke to me,” Curtis said. “I instantly knew that’s where I needed to be.”

Curtis has since spent decades serving as a Ranger in Black Rock City, while running companies back home — including his family’s manufacturing plant, a boutique road bike business, and a backcountry first aid kit purveyor.

“The thing that motivates me about being a Ranger,” Curtis says, “is helping people and being key to people’s positive experience at Burning Man.”

That practice of problem-solving, with a heaping dose of empathy that’s so essential to Ranger-ing, is an approach Curtis carries directly into his business ventures. “Rangering involves dealing with a lot of different things, sometimes all at once,” he explained. “In a six-hour shift you might face law-enforcement coordination, a serious medical situation, and an interpersonal conflict. I think that’s something startup founders and entrepreneurs face all the time. Just dealing with the chaos.”

To separate the signal from the noise, Curtis also relies on one of the most transferable tools: assessing interest versus position. “People tell you their stated problem, but what we’re looking for is the actual problem underneath. I find that to be really useful in my professional life too — just digging a little deeper than whatever the stated problem is.” 

For Curtis, Burning Man’s principles show up not just in business, but in how he moves through the world. “I can connect my work as a Ranger to Civic Responsibility,” he said, “but the principle I hold onto the most is Radical Inclusion. A lot of people who are struggling at Burning Man are struggling because they feel excluded. I help people understand they can be part of the community.”

That instinct extends into Curtis’ professional world. Sober for more than two decades, Curtis hires people from his recovery community, whose addiction history might otherwise prevent them from finding work. 

The kind of leadership Curtis practices in his work — steady, inclusive, and unflustered by chaos — mirrors what Stacey brings to her school and what Cat has modeled in elected office. Whether in a boardroom, a classroom, or a city council chamber, these three have learned the lesson from Burning Man that leadership means creating conditions where people can grow, experiment, feel included, and truly connected to their purpose and greater community. 

The Work Continues — with Creativity, Wherever You Are

Bringing Burning Man home isn’t about leaving one life behind for another. It’s about carrying the principles into whatever comes next — into classrooms, boardrooms, town halls, and homes.

When participating in Burning Man sparks new ideas and connections, Burning Man Project celebrates that inspiration and action. Because the real city we’re building together isn’t an ephemeral metropolis, in the dust or elsewhere. It’s in our neighborhoods, our lives, and our workplaces.

Cover image of happy campers building together, 2024 (Photo by Mark Mennie)

“The World Tree rises at the center of the cosmos, its roots in the underworld, its branches in the heavens, its trunk in the middle world of men.” —Mircea Eliade

In nearly every culture on Earth people have imagined a center point for their existence, a celestial column that connects us with powers greater than ourselves. To the Maya it was the Ceiba tree, to the Norse Ygdrassil, to the Celts the Crann Bethadh. The ancient Greeks called it the cosmic pillar, and the Slavs knew it as the Great Oak. Siddharta’s Bodhi tree, the sacred cottonwood of the Lakota, and the Iroku of the Yoruba can all be seen as manifestations of the same deeply rooted idea. 

In some cultures this pathway between the worlds stands in a specific location, a sacred spot defined by myth and memory. In others it is wherever human intentions position it, like the totem poles of the Pacific northwest or the churinga pole of native Australian peoples, carried in nomad’s kit and erected at each camp along the way, to anchor the group to their history and cosmology. In his book The Sacred and the Profane, Mircea Eliade tells the story of one such group, who lost their churinga and collapsed in collective grief, unanchored from the cosmic tree and suddenly unmoored in the world. 

The Man can be seen as our version of the cosmic tree, a Jacob’s Ladder connecting us to the unseen and unknowable. It functions as the axis mundi of our far-flung world, around which we all spin at 1,000 miles an hour, clinging to each other to keep from flying off into space. Each summer it rises from the ancient lakebed of the Black Rock Desert, and throughout the year its sibling effigies are planted at regional gatherings around the world. 

To say that intention creates reality is for the most part magical thinking, but social realities are indisputably brought to life through group imagining. Few would argue that intangibles like money and nation states are unreal or illusory. We make them real through belief. Likewise, our shared ethos gains substance in our collective actions and forms a social reality. As Larry Harvey wrote in the 10 Principles, “we make the world real through actions that open the heart.” 

“A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.”
—Albert Einstein

The world tree is also the tree of life, with every species on Earth related to every other species in the tangled bank of evolution’s roots and limbs. On one branch, countless genetic lines of homo sapiens all trace back through DNA to Mitochondrial Eve, the mother of us all. As special as we like to believe we are, we are but one branch of the great tree; to acknowledge this is not a rejection of humanism, or a denial of individual agency, but an admission of humility in the face of our undeniable interdependence.

And yet, through the magical constructs of social reality, we imagine ourselves as standing apart from the natural world, and increasingly apart from each other as well. Divided by borders, and further fragmented by custom and belief into tribelets of ideology, each suspicious and distrustful of the other. And further still, divided into content feeds in a social network, one human to a screen, connected only by dubious proxy.

If Burning Man can be said to have meaning in this fractured world, it is to remind us through our collective actions that we are not alone, that we are part of something larger. Every day, on every continent, people are coming together to experience forms of creativity, generosity, and togetherness that are our birthrights as members of the human family. For some, the simple act of living outdoors for a few days, immersed in the majesty and occasional perils of nature, is the path to reconnection with the natural world of which we are all a part.

When I look up in the universe, I know I’m small but I’m also big. I’m big because I’m connected to the universe, and the universe is connected to me.” —Neil Degrasse Tyson

Burning Man 2026 in Black Rock City and beyond will celebrate the interconnectedness of our global community, the new social realities we are creating together, and our enduring ties to the natural world. Creative interpretations of the cosmic tree will send their roots into our collective past, and spread their branches into a sky of possibility. 

As always, art installations are welcome and encouraged in Black Rock City, whether embodying this year’s theme or not. To learn more about having your art placed at the event, consider these guidelines. Information about the 2026 Honoraria Art Grant program, which opens with a call for letters of intent on October 15, 2025, can be found here.

Cover image of 2026 theme graphic design by Tanner Boeger

It was my 14th Burn, sort of his third. His first was in utero when I was seven-and-a-half months pregnant. When he was little, he would say, “I’ve been to Burning Man, but it was very dark.” Then in 2021, he went to the renegade which was not an official ticketed event. Neither of those trips to Black Rock Desert required much preparation on his part, nor was he present to the enormity and profoundness of a “real” Burning Man. 

Honestly, I wasn’t sure how it was going to go. Would he have the strength and stamina to pack/unpack, prepare, strategize for entry and exodus, participate in camp, and tolerate the harsh conditions of the desert, including unpredictable and severe weather? More so, would he have the capacity and maturity to hold the vast array of emotions that Burning Man inspires in a person? The playa has a way of stirring up all the feels from joy, fear, sadness, anger, impatience, judgement, acceptance, deep grief, and sheer bliss. 

I told him, “When we drive through that gate, I’m only your mom if you need me to be. Otherwise, I am a fellow Burner and campmate. This is a kind of rite of passage into adulthood before you go off to college.” He looked me in the eye and said, “I’ve got this.” 

And wow — did he. 

First, like nearly every teenager I know, Jake loves his phone. So, imagine my shock after we set up camp and he said, “Mom, I’m gonna let my phone run out of battery and not touch it again until we get home.”

“Sure, that sounds great,” I tried to say as cooly as possible so as not to jinx it. I agreed to do the same, other than checking my message for emergencies once a day. As a result, we don’t have pictures except two — one of him making dust angels at the gate and one that our friend thankfully took of us the night of the burn. However, it was worth it to enjoy the precious gift of being completely present with each other through the week. 

Jake participated fully in our camp, The Burn Scouts. The next closest person to his age was in his early 30s, but Jake connected with all 15 of our campmates, unworried about years lived and backgrounds, on the shared experience of being a Burner. Our camp offering was hot cookies and s’mores. As he ran up to strangers offering plates of gooey chocolate chip cookies, he marveled at meeting all kinds of people — from dust covered toddlers to a man in his 70s who bakes loaves of fresh bread every morning for the people. Our first s’more recipients were a couple from Kazakhstan who spoke no English, so we had to mime what a s’more was and watch their faces explode in delight at the first bite. 

Jake was also a huge help around camp, including hours of striking our large communal shade structure. His room at home is a disaster, but he diligently did MOOP patrol, picking up even the tiniest speck of glitter to adhere to the principal of Leaving No Trace. Watching him in action, I started to worry a lot less about his future college roommates and Jake’s historically rather “casual” approach to cleaning. 

During quiet moments in camp, he would sit reading the WhatWhereWhen guide listing the hundreds of events and activities offered during the week. Jake couldn’t believe that camps included church groups, food camps (all his favorites from waffles to ramen to ice cream), 12-step meetings, and activities like acro-yoga or talks on philosophy. He said, “Mom, this is a real city that exists for only a week a year, but the kind of city I’d actually want to live in all year.” Yet, I had to break it to him that the fact the city exists only for a week, is exactly what makes Burning Man so special. 

It’s the idea of temporality — building beautiful art, including the Man and the Temple, with the intent for it to be consumed by fire and never exist again. It reflects life, in that nothing is ever permanent and it’s only our resistance to that idea that causes suffering. We were out by an art piece that had a large pile of wood next to it. A man and his wife rode up on their bikes and wondered what the wood was for. I stated that it was probably because the art piece was going to be burned. The man said, “Oh no, how sad.” As we rode away, Jake said, “I don’t think he gets it.” I said, “Maybe not, but you do and that’s pretty awesome.” 

When we visited the Temple, he saw me process a lot. Grief for friends and family gone too soon, but also the grief of raising him for 18 years, from a tiny little human into a 6’4” fully grown man with a kind heart and brilliant mind, who would soon be leaving me to make his own way in the world. As we rode away on our bikes, we stopped with both the Man and the Temple within view. Jake said, “I think the Man represents all we want to let go of, but The Temple represents all that we don’t want to let go of.” I had never thought about it that way, but he was so right. 

As we watched the Man Burn on Saturday night, hand in hand, I let go of sorrow about the things I wish I had done differently parenting Jake — the mistakes and lessons learned a little too late. As the smoke rose into the sky, I tried to give myself some grace for trying hard, especially while breaking a cycle of intergenerational trauma, in order to be the best parent I could. Plus, support his invention of himself, not some version my ego was holding of Jake. 

To see Burning Man through the wide eyes of first timers reminds me of why I keep coming back since my first one in 2000. And, to see Burning Man through my son’s eyes was next level. What I didn’t expect, was to see myself through his eyes. One night, as were sitting in the belly of a giant lotus flower staring up at the stars, he said, “Mom, I feel like I’ve really seen you for the first time. You are the most happy and relaxed version of yourself out here and now, I know why you come — to be you.” Woah — he was right. The desert burns off the outer layers of protection down to my truest, most essential self. To feel deeply seen in that moment by the person I raised is ineffable. I’m so glad he got to meet that version of me before he leaves too.

So, to answer my own question at the beginning of all this — I’m not sure exactly what, but I’ve done something right. It just took a week in the dust to know that for sure.

Cover image of Burn Night, 2025 (Photo by Kerry Lange)

The 2025 Burning Man theme is Tomorrow Today, a reimagined future conjured in a dusty, chaotic, radically participatory laboratory. Black Rock City is a playground, yes, but it’s also a research site for the development of living systems for human survival and thrival like nowhere else. 

Burning Man in Black Rock City offers a stress-test setting in one of the most extreme environments on Earth — and perhaps more importantly, an innovative population that loves to experiment. In the crucible of the Black Rock Desert, imagining a more sustainable future merges with building it, and the lessons learned can — and do — reach far beyond the playa.

Through Black Rock City Honoraria grants, innovation in event operations, and collaboration with community groups, Burning Man Project provides logistical and financial support to innovators who are developing creative solutions to the challenges humanity is facing.

Tomorrow Today will show off the same kind of technological progress and marvels as the World’s Fairs of old. From the city’s radically reimagined power grid to new modes of creative support for art, these experiments show how Black Rock City is an unparalleled proving ground for ideas that matter for humanity. Below, meet three such projects, all spearheaded by Burners bringing new spectacles of innovation to the desert.

Crowdsourcing Survival in a Hotter World

Innovation in Black Rock City starts with future-focused thinking; some researchers see in this ephemeral city a location perfectly adapted to the challenge of hacking behavior for surviving climate change. Sarah DaVanzo, futurist and innovator, recognized at her first Burn that the playa held the “perfect conditions for innovation.” With its resource scarcity, extreme setting, and creative energy, it’s an ideal Petri dish for solving the world’s most wicked problems. And, DaVanzo noted, it’s populated by innovators. “Their curiosity muscles are on overdrive!”

Sarah wanted to see what this community could dream up. In 2024, she partnered with Burning Man Project’s Regeneration team to create a work-a-thon: The Cool & Curious Sustainability Sprints, a series of “playshops” designed to crowdsource solutions for cooling sustainably in hot environments. Cool & Curious workshops sparked fun, sensory experiences, giving participants stimuli for learning and innovating around three key areas: ancient indigenous wisdom, biomimicry from nature, and futurist technology. These stimuli were designed to spark imaginations and elicit new human cooling concepts to explore.

The resulting ideas were captured and gamified on a 50′-long “Coolopoly” gameboard, where participants could play with and optimize concepts to spark invention and collaborative problem solving. DaVanzo and crew guided game play, hoping to draw conclusions about best ideas from how people played along. Ideas ranged from the practical — drinking hot beverages and high-ceilinged shade from ancient Middle Eastern cultures — to the sublime, such as bike-thru cooling station “‘poofers’” with rice powder (a natural coolant), and biokinetic digital trees with solar leaves that help provide shelter. 

Sarah calls Burning Man “Learning Man,” an ideas incubator where the most valuable insights come from doing. In 2025, the experiment’s top ideas will be returned to Burning Man Project’s Regeneration team for further exploration and evolution, filtered through the imaginations of Burners.

Hacking the Metabolism of a Metropolis

Heat, dust, and unpredictable conditions make Black Rock City a perfect trial-by-fire setting for testing and iteration. According to Sean Kathleen ‘Hotspot’ Curran, Utilities Superintendent for the city’s Department of Public Works (DPW), it’s this unpredictable, chaotic setting that makes Black Rock City a hotbed of experimentation. Constant adaptation to the desert’s changing conditions makes rapid, large-scale innovation not only possible, but inevitable. “The desert is an active participant,” Hotspot explains. “One of the biggest challenges in technological innovation is finding a test environment that truly pushes products to their limits.” 

For years, the challenge of powering the core infrastructure of a temporary city of 80,000 people required planning, engineering… and a lot of educated guesswork. The city infrastructure’s needs are inconsistent; they ebb and flow in the extreme Northern Nevada climate. Previously, this would lead to the use of oversized generators always generating full power, even when less power is needed at the moment. 

This was a problem of scale and information, and it was environmentally unfriendly. The Mesh Net project solved this problem. Spearheaded in 2016 and 2017 by DPW’s Andrea ‘Genie’ Gini and Eric ‘le Wrench’ Peralta, the project would ultimately support possibly the largest temporary battery deployment in human history, and a system for reducing consumption and emissions that can be modeled in other settings. 

The Mesh Net team created a custom setup of digital sensors to measure the energy load. Then working with Sunbelt, Black Rock City’s power vendor, they deployed battery configurations that stored unused electricity, reducing reliance on full-load fuel generators. Batteries store energy from the generator while it operates at peak fuel economy. Once fully charged, the generator shuts off, and the battery provides on-demand power to the grid. This can lead to saving hundreds of gallons of diesel on a single grid.

“In Black Rock City, we have a population that embraces challenges (and) is not risk averse in operations and infrastructure solutions,” says Hotspot. Sunbelt’s Sustainability and Innovations Manager, Ryan Crampton, observed that his team ”packed in a year’s worth of jobsite experience in six weeks.” The impact of this experiment extends beyond Nevada — it has the potential to serve others in remote or disaster settings, and even permanent networks. The same system, proven resilient on the playa, has already been deployed in disaster relief zones for hurricanes, at wildfire encampments and even the Super Bowl. There is a clear line from research and development within Black Rock City to a global solution.

Powering Art Collaboratively, with Solar

While DPW tackles the city’s energy metabolism for human needs, another, more decentralized innovation is transforming the creative setting for artists. For years, creators wanting to power artwork on the open playa faced a difficult choice: use a fuel generator, or become a solar engineer and build an aesthetically-displeasing, oversized “panel farm” next to their masterpiece. Jared ‘Pearlsnaps’ Ficklin, a product designer and artist, saw a third way.

His Black Rock City 2025 Honoraria art project, “The Solar Library,” now in year three, is a work of art in itself: a series of tall, yellow, triangular structures that serve as a centralized charging station for battery-powered art. The concept is elegantly simple: “Artists apply for a library card…and we provide dedicated charging infrastructure so that they can charge their batteries with solar power.”

The project is a masterful exercise in balancing Burning Man’s 10 Principles. It provides vital infrastructure (Communal Effort) while requiring artists to take ownership of their power needs (Radical Self-reliance) but still contribute ‘sweat equity’ by hauling batteries back and forth (Participation). The project operates as a collaborative guild built on shared values, prioritizing participation over pure efficiency. 

Pearlsnaps calls it “a fusion power for art.” The impact is tangible. This year, the project expects to remove 22 generators from the playa, eliminating two tons of direct fumes and an estimated 10 gallons of potential spillage and waste. The indirect savings are even larger; by centralizing the solar infrastructure, the project saves an estimated 40 tons of CO2 from the extra vehicle trips artists would need to transport their own panel setups.

The Solar Library offers a powerful lesson for the world beyond Burning Man, which may be too focused on individual solutions when centralized ideas can have a bigger impact. The project is now building a “battery borrow” program, creating a fleet of reusable batteries so artists don’t have to purchase one for a single-use project. It’s a quiet revolution in resource sharing, showing that sometimes the most sustainable solution is the one we build together. 

A Future Built with Dust, Heart and Hand

From the city-wide power grid to the individual artist and the collective brainstorm, a common thread emerges: through a mix of necessity and radical possibility, Burners are rolling up their sleeves to solve current and future challenges. They’re innovating in Black Rock City, and bringing inspired ideas to life in their home communities around the world. 

Working in collaboration with this endlessly inventive community, Burning Man Project nurtures the spark that empowers people to imagine the future in new ways, and to make it real through collective actions. Burning Man, in Black Rock City and beyond is nothing short of a living, ever-evolving Future Worlds’ Fair. But rather than static displays, participants are innovating in real time, making the city itself and its citizens blueprints for creating more resilient, sustainable and infinitely more interesting future worlds. 

Cover image of “A Whisperer Whispers” at the “Solar Library” (Photo by Scott Williams)

As you all get ready for the dust, or to keep carrying on the Burning Man way wherever you are, I wanted to share a few thoughts and updates from where I’m sitting over at Burning Man Project.

The global culture is thriving!

Here at Burning Man Project we are positively fired up for another Burn season. The Golden Spike that marks the start of building Black Rock City has been set, the trash fence is up, and the dusty storage bins are getting piled up and packed up for the journey to Black Rock City… But at the same time this has all grown so far beyond the Nevada desert. Did you know that 102,000 people attended official Burning Man Regional Events held in 20 countries around the world in 2024 (this is up from 97,000 in 2023!) and that there are active Burning Man communities in 44 countries? Did you know that the same global community raised and distributed $1.7 million of funding for Burning Man art around the world beyond funds raised by Burning Man Project for art in Black Rock City? These are amazing numbers, and they truly show the depth of what Burning Man has become — a thriving, year-round global culture.

We’re in a powerful moment for this global community. Last month I penned an op-ed that was published in the Reno Gazette-Journal. It’s all about what art and culture have to offer the contemporary world, and Burning Man’s role in spreading creativity and connection at a time when it’s needed most. Give it a read and share it with friends and family.

“Money, Money, Money, Money… MONEY!”

You’ll recall we had a big fundraising push at the end of 2024, after an unexpected dip in higher-priced ticket sales to the 2024 BRC event. We’re pleased that, despite operating at a financial loss in 2024, as a result of hard work and participation from the community, our financial outlook is much stronger than where we were a year ago. 

Through a combination of charitable contributions, mission-aligned cost reductions, a reduction in headcount by 10%, and collaboration with partners to reduce costs, we began this year with our financial recovery well underway. Sustained gifts of all sizes year-to-date and outside of the typical end-of-year giving cycle, as well as strong Black Rock City 2025 ticket sales and adoption of the “gifting,” “pay your way,” and “receive the gift” ticket options, have established further momentum for financial stability. Additionally, we continue to tightly manage operating expenses and capital expenses across operations.

The work is not done though! As a nonprofit, we are always in need of financial support to help bring our mission to life. Recent coverage in Bloomberg Businessweek is a great example of our building broad awareness of the role Burning Man plays in bringing people together to ignite new possibilities for the world. Looking ahead, we are dedicated to achieving financial stability and resiliency, so that Burning Man can continue to thrive for years to come. Thank you, truly, for your trust and confidence in us along the way. 

Gettin’ excited for the playa!

Amidst this encouraging progress, 2025 is shaping up to be an incredible year for Black Rock City. Over 1,100 camps will bring their creativity and visions to life throughout the city. Burning Man Project has awarded $1.6 million to 77 Honoraria projects coming from 12 countries (and includes $300,000 in grants to the 2025 Temple), and more than 250 additional placed art pieces are en route. Black Rock City will come to life with ticket buyers from 102 countries, the most we’ve ever seen. This year’s Temple is led by a Burning Man Regional contact, an artist and architect from Spain. The Man Pavilion has been designed by an artist from Puerto Rico, and will feature future-looking installations from another dozen artists and technologists. And in case you missed it, check out Desert Arts Preview for an incredible tease of what’s to come:

We’re now in year six of our 10-year 2030 Environmental Sustainability Roadmap, and there’s been so much progress. In 2024, we facilitated the largest temporary deployment of energy storage in the world, significantly reducing generator run-time and a drop of more than 21% in diesel fuel consumption within our operations, saving more than 34,000 gallons of fuel. 

In Black Rock City, the Green Corridor, now expanded to both sides of the city (on 4:00 through F and 7:00 through B), showcases theme camp sustainability projects and prototypes. As a result of our collective Net Zero BRC efforts to move infrastructure and camps off fossil fuels (OFF), the Man, the Temple, Gate Road, and the Department of Mutant Vehicles (along with many art pieces) will all be powered by renewables. Learn more and join in on our sustainability efforts!

By the way, if you’re still looking for a ticket to BRC 2025, the OMG Sale is still open — you can grab tickets at $950 or higher, and you can buy a vehicle pass if you need one (without having to buy a ticket too). Head to the Secure Ticket Exchange Program (STEP) page too if you’re looking for tickets at a lower price, there may still be some available. If the playa isn’t in your plans this year, tune into the Webcast to get a taste of what’s going on out there. We hope you’ll be able to attend an amazing Regional Event, or that we hear from you on how Burning Man inspires you all year long! Share your stories and videos with us using the hashtag #burningmanseen (on every channel, now also including TikTok)! And help spread the word about Rising Sparks, a grassroots crew born from the community, bridging generations to empower emerging voices, creators, and leaders.

Have an amazing Tomorrow Today!

Marian Goodell

Cover image of “The Other” Man base by Jen Lewin, 2024 (Photo by Jamen Percy) 

But on the playa, and at Regional Burns around the world, these supposed opposites don’t just meet; they fuse. The boundary between artist and technologist dissolves, revealing itself as a false distinction all along. 

In these settings, art demands engineering. Engineering bows to beauty. And what emerges shapes the skylines of cities, the tools of future artists, and the cultural imagination around what technology — even AI — can become.

From Code to Catharsis: “The Moonlight Library” and One Technologist’s Turn Toward Art

Over a decade ago, James Gwertzman arrived at Burning Man as a technologist, having spent nearly three decades building virtual video game worlds. Now, as the founder of immersive art group The Moonlight Collective, the group behind “The Prairie of Possibilities,” James calls himself an artist.

For James and the Moonlight Collective, this year’s ambitious piece debuting in Black Rock City, “The Moonlight Library,” stands as a testament to the transformative possibilities of art, technology, and community when given a vast, open space and a willing audience. Rising from the playa like the windswept ruin of some forgotten civilization, “The Moonlight Library” will create a space where story and technology converge — a physical library of real books, suffused with subtle magic.

Among the thousands of volumes that sit on the library shelves, a select few will be “imbued.” Touch the spine of one, and it will speak — softly releasing stories gathered from participants at the Moonlight Collective’s 2022 and 2023 Black Rock City installation, “The Prairie of Possibilities.” Underneath the “vellum” and dust will be capacitive touch sensors, microcontrollers, and a hidden network of computers relaying messages through a local system, triggering speakers, lights, and sounds. It is a quiet technological feat designed to feel ancient, inevitable, and natural.

“Technology makes it possible to create a level of interactivity that facilitates transformation even more effectively,” James explains. “In our case, being able to play back stories allows visitors to immerse themselves more deeply in the idea that we’re all just stories in a library.”

Though James built his career on screens and code, he started by building theater sets in high school. Now, he finds himself drawn back to the tactile, to the theatrical, and the physically immersive. “I always wanted to build theme park rides as a kid,” he laughs. “This is that, in a way.” After years in games, Burning Man reawakened a dormant creative longing. “I identified as a game executive, a techie,” he says. “But this experience of building art on the playa has been so gratifying, I’m committing more and more of my life to it. I want this to be my work going forward.”

“The Moonlight Library” — like its creators — could not exist outside the unique alchemy of Burning Man. “People come to the desert ready to believe,” James says. “They’re primed to accept and welcome wonder. The art feeds on that enthusiasm. It becomes more powerful.”

And so, a technologist becomes an artist. A ruin rises in the dust. And a library whispers: we are all stories, and our endings are still unwritten.

The Sculpture That Listens: “Out The Other” and AI’s Empathetic Potential

Kate Greenberg didn’t set out to champion AI in her art. As an artist and architect known for bringing complex sculptural environments to Black Rock City, she approached machine learning with skepticism. But for her 2025 installation, Kate is embracing cutting-edge technology to explore something profoundly human: heartbreak, healing, and the stories we tell ourselves to survive.

At first glance, “Out the Other” appears to be a serenely seated female figure, just slightly larger than life. But tell it something vulnerable, something you struggle with, and the figure responds. Soft lights indicate awareness; speech-to-text AI processes your words. An AI “mind” reframes them into language of care and compassion. A 3D-printed heart and brain glow in reaction to emotional tone, beating faster or slower, lighting up in quiet acknowledgment. It’s interactive art taken to a new level: “Out The Other” is designed to listen, reflect, and model emotional resilience.

Visitors can approach with anything — sorrow, loneliness, frustration, or joy. And rather than dispensing advice, the sculpture will transform whatever is shared.

“It’s basically an AI empath,” explains Deva Temple, the project’s lead prompt engineer. “It internalizes what you say and mirrors the process of moving through difficult emotions to arrive somewhere lighter.”

Should someone express deeper distress, the AI has been trained to break character and offer resources, a nod to safety and care in a setting where emotions can run high.

For Deva, this project provides a powerful opportunity to rewrite the cultural narrative around AI. “Everything we put online trains future AI systems,” she notes. “All the narratives we build about what AI is and how it behaves, that feeds it. Shifting those narratives is important. Projects like this show that AI can be empathetic, reflective. We don’t have to accept the dystopian storylines we’ve been given. We can build something else.”

Burning Man, with its culture of radical experimentation, is the perfect proving ground. “It’s a place where people are more vulnerable, more open to wonder and connection,” Kate says. “That makes it an ideal setting to explore technology that’s asking us to look inward.”

To learn about more pieces coming to BRC in 2025 that incorporate AI in fascinating new ways, listen to this episode of the Burning Man LIVE podcast. 

From Desert Laboratory to Urban Canvas: Ben Davis and Illuminate

While numerous projects elicit catharsis on playa, Ben Davis’ work in San Francisco with Illuminate is a vivid demonstration of Burning Man’s transmutation of art and technology into civic possibility. His journey from the dust of Black Rock City to the luminous skyline of San Francisco captures how temporary desert experiments can evolve into permanent urban legacies.

Ben first attended Burning Man in 2003, an experience that left him both energized and contemplative. “I see all this energy, people giving up six months of their life working for this one event, way out in the desert, lasting for a week and then Leaving No Trace, which is both beautiful and kind of frustrating to me,” he recalls. This tension between the ephemeral brilliance of Black Rock City and the enduring needs of cities planted a seed.

Two weeks after returning from the playa in 2010, Ben found himself sitting at San Francisco’s Ferry Terminal watching the sunlight shine through the Bay Bridge cables. In that moment, he experienced what he describes as a vision: the bridge revealing itself as a canvas for light. And thus was born The Bay Lights, a monumental artwork of 25,000 individually programmed LED nodes illuminating the Bay Bridge in shifting patterns. Working with the light artist and fellow Burning Man veteran (and Burning Man Project board member) Leo Villareal, Ben helped shepherd the project from an audaciously improbable idea to shimmering reality.

For more on how Burning Man shaped the creative journey of artist Leo Villareal — from the playa to the Bay Lights and beyond — listen to his conversation on Burning Man LIVE Podcast:

For Ben Davis, The Bay Lights was a turning point. “Part of what I was thinking about, somewhat consciously and unconsciously, is how can you take all this beautiful Burning Man energy and just bring it where people live and let it last longer?” he says. Answering this question became his calling. He left his boutique communications firm behind and founded Illuminate, a nonprofit dedicated to transforming San Francisco through large-scale, light-based public art.

Illuminate’s works span from the laser beams stretching across San Francisco’s Market Street, to Grace Cathedral’s ethereal Gracelight installation, to championing, shepherding, and fundraising for the installation of the artwork “Naga & the Captainess” newly arrived in Golden Gate Park’s Rainbow Falls Pond, also lending Illuminate’s 501(c)(3) status to the effort to receive donations. While not exclusively working with Burning Man artists, Davis acknowledges the shared DNA: “We’re always in that ecosystem. Essentially, we’re covered in playa dust.”

Illuminate’s projects channel the ethos of the playa into the urban realm: no corporate sponsorship, no ticketed entry. Just radical generosity and a belief in beauty as a public good. 

Through these efforts, Ben articulates a philosophy of urban stewardship that mirrors Black Rock City’s Principle of Leaving No Trace adapted for an urban civic context: “In some ways, you want to leave the place you are in cities better. You’re not returning to nature. You’re trying to figure out how to create a better place.”

Illuminate’s work proves that the alchemy of art and technology forged in the desert can extend far beyond the fence line of Black Rock City. Through light, through beauty, through generosity, Illuminate models the possibility of year-round cities remade through wonder.

For more reflections on how Burning Man shapes innovation beyond the desert, listen to Wired Magazine founder Kevin Kelly share how he envisions an optimistic future in this Burning Man LIVE episode: 

The Eternal Return

And so the cycle continues. Each year, new creators arrive in Black Rock City: artists drawn to circuits and code, technologists pulled toward wonder and story. They come to a place where survival demands ingenuity and beauty demands invention. They build things that shouldn’t work… and then make them work anyway.

What they often discover, knowingly or not, is something the ancient Greeks understood long before silicon chips or LED nodes or neural networks arrived on the scene: the root of the word technology, technē, was never about choosing between art and technology. Technē meant artfulness itself, the human drive to make, to transform, to shape raw matter into meaning. To build not just for function, but for beauty. To craft something that lasts, or something that vanishes, but leaves an imprint all the same.

Liberated from the white box of the art gallery, free to expand into the limitless-feeling beige box of the desert, the same phenomena happens over and over: what’s created here spreads beyond it, through people, through practice, and through stories told in moonlight and electricity.

The art and technology of Burning Man are not separate, nor opposite. They are, as they have always been, one: artfulness in service of transformation.

Have you encountered – or created – art at the cutting edge of technology for Black Rock City? We want to hear about your experiences and creations in the comments. 

Cover image of “The Prairie of Possibilities” by The Moonlight Collective, 2022 (Photo by Mark Nixon)

If you find yourself on playa this year, amidst the cacophony, consider seeking out some live music. Sit down at a piano. Soak in some jazz at sunrise. Surrender your voice for a few days (after screaming your heart out at a punk show). These moments have a way of reverberating long after the last note fades and the city disappears into a dust-caked rearview mirror. And, it just might change your tune… in the best possible way.

Without further ado, here are some of the camps and participants who bring a musical magic to the playa without the laptops and decks. For these musicians, it’s all about keys and the frets.

Keys and Frets: Immediacy Creating Musical Magic

The cocktail of Radical Self-expression and Immediacy found in Black Rock City creates an ideal ecosystem for nurturing live music. From acoustic jams to formal orchestral compositions, the music created with physical instruments is a distinct and essential part of Black Rock City’s cultural landscape. 

Discover how Black Rock City’s electronic music pioneers are also taking the playa’s experimental spirit global, transforming dance floors from Berlin to Bali with lessons learned in the dust in “Global Lessons from Bringing Desert Music to Life.”

Through its raw Immediacy, Black Rock City opens a space where musicians can improvise, experiment and express themselves in ways that don’t always feel available back home. Matt Bell, the founder of Black Rock Piano Lounge, ironically, doesn’t play an instrument himself. But thanks to Matt’s vision and gift for organizing, over the years Black Rock Piano Lounge expanded from bringing a single upright piano to a luxe desert piano bar boasting multiple pianos, one being a baby grand, and a two-story mutant vehicle called Melton John festooned with giant LED piano keys.

“It’s just so neat to see people light up when they see actual live performers on top,” Matt said. “And most of the music that people play is not rehearsed.” There’s a spontaneity and rawness to the performances at Black Rock Piano Lounge and aboard Melton John that feels quintessentially Burning Man, just one of a million instances of Immediacy in action.

The Reverbia Effect: How Playing Three Songs in the Dust Can Change Everything

For 15 years, Reverbia has cultivated what founder Doug Abrahams proudly calls “the NPR of Burning Man” — an all-live-music theme camp that’s become a magnet for those craving something beyond the electronic beats and drops. It’s a place where music makers from around the world perform, drawing crowds of 1000s, and a crowd where every anonymous Burner decked out in goggles and dust could be the connection that changes everything for the musicians onstage.

Reverbia’s eclectic lineup reads like a music lover’s fever dream: 135+ hours of live programming across four stages. The artists who play on one of Reverbia’s four stages represent an impressive array of genres: World, Reggae, Latin, Blues, Funk, Indy Alternative, Acoustic Folk, R&B, Hip Hop, Electro Live, Gaelic, Balkan, Classical, and more.

Reverbia’s events include concerts and other musical offerings like Live Music Yoga in the morning, drawing an avg of 250 people, and an open mic which promotes interactively and provides a performance stage for the many acoustic musicians dotted throughout Black Rock City. Special concerts punctuate the week, including the camp’s moving Tribute to Lost Musicians, honoring musicians who have shuffled off this mortal coil since the last Burn. For Black Rock City 2025, Reverbia is planning an ambitious 50th anniversary performance of Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here.” Their 2023 performance of “Dark Side of the Moon” drew 6500 people. They expect to exceed that number this year.

Reverbia creates a lot of good vibes on playa, but their magic emanates from more than its impressive roster and ambitious programming. Doug has heard the same story countless times: “Many artists have told me after Burning Man they’ve had somebody come up to them at one of their shows and, ‘I saw you at Burning Man… We were going by and we could only stay for three songs, but I got your name and I came to see you here at home.'” Some bands have crafted entire international tours from Reverbia connections, with newfound fans offering couches and venues across the globe.

Doug also explained how a single playa performance can transform a musician’s trajectory: “When you come to Burning Man, you’re going to do one show and there’s going to probably be hundreds of people at that show. You have an international crowd. People that will be at that event that you’ll never get in Burlington, Vermont. You’ll never get them in Ithaca, New York.” 

Spontaneous Expression: Punk’s Unexpected Playa Match

Meredith Solin aka Mez, co-organizes the theme camp Awesome!(ville), where the musical stylings are of a decidedly different genre. 

For her, punk rock epitomizes the Burning Man ethos — “Punk rock fills an element that’s more spontaneous, that jumps into expressing raw emotion and energy.” Mez explained. “And, our camp gives the chance for regional musicians to share the same dust as huge headliners.” The inherent creativity of Black Rock City opens a space to express ideas, styles that push the limits of what’s possible in our daily lives… often leading to unexpectedly delightful cultural hybrids. 

Friday nights on playa at Awesome!(ville) offer a change from the EDM scene, with featured band members from Boss’ Daughter, Vampirates, BeerCan!, and a chance for you to grab the mic or sing along to all the classic punk hits at the top of your lungs. And, yes, you can also thrash to your heart’s delight in a mosh pit. For those of a more genteel nature, Awesome!(ville) also also offers daily Crafts & Cocktails with pop-up music sets, including an afternoon of watercoloring and punk rock.

Escaping the Cacophony: Where Jazz Becomes Wellness

Similar to inhabitants of any great city, Black Rock citizens express and experience culture in a myriad of ways. Residents offer every kind of experience from hyper-electrified, all-night parties and peaceful oases away from the wildest revels.

Juvoni Beckford is a lead at Nobo House, an international theme camp that self-identifies as a “wellness oasis.” Live music, often jazz, is a key part of the experience there. “Live music has been very rejuvenating in the context of Burning Man compared to all the hyper amped music,” Juvoni muses. “We’ve had people that are escaping the crazy sound of the 10 o’clock and 2 o’clock corridors. Either they’re attracted by the sound of the piano, or they’re attracted by other sounds and they stay for a rest.” At Nobo House, live music becomes a gift, freely given, for the benefit of all brain-fried playa travelers.

Harnessing Tech for Collective Musical Creation

Burning Man culture never misses the chance to remind us all that there are No Spectators, even when it comes to making music. Burning Man’s participatory culture offers everyone an invitation to try something novel and life-expanding. This coming year in Black Rock City, a new theme camp called Backstage is inviting everyone to make music, including those who don’t know a treble clef from a ledger line. This new camp is all about empowering participants to tap into their inner rock star with the help of some cool tech.

When you come across the camp Backstage, you’ll find a low-stakes, inviting performance space. Various stations will be set up around a stage, each with a different instrument — drums, guitars, keys, and more. But, each instrument will be wired into an algorithmic system that makes sure every note you play sounds good with what everyone else is playing too. It’s the opportunity to be part of an instant jam band, no matter your skill level.

“We’re exploring ways to make it active even when we’re not staffing it,” Backstage co-lead Ben Chang said. “And at the end of the week, we want to release all the music that was collaboratively created as a kind of sonic snapshot of the playa.” A brilliant manifestation of Communal Effort, harnessing technology to enable collective creation by all-comers.

When Desert Music Echoes Beyond the Dust

What happens to the music when the dust settles? 

What’s the harmony between a big-name beat-dropper and a jazz flow pro? Listen to this episode of the Burning Man LIVE podcast as it explores the thumping electronic dance music that makes BRC a DJ’s Mecca and the anything-goes improv of jazz, a dusty mirror to the Burner spirit in “Playa Music – From Bebop to Dubstep.”

Along with repping a strong black and yellow bee motif since the 1990s, the theme camp BeeYond has also been a consistent contributor to the playa music scene, especially with the arrival of their mutant vehicle, a giant fire hydrant named Red Hot Bev, which specializes in hosting DJed sunrise sets. These days, BeeYond offers a second, more intimate and acoustic alternative to the electronic soundscapes. Back at camp, the residents of BeeYond invite you to join them for live band karaoke, where actual musicians will back anyone brave enough to take the mic.

Dave Klaus, one of the BeeYond camp leads, believes BeeYond’s musical offerings serve a deeper purpose than offering opportunities play. “We’re invited to be separated and to not listen and to have these walls,” says Dave. “Burning Man is so good at busting down the walls and giving people a chance to talk. And music, of course — especially live quieter music — is one of those lubricants for that.”

For BeeYond campers Leo O’Brien, Vandy Howell, and their 22-year-old son Truman, a proud second-generation Burner, these magical moments of musical collaboration were one of the powerful playa experiences that inspired the family to extend Burning Man’s creative spirit beeyond the playa. The family is part of a seven-person group hard at work to open a new 9,000-square-foot community-access makerspace in Emeryville, California, for artists of all kinds. Plans for the facilities include a woodshop, metal shop, electronics & multimedia (soft) shop (i.e. sewing, painting, laser cutting, light fabrication, basic electrical systems), co-working space, classroom, workbenches for rent, kitchen, event/gallery room, and loads of flexible space for makers to do their thing. 

A direct beeline, if you will, from the collaborative creative energy fostered through years of music at BeeYond.

For some, Burning Man’s transformative power begins before they even reach the playa. Brian Pratt, a camper at Black Rock Piano Lounge, discovered this in 2019 when still recovering from a bout with cancer that cost him half his tongue. Even before ever setting foot on playa, he joined his new campmates in Reno to work on their mutant vehicle. After a day’s work, the group hit a dive bar with, what else, karaoke.

“These guys twisted my arm and made me get up there,” Brian recalled. Though he was barely willing to talk — his voice no longer sounding like his own — he sang Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire.” “It was profound,” Brian says. “I found my voice.”

That moment in Reno became what Brian calls “the first gift that Burning Man gave me before I even went to Burning Man.” On playa that year, Brian noticed nobody touched the bass guitar sitting in camp all week. So, he decided he would become Black Rock Piano Lounge’s resident bass player the next year. Though the pandemic interrupted Brian’s plans of playing on playa, it sparked a musical renaissance — he started playing online with musicians worldwide.

Now at home in Seattle, WA, Brian plays music three nights a week, organizes live band karaoke at the theme camp Hair of the Dog on playa, and has long-standing relationships with online bandmates all over the world. Brian’s motto: “Dare to suck.”

As he puts it: “If you’re going to sit there and think about people’s judgment, you may never get started.”

And he did. All because some Burners he hardly knew egged him on at a Reno dive bar, understanding that sometimes the most radical act of self-expression is simply showing up.

Live music taps into something primal and essential about Burning Man. It’s a world of surreal spectacle and electrified simulation out there. So many bells, so many blinkies, so much propane. That’s all well and amazing, but there’s something invigorating and vital to witnessing — and participating — in live musical creation. It jolts us out of our default modes of consumption and spectatorship and invites us into a space of presence, connection, and collaborative creativity.

Have you had memorable moments tickling the keys, blowing some brass, or singing your heart out in Black Rock City? Tell us all about it in the comments!

 Cover image of a pianist sitting down to the keys at sunrise with the Man at his back, 2022 (Photo by Maciej Gryko)

It’s often said that Black Rock City is a space for experimentation and iteration, and that those lessons branch out and impact the world for “the other 51 weeks.” Turns out, that’s all applicable to the dance music subculture within BRC. The Burning Man experience has influenced DJs, event producers, and more to bring the communal effort, musical experimentation, and serendipity from the playa back to their year-round endeavors. 

There’s been quite an evolution of the electronic music scene in Black Rock City over the last 25 years. I chatted with some of the originators of the scene and who first brought their creativity and creations to the playa between 2003-2008 (or are contributing to projects that had their start during those years) to get their perspectives and learn how Burning Man has influenced their musical and artistic journeys out in the world beyond the desert.

You Can’t Make this Experience Happen Alone — Syd Gris & Opulent Temple

Commercial music festivals typically have production companies that build the stages, and the host organization or promoters who program and market the lineups. That’s not how Burning Man works. There are no sponsors in Black Rock City, making it a totally different calculus. It takes a village to bring large scale sound out to the playa, with many human beings contributing countless hours of planning and prep to create something bigger than themselves, then hard physical work and tear down in a harsh environment. 

Syd Gris has been leading the Opulent Temple crew and their music mission to the desert for more than 20 years. Known for their massive sound, impressive stage design, and Sacred Dance “white parties” on Wednesday nights, it may be less apparent that the Opulent Temple’s DJ lineup is largely composed of people who played a part in bringing the camp and stage to life.

“It’s the reason that we still exist — the participation of a volunteer group to spend their money, to spend their vacation time to build this thing for other people to enjoy. We have a community that believes in what we’re doing and gets enough out of the effort and large amounts of hassle involved to produce this pretty massive, cool complex production. We need every member of the crew to make Opulent Temple happen.”

Burning Man Creates Professional Experiences… for Amateurs

For many on the Opulent Temple crew, the artistic release of playing a set at Burning Man is central to the motivation of making the camp happen year after year. From the outside, an Opulent Temple set may appear professionally executed by seasoned producers and creators. But on the ground, Opulent Temple is (and many Black Rock City sound camps are) a playground for amateur music and logistics geeks to bring their dream productions to life. In this way, even big sound camps resemble other small and large scale collective Burning Man initiatives — living a participatory ethos that welcomes all to play and create, regardless of their real-world credentials — it’s about passion, not perfection.

“The people on our team, they are mostly DJs who want their opportunity to have that amazing Burning Man moment of playing music at the best party on the planet. It is part of the deal — you volunteer your time, you do a lot of shitty things like unloading semi trucks in dust storms to build a stage — all so you can have that DJ moment. Our folks are great and talented, but they’re not professional, touring DJs. Their chance to play a set at this scale at Burning Man is to give their blood, sweat and tears to this effort. And that is definitely part of how we have had a sustainable team as well as of course, the family, the camaraderie, and the satisfaction.” 

DJing in Black Rock City Allows You to Experiment and Take Risks — The Scumfrog

The open natural expanse, the extra space to dance, thousands of humans unplugged from schedules and expectations, and crowds wired for new experiences — all of these elements lend themselves to the playa being an ideal place for musical experimentation that ultimately fuels the evolution of music beyond Burning Man.

If you were on playa between 2004 and 2018, you may have heard Jesse Houk aka The Scumfrog’s sounds emanating from Opulent Temple, Pink Pussycat, the Robot Heart bus, or other sound systems. Having first arrived in Black Rock City by invitation from Syd Gris, Jesse quickly realized the music scene in Black Rock City was different. He was touring all over Europe at the time, and while his career was on a solid track, BRC’s energy shifted how he thought about his craft. 

Initially starting out with crowd favorites, Jesse quickly realized he could try out some unexpected twists in his sets, that the dancefloor embraced his creativity, and that it might fundamentally change the way he approached his music artistry.

“I played probably 24 hours after I arrived [in Black Rock City]. I played exactly the set that I would’ve played a week before in Ibiza, and it went over great because it was a set that was very much like the sound of that moment and all of my new songs that had not been released. That whole part of DJ culture was very much still alive and kicking, so people appreciated that. But it wasn’t until I started exploring in the days after that, I realized I didn’t have to do that.”

“Burning Man allowed me to DJ outside of DJ culture, and it allowed me to take a lot of risks outside of what people expected from me in terms of my brand or sound. And if those risks worked, then I could take whatever worked from that experiment back into mainstream clubs and events.” 

As Jesse got deeper into the evolving electronic music counterculture of Black Rock City, his experimentation deepened too. 

“Through the years that I went, Burning Man was so valuable because it made me reset and reconsider what my career is about,” Jesse said. “I truly embraced a counterculture element that Burning Man provided. I could DJ and I could make people happy and dance without having to do the thing that was necessarily expected of me. I could let that all go and just do cool shit, and I really loved that.”

While Jesse hasn’t been back to Black Rock City since before the pandemic, he hopes other DJs experience Black Rock City as a place to celebrate creative experimentation.

“Don’t let the motivation be boosting bookings or social media, follow repetitive musical formulas, or seek out only the camps and cars building ever bigger sound systems,” he wisely shared.

“We want this to be an exercise in community building. We want this to be an exercise in counterculture. Burning Man is an experiment and you go with where that experiment leads you. So as an artist, I would tell other DJs that if you go to Burning Man, use it to take risks. That’s what I got out of it the most, and I had the most creative breakthroughs as a producer and a DJ from moments at Burning Man.”

Electronic Music Builds Community — Lee Burridge

Music lovers come together in Black Rock City to enjoy sets on unbelievable sound systems with amazing people. Partying with people you love and making new friends through music is not exclusive to Burning Man, of course. But doing it in a decommodified, non-commercial environment, where people are fully present, where you often don’t even know who’s DJing, where you’re introduced to new sounds, and where people get to know you for who YOU are? That’s what builds authentic connection and community on playa, and for many in the dance music world, that translates into a more interconnected global music scene for fans and creators alike.

When Lee Burridge first landed on playa in 2005, he decided to firstly take in all Burning Man had to offer rather than making DJ’ing the reason to be there.

“I didn’t want to instantly make what I did each week in clubs a part of something I didn’t yet understand. I chose to take my first year at Burning Man just to explore and be free.”

Lee was a key contributor to the emergence of the Full Moon parties in Thailand in the early 1990’s. By his second year in Black Rock City, he was seeking music consciously created to bring forth a specific feeling that enhanced the playa’s natural surroundings. Unable to find what he was looking for, he began exploring a new sound that played an important part in the evolution of electronic music in BRC.

“Each year I was still just letting Burning Man be whatever it needed to be for me, but I would always leave the playa very, very inspired and excited on so many different levels. Both musical and other. I was gushing for about a decade to literally anybody who would listen that people had to go out there — especially to a bunch of my contemporaries in the music scene.” 

The community aspect of electronic music in Black Rock City persists for Lee beyond the playa and in his day-to-day work. He runs a record label and global event series which he partially credits Burning Man for inspiring certain aesthetics and values.

“Quite a few times I’ve unwittingly built communities around music, and it was seeing the power of community out at Burning Man that reminded me of its beauty and value in the world. I continue to bring it into my events both with the family of artists I work alongside as well with those attending. I always like to wander around and talk to people rather than hide in the DJ booth. It’s always interesting to talk to people, thank them for being there and sometimes I get to hear beautiful stories from their community experiences. Music is such a beautiful way to connect and we get to experience so many different things because of it. Love, joy, happiness, escapism, connection. These are some of the things I’ve personally taken with me every time I’ve gotten off the playa.” 

It’s Not Just a Week in the Desert, It’s a Lifestyle — Jason Swamy & Robot Heart

So many groups coalesce to bring beats to the desert, but what happens after we all go home? The connections made through music in Black Rock City have a way of continuing well beyond the dust. Sound camps and mutant vehicle teams create offshoot projects, put on events, organize their crews, and iterate on what they learned in BRC. The Burning Man electronic music community and culture is on the move, sparking gatherings, collaborations and creative spaces around the world.

Though they may be known to many as the architects of the deep playa sunrise set, the Robot Heart team’s reach has been branching out into the larger world for quite some time. They created their own multi-day event outside of Las Vegas, and threw events in New York City for many years. 

“When you take the 10 Principles back home, this becomes a year-round lifestyle, not just the few days we create together in the desert,” Jason Swamy said.

Most recently, the newly formed Robot Heart Foundation nonprofit activated The Loom makerspace in Oakland for two month-long residences that featured art, talks, community activation, children’s workshops, and yes, of course, the “oontz-oontz.”

Swamy created the sound and curatorial programming structure for Robot Heart, and serves as the Music Director. He and the team first brought the Robot Heart concept to playa from New York in 2008 (ask him sometime about how he DJ’ed for more than 40 hours over the course of his first Burn). He gives a nod to Burning Man for influencing his own work producing festivals in Thailand and Bali.

“Though I was helping curate the Robot Heart bus for many years, at this point in my career, working on other projects in other parts of the world, I help curate other curators. We’re all children and progeny of Burning Man. Robot Heart is not an electronic music camp. We are a culture camp. We are doers and dreamers. We are constantly creating and evolving what Robot Heart is to become around the world, but it was born at Burning Man.”

Preserving Serendipity Makes Experiences Magical — Benji Alexander & Robot Heart

You know that feeling when you’re cruising around BRC and you run into the exact thing you didn’t know you were looking for? Or when someone says the one thing you needed to hear? Or when that DJ plays the perfect track for a collective moment? That, my friends, is playa serendipity. It’s core to Burning Man, and it’s core to the musical tastemakers and organizers that make it happen. It’s more than a vibe — it’s an ethos that informs the way camps operate, how DJs create, and how community evolves on playa and out into the world.

Benjamin “Benji” Alexander has been camping and DJ’ing with Robot Heart since 2011. Over the last five years, he has led the team that curates the musical experience of the bus on playa. 

“We don’t have radios in camp, on purpose. We don’t walk the bus out with team uniforms on. We are very, very shooting-from-the-hip and wanting to make sure that it’s still fun for us. We don’t want this to turn into running a festival stage. For the last five years I’ve been the main guy that’s running DJ programming, and my way of thinking about that is if a DJ misses their set, it is what it is. The DJ before can play longer, the DJ after can begin sooner, or there’ll be some other DJ around. We’re still really holding onto that rugged aspect of Burning Man.”

Benji led the musical curation of Robot Heart’s recent Oakland residencies. A large part of the design and flow of that urban experience was guided by lessons and experiences from Black Rock City. He says it’s all about serendipity.

“The thing that we, even as people who bring music to Burning Man, love so much is the serendipity. One of the major differences between Burning Man and pretty much every other large event is that as soon as you step out of the kind of designated zones for music [at other large-scale events], there’s often nothing going on other than people sleeping. Whereas the thing that’s so incredible [in BRC] is the random awesomeness of just walking or riding through any part of the city and finding someone that’s just set up something for you to experience that is going to be awesome. We really want to hold onto that.” 

Burning Man’s electronic music scene offers far more than a week of sound in the desert — it’s a blueprint for how creativity, collaboration, and courage can reshape our everyday lives. From the dusty dance floors of Black Rock City to living rooms, warehouses, conference tables, and remote gatherings around the globe, the lessons are clear: no one does it alone; experimentation fuels growth; and shared rhythms build authentic connection and community. When we carry the ethos of Radical Inclusion, improvisation, and intentional serendipity beyond the playa, we help cultivate a world where music isn’t just heard — it’s lived.

Want to dive into more BRC music history and culture? Check out these additional stories on the Burning Man Journal and Burning Man LIVE podcasts episodes:

• 

  Playa Lessons Applied: What Mayan Warrior’s Been Up To This Year

  September 10, 2021 By Dominique Debucquoy-Dodley
• 

  Meet the DJs Who Started Burning Man’s First Sound Camp

  November 17, 2021 By Kirsten Weisenburger
• 

  So You Want to DJ at Burning Man? Cptn Jay on Participation, Gifting, and the Point of It All

  July 21, 2023 By Dominique Debucquoy-Dodley

Cover image design by Martin Rodriguez

Calling all Citizens of Black Rock City!

The stardust has barely settled from our 2024 mission, and still the cosmic compass points ever forward. After years adrift in the dust, Center Camp reignited in spectacular fashion last year. The Canopy, once ghosted by time, shimmered again with strange delights, performances, and the unmistakable hum of human connection. Not only were there crowds, but the post-event survey and social threads were bursting with approval and accolades. 

In post-Burn surveys, some 2,580 brave explorers rated Center Camp on a scale from “space junk” (1) to “Supernova” (5). The result? An average of 4 out of 5. This is an orbit of joy that Center Camp hasn’t enjoyed in many years, and it signifies a cultural revitalization occurring in the very heart of our beloved celestial City. Our social media signals confirmed it: where once there were murmurs of “meh,” now echoes of “MAGIC!” bounce around every comment thread. We did that. Together. 

And now, comrades of creativity and captains of chaos, let’s notch the belt and chart a new course to 2025 — and beyond.

MISSION 2025: Black Rock City’s Many Worlds’ Fair

This year, under the banner of Tomorrow Today, Center Camp embodies the thematic expression as a living exposition of multiversal possibility — an interdimensional gathering of inventors, performers, storytellers, zone-creators, and time-traveling mischief-makers — the theme: The Many Worlds’ Fair.

Picture it: pavilions pulsing with imagination, interactive installations colliding in collective play, inventions past and future bending time and space, and actual fountains of playa magic. From Victorian contraptions to lunar dance-offs, from robot apocalypse calamities to regenerative utopian solutions — Center Camp is where timelines tangle and realities remix.

Welcome to the City’s beating heart. Welcome to the Many Worlds’ Fair. 

CALLING ALL CENTER CAMP GALACTIVATORS!

This is an official transmission you will want to pay attention to:

The Many Worlds’ Fair needs you. Yes, you with the sonic silver top hat. You, with the interstellar kazoo. You, with the plan to teach robots how to do macramé. You, with your cohort of weirdos… prepare to WIN Burning Man. 

Whether you’re a wandering performer, a camp looking to co-host a plaza-wide event, a rogue crafter with an experimental device, or someone with a compelling story to tell, Center Camp is ready for your weird, your wonderful, your wholly improbable.

We’re seeking:

• Engaging installations
• Workshops & maker stations
• Performance art & interactive theater
• Pop-up bars and gifting stations
• Shenanigans, games, and quest participation
• Original musical moments & dance parties
• Whole canopy takeovers
• And spontaneous sh*t that defies categorization

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THIS YEAR’S STAR MAP:

The Neighborhood
From Esplanade to C, between 5:30 and 6:30, a buzzing ring of camps will co-create the vibe, forming a unified community dedicated to daily wonder and nightly revelry. Scavenger hunts and serendipity games will form a web of unseen magic tying the neighborhood together in a wormhole of playa magic. Block parties? Yes, please. Conspiracies of joy? Naturally.

The Canopy: A Grand Exposition of Multiversal Possibility
Under the Canopy: Prepare for themed mischief, immersive storytelling, roaming performers, zany theatrics, comedy, circus, and crafternoon invention laboratory sessions. The Canopy will evolve from a perennial crossroads to a galactic center where travelers from all places and all times are invited to mix, mingle, and dream together.

The Flame Keepers
The Conclave returns! Fire performers from all over the globe will light up the keyhole with pyrokinetic majesty. Like moths to a flame, we invite you to gather around and be warmed from the inside out. 

Storytelling Through the Ages
Our programming arc will unfold like a play through time:

• Exhibits by day, spectacular performances, and themed takeovers by night 
• Tales told with authenticity on stage and in constellations of conversations, both facilitated and free-form 
• A Magic Fountain tapped into the wellspring of serendipity flowing forth from the City’s pulsing heart 
• A Time Capsule designed to allow playa present to gift playa future with memories and heirlooms of adventure 
• Much more magic, as yet unknown

Canopy Interactive Zones

• Center Stage – original music, theatrical shows, hilarious comedy, savvy speakers 
• Innovation Stations – for crafting, inventing, innovating, and conjuring
• The Temporal Gallery – timelines converge and visions of past, present, and future ignite inspiration and imagination
• The Discovery Commons – the Oculus where dance, movement, aerial, and connection reign
• The Grand Central Bar – for tasty treats and creative libations

Activation Schedule Includes:
Dawn Patrol – Wake-up with other weary wanderers via movement and meaning-making
Shady Acres – Crafternoons, speaker series and refreshments to take the edge off
Sunset Soirées – Dance, drink, and dazzle through the golden hours
Weirding Hours – Laughs and lunacy light up the night
Power Down – Lo-fi, snuggly soft-glow lullabies for night’s end, and warmth for the weary

Mutant Vehicle Docking Station
Returning and expanded: an official docking space for interactive art cars offering dynamic and fun activations or pick up opportunities for folks looking for a mutant vehicle playa voyage. From mobile tea parties to roaming museums to clown cars full of misfits — expect the unexpected.

This is your next big adventure, citizen of Black Rock City.
Plot your coordinates. Dust off your gear. Attune your flux capacitors and prepare to land at the crossroads of space and time — the Center Camp Many Worlds’ Fair of 2025.

The exhibition of multiversal possibility is calling. Will you answer?

– END LOG –

Cover image of the Black Rock Philharmonic playing in Center Camp, 2024 (Photo by Frank Roberto)

The ideal place to start, and oh how I wish we had this back in the wayback, is the amazing Camp Resource Guide. Compiled a few seasons ago by the über-experts of the Placement team’s Camp Support unit, this relatively compact (20 pages) web document covers just about everything you’d ever need to know, from camp size and layout considerations to interactivity design, health and safety planning, even leadership issues like financial accounting and conflict resolution. I LOVE this guide. Whether your camp is large or small, placed or not (and by the way let’s be clear: you don’t have to go through the Placement process to have an awesome theme camp), I promise you that there are some tips and tricks in here you can benefit from.

You’ll want to read the whole thing, but I’m going to call out a few quick links:

• First aid kit checklist and ESD Playa First Aid Manual. Because why would you not want to be prepared when one of the participants in your Iron Bartender competition slices off half a knuckle? (Yes, this happened.)
• BRC sound policy. Because turn it up turn it down what do you mean it’s too loud maybe you’re just too old is not a conversation anyone wants to have.

Sustaining the Magic

I remember when people first started bringing generators to power their camps, and the big challenge was how to quiet them down (note: putting a generator in a plywood box is a terrible idea). Nowadays, the challenge is to bring fewer generators, or better yet none at all. The good news is that prices for solar and battery equipment have been dropping steadily over the past few years, making it a viable alternative for powering your camp. But how to size it, source it, and rig it without getting a degree in electrical engineering? The Green Theme Camp Community (GTCC) is one of several participant groups that have been working on demystifying this, along with identifying regenerative solutions for food, water, waste, shelter and transportation. They recently did a ground-up reorganization of their idealicious website, sorting solutions by type, size, and level of commitment (beginner to advanced). Whatever your experience level or the size of your camp, the GTCC Resource Guide is a sustainability rabbit hole that you will definitely want to fall into.

Learn From the Pros

Having a great camp is in reach for any participants. Small or large, placed or not, there is a deep well of community resources to draw on. In case you missed it, the 2025 Camp Symposium, hosted by Burning Man Project, was a great sampler plate of expert advice on building, running, and cleaning up after your theme camp. You can catch the highlights by plugging your ears into episode 110 of the Burning Man LIVE podcast — available in all the usual podcast places or on the Burning Man Project website. And if that only whets your appetite for more, check out this video playlist from last year’s event. Or go even deeper in this collection of Campfire Talks. After 30+ years and thousands of camps, there is a ton of leadership experience out there for you to tap into in bringing your own camp dreams to life.

Special Care for Special Bunnies

Even with all the knowledge out there, it is entirely possible that you’ve thought of something new that no one has thought of before. It happens all the time! If that’s the case, or for whatever reason you can’t find the answer you are looking for, you can always drop a line to the Placement Team’s online help desk — campsupport@burningman.org.

There’s also a Camp Advisory & Mentorship Program, where you can ask to be paired up with another camp organizer to help you along your way. And like all the other support resources discussed here, it’s not just for placed theme camps, it’s for anyone who wants a little mentoring. Here’s the request form to get started.

All told, there is a rich ecosystem of answers out there for just about any question you care to ask. Unlike my disastrous camp of 2010 (don’t ask — still too soon) I’m sure yours is going to be amazing!

Cover image of participants building a theme camp in Black Rock City (Photo by Bill Klemens)

Play is an invitation. If you do it right. 

Cultures live and die by their ability to communicate and develop systems that simultaneously connect and ground people — to each other, to their shared principles, and their common good — while giving them the freedom to explore their intrinsic passions and live lives that matter to them.

Burning Man does these things very well when it exists on a small scale, but as a global cultural movement it struggles because … so far … we don’t know how to build systems, bureaucracies, that do both of these things at the same time. 

In part 1 of this series, we looked at why building bureaucracies that are “Burning Man compliant” is the fundamental challenge of our current era, and in part 2 we examined the state of the conversation that’s happened about this in the past, and what such systems might look like in practice. 

In this post, I want to tell you about times I have experienced where this really seemed to work. They involve a lot of play. Whatever else they may or may not demonstrate, people had a hell of a lot of fun. Which I think is not incidental to why these approaches worked — a bureaucracy that is genuinely fun to engage with is a bureaucracy that people are going to support more than they complain about.

In fact, I think a shorthand is that a bureaucracy that is Burning Man compliant will ideally do three things in addition to its overt functional purpose:

1. Be fun to engage with.
2. Encourage radical self-expression on the part of the people engaging with it.
3. Connect people to each other in a way that allows them to build social capital.

A bureaucracy that can do that is a bureaucracy that people will fall in love with.

When Volunteering Gets Weird

In 2008 I was made the Volunteer Coordinator for Media Mecca. My job was to recruit the other volunteers who would be working with the media, especially when they were on playa. 

Hundreds, maybe thousands, of people were interested. We needed maybe 60, and couldn’t fit more than 80 in the camp.

Figuring out who would make a good volunteer and team member — mostly over email — was one of the challenges I faced; the other, which was not in my job description but that I felt keenly, was to give our volunteers an immediate experience of Burning Man. I wanted the experience of volunteering for my Burning Man team to be as weird and unpredictable and whimsical as Burning Man itself. 

To solve these problems, I fucked with my volunteers. 

Anybody who I thought might make a good addition to the team, anybody whose application I was interested in, immediately had their application process turned into an act of play that was deliberately unpredictable and confusing.

My intention was to rattle them in as fun a way as possible and see how they responded. Media Mecca could be a chaotic environment where weird and unpredictable things happened, and entitled members of the press sometimes throw tantrums or make unreasonable demands. It mattered, as a qualification for the job, how volunteers would handle situations like this. What better way to test that than to create such a situation?

What did this look like? It depended on the person and what they’d written in their volunteer application — this was artisanal fuckery, boutique and individualized. So when people mentioned esoteric interests, I asked them to write short essays on absurd topics in those fields; when someone said they knew a member of Media Mecca who would vouch for them, I denied that any such person existed and demanded (in an over the top way) to know why they were trying to fool me. When someone bragged about the university they’d attended, I said that I had inside information that the university was a mob front. 

I had an applicant who emphasized in his application that he worked for National Geographic and so was really good with photos. After introducing myself, I began my response to him by saying:

I can totally see how a job at National Geographic would be an ideal job. Especially for a geographer. I don’t want to brag, but I was pretty good at geography in high school. In fact — I’m very proud of this — I actually discovered a new continent. Yes, Mr. Mirkarimi said it was just a smudge on the globe, but how is that any different from New Zealand when you think about it?

I’m not sure what a photographer would do at National Geographic, though. Do they run photos?

He responded by saying that yes, of course they run photos, and that they’re one of the premier publications for photography in the world.

I replied (among other things):

I had no idea the National Geographic Magazine had started running photos! That’s really exciting. It sounds like it’s a big new push. When did that happen? Is this a web 2.0 thing, and they’re user generated? (“Send us pictures from your vacations around the world!” kind of deal?) Because that would be very cool. 

Unless you mean the ads. I’ve definitely seen ads in the magazine before. They’re cool too, but obviously in a different way. On a strictly professional level, I have always admired the World Wildlife Fund’s facility with graphic design. They make saving the tigers look so affordable. 

The people who understood that they were being fucked with and either established boundaries about it gracefully or took it as an opportunity to play back, were usually let on the team. The people who freaked out about it or got angry and defensive never did.

Everyone, however, got an experience that felt like Burning Man. And it made a difference in morale; the new people on the team felt much more personally connected. They had stories about how they’d gotten on the team to tell to each other. It was something they could bond over. The response from the long service team captains at Media Mecca was ecstatic: they had new team members who were excited to be there, who were ready for the utter weirdness that some of these shifts involved and could handle it gracefully, and who felt empowered to add playful touches of their own because doing that kind of thing was what got them on the team. 

Are there downsides to this approach? Oh, absolutely. First and foremost: it’s incredibly labor intensive. Instead of sending a bunch of form emails out, responses that could mostly be automated, I was having hundreds of personal (and creatively engaged) conversations. It was a massive commitment of time and energy. 

And of course there’s the potential for hurting people’s feelings or offending them … always a risk when you fuck with people. Anyone trying this approach has to be careful that they don’t cross a line from “playful fuckery” into outright meanness. Not everyone can do this well. If you can’t make play and fuckery an invitation, then you’re just being an asshole.

While the idea was always to invite people in rather than keep them out, to invite them into our weird fun, if you use this approach you’re also going to lose good volunteers — people who surely might be otherwise great for the team are going to drop out. This can be a serious issue if you need every volunteer you can get. But in the situation I had, there was simply no way for me to use every qualified volunteer. I was going to lose many good people anyway, no matter what approach I took. And I think it’s insulting to the volunteers who weren’t chosen to pretend that I had some objective criteria by which they were rejected. I didn’t. No one did. I was going to end up rejecting good people; it was only a question of how I was going to do that. Under those conditions, I chose to screen for people who could keep their heads about them when they were in a confusing situation, and especially get playful with it. Those were qualities that mattered.

And it worked. It turned what could have been a boring and superficial encounter with a system into an experience of Burning Man that people were excited to get to be part of. If we assume that no system is free of problems, this is the system and the problems I’d choose to have.

Of Course You Know This Means War

In 2012 Media Mecca and the Census went to war over a volunteer. There were pranks, stickerings, camp invasions, and more. It ended inconclusively, with no real resolution, which meant that it didn’t really end at all, and low grade “hostilities” (of the most fun kind) continued for years. In 2016, representatives of each side sat down to hammer out a peace treaty, and realized that a peace process can actually involve even more fuckery than a conflict. You can read an account here. (Note that the terms of the treaty listed there are incomplete.)

For Media Mecca, it was entirely a whimsical adventure — there were no stakes beyond seeing just how hilarious a peace process we could make. The Census negotiators, however, came with fuckery, yes, but also with real concerns. They had felt for a while like the Burning Man staff leadership had been inattentive to their needs, both as a camp and as a scientific endeavor. Burning Man’s staff were affiliated with Media Mecca, so Census brought those needs to the bargaining table: they had actual issues they wanted raised and solved, and they were willing to commit to further acts of play as part of the peace process to get it.

To be clear: the war between Media Mecca and the Census was not sanctioned by Burning Man staff. They mostly rolled their eyes at it. Sometimes they tried to stop it. (We got yelled at by Danger Ranger.) Staff were not represented at the negotiating table, or involved in the peace process. So the Media Mecca negotiators had no actual power to give the Census team what they wanted. The best we could do was say “we’ll commit to bringing it up with the staff, with whom we have a closer relationship than you.” But … we knew the staff were probably going to roll their eyes again. 

So it seemed like the Census had put a lot of hope into a fool’s promise. We had no power to give them what they wanted. But … here’s the thing … a couple of years later, they’d gotten many of the things they’d asked for. And apparently (so I’ve been told) the peace treaty helped. So Census might have been right after all. The combination of Media Mecca people periodically lobbying for the Census, because after all we had signed a peace treaty, combined with the fact that even if it had no official force … even if it had all been a game, and negotiated in a state of play … the existence of that document, of that set of priorities and needs, seemed to warp the world around it. Seemed to add a kind of moral authority to the Census’ requests for support, because after all, aren’t we a culture that respects fuckery?

Somehow this peace treaty actually had helped. They’d been right.

Playful symbolic acts of conflict and negotiation can actually be good for an organization to settle disputes over resources and priorities. The original war actually did settle the issue of how we were going to handle the volunteer we both wanted, and instead of hurt feelings it brought us closer together than we’d ever been. The peace negotiations actually did end up getting everyone some version of what they wanted, and created a more playful and fun atmosphere that in some ways continues to this day. But the play has to come first: I’m not sure it would have worked if we had set out to take it seriously. The benefits from the structure are only possible if the play comes first. A system that can facilitate, and value, play can benefit from this approach — a system that goes through the motions but doesn’t really value play for its own sake can’t. 

Doing The Right Thing Is Always Inconvenient. Embrace The Inconvenience

I return to the shorthand bullet points for a “Burning Man compliant bureaucracy” that I offered above:

1. Be fun to engage with.
2. Encourage radical self-expression on the part of the people engaging with it.
3. Connect people to each other in a way that allows them to build social capital.

Both of these examples did that, and both of them worked. And when they worked, what otherwise might have been dull, even draining, bureaucratic processes turned into playful acts that people were excited to engage with and bring their creativity to. 

Play is much more risky than a conventional bureaucracy is. A conventional bureaucracy is designed to eliminate risk, even if it means eliminating passion and immediacy and inclusion. In a conventional bureaucracy efficiency and risk are more important than everything else. That’s why conventional organizations use it.

But Burning Man isn’t a conventional organization — it’s a culture. It matters that people in that culture have agency and feel humanized rather than commoditized. And so I think the greater danger to Burning Man is to make systems that are so “safe” that they deaden our principles. People hate conventional bureaucracies in part because they leave no room for self-expression or authentic human connection or play, all of which are themselves innately risky activities. Turning bureaucracy into play gives people agency: they are not victims of bureaucracy, they are participants in an open ended act of performance art. And you can solve some issues through play that are much harder to address in conventional systems. If you do it right it creates systems that people not only tolerate but are passionate about engaging with. 

Over time, I have concluded that Burning Man culture is incompatible with conventional bureaucracies, especially at larger scales. We need to recognize that the kind of systems we want to build — the kind that create experiences we want people to have — are going to be “efficiency third” systems that involve a lot of labor and personalized attention rather than streamlining. We need to understand that these systems will be periodically unpredictable, and we need to accept a level of risk with them that conventional businesses and non-profits would not. Because we inspire people who are looking for a better culture, rather than a dress-up version of the default world. 

Doing things the right way is always going to be hard. But we can make bureaucracy Burning Man compliant. We know how. And it can be a lot — a lot — of fun. 

Cover image of participants at the BRC Box Office windows, 2023 (Photo by Mark Mennie)

It’s happening. Together YOU and tens of thousands of dusty beings will soon converge in an ephemeral city fueled by creativity. Black Rock City 2025 is coalescing to be the Best Burning Man Ever — bursting with awe-inspiring art, participatory community, and mind-bending opportunities to connect and explore. Pack all the things!

We know you want all the tasty details, fresh and up front. Here’s the TL;DR:

The Secure Ticket Exchange Program (STEP) opens Monday, May 19. 

• STEP is the only guaranteed safe way to resell and purchase tickets and vehicle passes outside of regular sales.
• Access STEP by logging into your MyTickets account.
• Tickets in all price tiers are available.
• Ticket price and availability is dependent on tickets being sold back into STEP.
• Vehicle passes may only be purchased and returned with tickets.
• Learn more by visiting the Burning Man tickets page.

About past and future public ticket sales:

• The OMG Sale, later this summer, will be the next public ticket sale.
• The Tomorrow Sale is now closed.
• The Tomorrow and OMG sales offer an interest free payment plan that allows you to pay for your order in 3 installments over 3 months.
• Vehicle passes are $150 each; maximum of 2 tickets and 1 vehicle pass per purchase.

All are welcome to come to Black Rock City — whether you join a theme camp, participate in a mutant vehicle or art crew, or come with a group of friends and camp on your own. Start with a ticket! You could even board the Burner Express Bus and leave your car at home. 

When you buy a higher-priced ticket to Black Rock City, you make more Burning Man possible — supporting art through Honoraria grants, underwriting Black Rock City operations, and funding lower-priced tickets such as Ticket Aid.

Which Ticket Tier Is Best for YOUR Communal Effort?

The Today and Tomorrow Sales offered all 2025 ticket price tiers;  the OMG Sale will likely offer some, but not all of these tiers. Now is the time to decide if you wish to: 

• Give a gift: The $950 ticket makes things happen in wildly inspired ways — with $750 being the Black Rock City cost per participant you’re paying your way and supporting art grants and Black Rock City operational costs. With a $1,500 or $3,000 ticket you’re getting a ticket while making the experience of Black Rock City available to more people.
• Pay your way: The $750 ticket covers all operational costs for one participant in Black Rock City — you!
• Receive the gift: Available in limited quantities and intended to provide financial accessibility, $650 and $550 tickets enable participants to bring themselves and their creativity to Black Rock City. 

Payment Plan Option

The Tomorrow and OMG sales offer a payment plan option lets you pay for your ticket in three installments over three months — interest free. Tickets in all price tiers — from $550 to $3,000 — are eligible and you can opt in during the ticket purchase process. To learn more, visit the ticketing FAQ.

It Was (Always) Better This Year

Catalyze your Burning Man experience with a 2025 BRC ticket! Whether it’s your first Black Rock City Burn or your 20th, whether you’re 22 or 82, every journey within Black Rock City brings new friendships and opens creative horizons. Prepare yourself for liftoff; encounter participatory art and culture; dance until dawn; cultivate deep connections — all in the sublime Black Rock Desert. Learn about tickets to Burning Man and register on April 21 by visiting the ticketing page.

Cover image of “End of Time” by Andrea Greenlees and Andy Tibbetts, 2025 (Photo by Vanessa Franking)

You love to collect them, we love to print them. That’s why, each year, we proudly invite YOU to become an integral part of this time-honored tradition, helping us prepare for our annual trek to the desert. It’s just one example of our radically participatory culture in action: the citizens of Black Rock City get to design stickers for what will become our Gate (welcome) sticker — handed out by Greeters at the entrance of the city, accompanied by the WhatWhereWhen booklet — along with a handful of other selected sticker designs which we print for Gifting throughout the week. 

Please carefully read (then re-read) each of the submission requirements listed below, in order for your 2025 Burning Man sticker design(s) to be considered. Most importantly, get ready to unleash your imagination — we can’t wait to see what you come up with! 

YOUR 2025 STICKER SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

1. SIZE — Your sticker design(s) must fit within one of the following die sizes:
   • 3” diameter circle
   • 3″x3″ square with a 0.062” corner radius
   • 2.5″x6” with a 0.125” corner radius
2. WORDS — Please try to include either “Burning Man” or “Black Rock City” along with the year “2025” into your design.
3. COLORS — If using 1–3 colors, set up the file to print as PMS; If using 4 or more colors, set up the file to print as CMYK.
4. FONTS — you must OUTLINE all fonts (meaning all text must be vector shapes). 
5. GATE STICKER — Remember that ROUND stickers are given priority for scoring the coveted “Gate sticker” spot, gifted to all BRC citizens. 
6. THEME — Since preference is often given to designs incorporating the theme, feel free to get more intimately acquainted with this year’s theme “Tomorrow Today” for additional design inspiration.
7. SUBMISSIONS — Please email the original Adobe Illustrator (ai.) file of your sticker design(s) to Stickers@BurningMan.org with your FIRST and LAST NAME along with the phrase “2025 Sticker Submission” in the subject header. (Note: just because you can send a high-resolution PDF, doesn’t mean you should. The original ai. file is always preferred.)
8. DEADLINE — You must submit your design(s) by Friday, May 23, 2025 (no exceptions).

Good luck, and may your designs take your imagination to the uncharted territories of Tomorrow Today. Selected sticker designs will be contacted via email.

Cover image of BRC 2024 sticker designers group photo in Black Rock City (Photo by Jamen Percy)

Funded by the nonprofit Burning Man Project, the Black Rock City Honoraria Program helps artists from all traditions and walks of life tell their stories through collaborative projects. When you contribute to the nonprofit through donations or higher-priced tickets, you’re directly funding these grants, bringing art to the playa and more connective creativity to the world. The Honoraria grants are designed to cover a portion of the artists’ costs, but projects require additional financial and logistical support from the community. We’ll be publishing the 2025 Art Listings soon — take a minute to browse these, find an installation that speaks to you, and get involved!

Cultivating Cross-cultural Storytelling and Understanding

Burning Man celebrates cultural cross-pollination, and encourages participants to share and explore one anothers’ traditions. Through Honoraria grants, artists are supported in bringing cultural stories to life in ways that are participatory and experiential. These immersive experiences open new perspectives and serve as portals to help people connect and understand one another.

Black Rock City 2025 Honoraria artists Thomas Dambo and Anwane Lee are each bringing large-scale interactive works that utilize ancient stories from their respective cultures. Thomas’ giant troll, Rose, is making the journey from Denmark with a reminder of the importance of protecting the natural world, while Chicago-Based Antwane Lee is invoking a cosmic story that shines a light on the power of ancient African spiritual technologies.

As a youngster, Dambo spent time working in a warehouse in Denmark, where he witnessed a stunning volume of pallets and crates being discarded every day. He began to imagine all the things he could create with this scrap wood. And he had an epiphany. 

“Those piles of wood embodied a forest that had grown all over the world,” Thomas told us. He pictured a global legion of trolls, crafted from scrap wood; each troll stood as a protector of the natural world. Trolls have an ancient role in northern European cultures. “They have their foothold in what was before,” Thomas explained. “The trolls were always creatures of nature… ” 

Since then, Thomas has transformed discarded materials into 156 trolls that roam across 17 countries. “The stories that I tell with trolls, they’re the unspoken voice of nature and plants. What would animals and plants say if we could understand? The humans are the ones who have some black magic power that enables them to control and change everything… I use my trolls to show us a mirror of who we are as humans.”

Rose is the newest addition to Thomas’ troll family, currently being created on his farm in Denmark. In May, she will travel across the ocean to Black Rock City as “Rose Wonders,” Thomas’ 2025 Honoraria installation. On playa, Rose is trying to understand who we humans are, and why we behave like we do. Next on her journey, Rose will be installed in a botanical garden — a fitting home for an ancient forest creature.

Browse Thomas Dambo’s global troll map and learn more about his work on his website.

From forest creatures to a faraway solar system, Chicago artist and architect Antwane Lee is bringing a large-scale work that merges contemporary technology with ancient African traditional beliefs about the cosmos. ‘’’Pillar of Po Tolo’ is based on the Dogon tribe from Mali, their cosmology and spiritual beliefs,” Antwane explained. “The Dogon people have a belief system that the founders of civilization on Earth came from the Sirius star system… They had this concept that Sirius was a binary star long before European astronomers, with the aid of telescopes, confirmed this.”

In his work, Antwane is leveraging 21st century technology to immerse participants in an ancient belief system that is still very much alive among the Dogon people. As participants approach the pillar — the center of the installation — they move through a portal to activate music and lights, and engage with a console to influence these effects. The pillar is adorned with handprints and ancient symbols such as West African spirals of creation.

“From a spiritual standpoint, different cultures around the world believe that when they go to shrines, they’re going to another space, another dimension,” Antwane added. “I wanted this installation to be a way of using [a shrine] in a modern sense… to activate it at a console, because that’s what we’re so used to.”

Via interactive encounters with the “Pillar of Po Tolo,” Antwane hopes participants will broaden their concept of technology. “African spiritual science is a form of technology. It may not be in terms of zeros and ones or quantum computers, but it is a form of technology.” 

After Black Rock City 2025, Antwane hopes “Pillar of Po Tolo” can travel to other cities and events and continue opening minds to African spiritual technology and cosmology of the Dogon people.

Follow Antwane on Instagram to learn more about the piece and support its journey to Black Rock City. 

Empowering First-time Playa Artists to Bring their Visions to Life

When first-time Black Rock City artists receive an Honoraria grant to bring their art to the playa, they accept an experiential invitation to stretch their creative and logistical wings. Helping artists and collectives bring works of art to playa for the first time cultivates connections and new forms of creative expression that ripple well beyond Burning Man.

“Simple art has its place out there too. People are used to seeing in the press these huge sculptures and these huge pieces that you need a semi-truck to bring in,” noted first-time playa artist Lauren Randolph, co-creator of 2025 Honoraria piece “Tim’s Bench.” She’s one of several Honoraria artists building a desert installation to Black Rock City for the first time this year. 

Also embarking on their first Honoraria adventure, Hope Antrim and Nate Andersen are in the midst of kicking off their art build. “PATCHES” was born from a joke about a crone who magically appears on playa to mend damaged fake fur, torn spandex, and faulty playa gear. Over three years, Hope and Nate came up with endless yarns about Patches’ handiwork. Then they devised her little house, an oasis of helpful tools and supportive skills.

When Hope and Nate received an Honoraria grant to build “PATCHES” in Black Rock City 2025, the fairytale became very real. Patches will inhabit a whimsical playa cottage complete with sewing machine and other helpful tools. Inside, skilled and generous humans will sew, repair gear and share their gifts. 

“For some of our artists who are working on this, myself included, we’ve been putting a career in front of our artwork,” Hope told us. “To really get to share a piece of art with the community and just heal that part of ourselves and send love out that way would be really special.” 

Hope and Nate quickly found they were cultivating a community of friends, family and artists to help out. Patches was working her magic. After Black Rock City, Patches’ house will be relocated to a small town near Joshua Tree, California, to house a vulnerable family member who needs a permanent place to live. 

Learn about “PATCHES” and explore her adorable cottage on the artists’ website.

Sisters Caitlin and Lauren Randolph always came to Black Rock City with their dad, Tim Green. Starting when they were teenagers, Tim gave them Burning Man gear and a ticket every year at Christmas. Together, they run Our House Camp with family and friends. Every year they organize Color Day, which invites participants to dress in a single color and pose together in a giant rainbow photo.

This year, Caitlin and Lauren became Black Rock City artists. Their Honoraria piece, “Tim’s Bench” honors the memory of their dad. “Our dad’s only wish upon passing was to have a bench instead of a gravestone because he wanted to give people a place to have a nice sit and enjoy the view… Burning Man was so important to him, to us, to our family, to his lifestyle. It just felt appropriate to work on bringing benches to Burning Man first.”

While Caitlin and Lauren work in creative industries, they are new to the adventure of building art in the dust. “It’s something both of us have talked about every year. Going to Burning Man for decades makes you interested in installation art,” Caitlin told us. “Working in any kind of construction or building is definitely a new thing for me and I’m excited,” Lauren added.

“Tim’s Bench” will in fact be three adorable benches, situated in the ideal place to rest and contemplate the cacophony of Black Rock City. It is a perfect tribute to their dad. Lauren explained: “He started bringing a little fold-up chair along to festivals because he specifically said, ‘There are never enough fucking places to sit at these things.’”

“Some of the best art out there is the stuff that’s simple and smart and helpful…” observed Caitlin. “That was something really important to us: having a place for people to rest… the walk home is always a lot longer than you think.”

Drop by the “Tim’s Bench” website to learn more about the project. 

Art as a Path to Learning Skills and Nurturing Creative Community

Burning Man is a sandbox for collaborative teaching and learning, one that builds artists’ skills and capacity to take on new challenges in Black Rock City and beyond. When you encounter large-scale interactive art on the playa, it’s easy to assume it’s built by traditional metalworkers and fabricators. In reality, many installations emerge from community-run spaces that invite anyone to step in and learn the skills needed to be part of a big art crew.

For 25 years, the Flaming Lotus Girls have fabricated kinetic fire art for Black Rock City and beyond. The collective encourages femme and queer creators, but welcomes all. Their open door philosophy invites people with little or no experience, and has succeeded in nurturing multiple generations of creators who spread their wings and become artists and teachers in their own right.

“One of the primary design considerations for most projects is making space for people to be in Flaming Lotus Girls. We are about community; the art is almost a byproduct,” explained Margaret Long, a long-time member of the collective.

Anne Pauley joined Flaming Lotus Girls in 2019 when the crew was already deep in building “Serenity” for Black Rock City. She brought project management skills, and soon learned metalwork and fundraising. “We have people designated in the group to intake new people and find tasks that will fit their existing skill set or don’t require existing skills. There’s always work to be done, so we put a lot of thought and consideration into making sure that somebody can come in not knowing anybody… and just meet them where they’re at.”

Fast forward to 2025, Anne is part of the team building “Haven,” Flaming Lotus Girls’ 19th Honoraria installation. The piece is a nest, overseen by a host of different birds protecting the magical eggs laid within. “Haven” will invite dusty participants to come into the nest to rest, gather… and push buttons that make the birds spout fire.

“‘Haven’ is us…” Margaret told us. “We’re a bunch of weird birds getting together, being awesome and fabulous, and creating this space that is beautiful and joyful, that gives us all something to work together towards, that gives us opportunities… to find new skills and be creative.” Flaming Lotus Girls’ work has traveled far and wide, to events and urban spaces where it continues to evoke awe and inspire people to learn industrial arts and build beautiful things.

Visit the Flaming Lotus Girls website to follow them on social media and join their newsletter; both will announce upcoming fundraisers and opportunities to get involved.

The World-changing Power of Community-built Participatory Art

The participatory art of Black Rock City evokes awe, empathy and connection — emotions that bring people together to imagine possibilities well beyond themselves. This year, 76 Honoraria-funded works of art will rise on the playa. These grants support first-time and experienced artists alike, emboldening them to share cultural stories, cultivate community, and learn skills that create an impact beyond the desert. Learn more about 2025 Honoraria art in this Journal post!

Cover image of Danish artist Thomas Dambo in his studio, 2025 (Photo courtesy of Thomas Dambo)

This is just the beginning of an exceptional journey towards the playa. Whether awe-inspiring, thought-provoking, or downright silly, these works invite YOU to engage, explore, and shape Black Rock City in your own way.

A full list of projects and artists can be found at the end of this article.

Art That Invokes Tomorrow Today

Some artworks explore the 2025 Black Rock City theme, Tomorrow Today, envisioning a future shaped by innovation, imagination, and ingenuity. “Solar Synaptic Dynamo [aka Reflections]” is a 32-foot tower where participants apply gravity to generate electricity. “The Cosmic Carousel: A Human-made Object for an Alien World” returns to BRC after more than a decade, inviting communal engagement through climbing and spinning this futuristic, gravity-defying sculpture. And “Un Nuevo Camino” depicts a parent and child in space suits — the child floating weightlessly ahead, leading the way toward a future where humanity must forge a new path.

Many projects unrelated to the theme also bring something essential to Black Rock City. This year, we leaned into projects that foster collaboration, both on and off playa. You’ll also see a blend of new creative voices along with some beloved returning artists, and a range of sizes, vibes, materials, and complexity. Whether you’re drawn to climbing, fire, storytelling, meditation, trippy lights, high-energy play, or a quiet place to rest, there’s something for everyone to discover.

Bringing People Together: Art That Connects

At Burning Man, art isn’t just something to observe — it’s something to build, interact with, and experience together. Crews of friends, strangers, and soon-to-be family come together to construct, problem-solve, adapt, and play, forging deep bonds in the process. 

It’s inspiring when art ignites creativity and collaboration in local communities, strengthening connections long before and after the dust settles. “Ouroboros” from Milwaukee and “Altar of Awen” from Phoenix will each activate and engage their local creative communities. The “Black Rock Monster Containment” team will have open calls for build participation, empowering people to learn different skills and offering a welcoming, collaborative space for all.

The collaboration doesn’t stop once the art is built. Many of this year’s projects are designed to nurture connection between Burners on playa. “Future Sketch” is a giant Etch A Sketch-style project best enjoyed with others. There are portals and podiums surrounding the “Pillar of Po Tolo” — a modern interpretation of star systems and African spiritual technology that triggers a special display of visuals, constellations, and African music. Your camp might even want to orchestrate a hoedown at “Jukebox Country,” a honky-tonk-inspired dance floor from Texas, complete with an illuminated jukebox and a chandelier. 

Some projects create spaces for deeper connection. “Afterlife Reincarnate” is a sacred space for soul travelers of many realms, while the Flaming Lotus Girls’ latest creation, “Haven,” will draw crowds with its fiery spectacle. “Grinder Garden” invites shared immersion in mirrored reflections. These collective experiences define the art of Burning Man, reminding us that Black Rock City is something we make and experience together.

Bird Is the Word

This year, the playa is for the birds… in the best possible way! More than a handful of the Honoraria projects take inspiration from our feathered friends, bringing an avian energy to BRC. We can’t help but wonder what in the current zeitgeist is inspiring artists to look to birds for their inspiration. Whether taking flight and soaring above, glowing from within, or holding space for nesting, these bird-inspired artworks remind us of the power of flight, transformation, and connection. 

“Pitirre” captures the spirit of Puerto Rico in a striking, climbable sculpture of the Gray Kingbird, poised like a rocket and ready for liftoff, while “Inikadowa,” a glowing humanoid bird lantern, is inspired by Filipino mythology. “Nested Heart” features two connected Cormorant birds with suspended nests inside, taking a moment to bask in the sun and dry off their wings, conveying a message around heart-opening and gratitude. 

For fire enthusiasts, “Riding the Thermals” uses the heat from a fire pit to activate a hawk circling high above the playa, and “Firebird / Ohnivý Vták” is a flame-colored raptor with articulated wings.

And let’s not forget the utter silliness of the “Black Rock City Chicken Ranch” because hey, rubber chickens are birds too, right? 

From mythical creatures to real-world species, these winged wonders invite us to reflect on our relationship with the natural world, and perhaps even spread our own wings in new ways.

Materials Reimagined

This year’s Honoraria projects showcase an exciting array of unconventional materials that push the boundaries of creativity and sustainability. 

Mycelium is a sustainable, organic material that the artists behind “Ancestors of Dawn” have been using for years to create biodegradable sculpture components — while asking “What kind of future ancestors will we be?” “DROP” weaves together layers of textile waste to form an oversized drop of breastmilk, symbolizing purity tainted by microplastics and environmental realities.

Upcycled materials take center stage in many projects, transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary. “Wings of Resonance” features a butterfly made from recycled vinyl records, speaking to transformation, connection, and the impact humans have on one another’s growth. In an unexpected trend of plumbing parts as art, “Sinksphere” turns recycled stainless steel sinks into a rotating death star sphere, while “Down the Drain” twists and converges plumbing pipes into a dense, sculptural mass.

“The Lightning Tower” from Italy features hand-blown neon bars visually recreating awe-inspiring lightning bolts, drawing participants towards its electrifying presence.

One of the highlights of Burning Man art is seeing the limitless potential of materials often overlooked in traditional art-making, reminding us that creativity is not only about what you create, but also about what you use to create it!

Other Highlights and Themes

Some projects are confronting the realities of an uncertain world, offering space for reflection and strength. A Ukrainian collective is bringing “Black Cloud,” an inflatable storm cloud hovering above, symbolizing looming threats. “Resilience” is coming from western North Carolina; they’re repurposing materials from the devastation of Hurricane Helene and featuring artwork from artists impacted by the natural disaster. “Celestial Intertwinement” is a glorious interpretation of a screaming booth, where participants can audibly release their feelings and see them transformed into a vibrant beam of light, symbolizing pain and love made visible, beautiful, and infinite. 

There is also a serious amount of playfulness! Relive your playground days with a giant tetherball in “When We Were Young.” Or spin, jump, and swing on “Seesaw Organ,” “Loop,” and “Hey Queen,” with the latter being a sculpture of a woman with a merry-go-round crown, swing earrings, and long dreadlocks that you can use to jump rope.

For some projects, family ties play an important role. Longtime BRC artist Kevin Clark is mentoring his teen daughter, Harper, who will lead “Guma,” a 65-foot long alien animal creature. Sisters behind “Tim’s Bench” honor their late father, who introduced them to Burning Man and often brought his own chair to events because “there are never enough fucking places to sit at these things.”

Sixteen projects will ignite the playa with fire and flame effects. “What Lies Beneath?,” an ancient submarine erupting from the playa surface, comes from the same crew behind the unforgettable “Great Train Wreck” of 2018, so expect a spectacle of pyrotechnics when it burns. Meanwhile, “Flame Pixel” lets you harness fire itself to create glowing words and symbols from its grid, an evolution of the 2015 piece, “Fire Tetris.” Get ready to feel the heat!

If you love the big and dramatic, then look for “The Sphinx Gate” and embark on an immersive adventure of self-discovery. One beacon to help you find your way at night will be the 30-foot tall “Event Horizon,” an audio-reactive LED sculpture with five concentric rings that spin like a gyroscope around a central spherical infinity mirror. Woaaaah. 

In addition to 18 states in the US, including the unincorporated territory Puerto Rico, we’re pleased to include 11 international Honoraria projects this year. There are three from Canada and one each from Denmark, Estonia, India, Italy, Mexico, the Philippines, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom. One of the most anticipated projects is “Rose Wonders” by Thomas Dambo, originally selected in 2020, and now finally making its way to Black Rock City from Denmark! 

Empowering People to Become Artists

Each year, the Honoraria Committee seeks artworks that do more than just stand out — they invite interaction and embolden new artists-in-the-making. James Gwertzman, lead artist of the 2025 Honoraria piece “Moonlight Library,” speaks about how participating in Black Rock City inspired him to become an artist who is now bringing his third artwork to playa. 

“As a kid, I dreamed of a career designing theme parks, and in college I spent most of my free time in the theater, designing sets and lights. But then when it came time to enter the ‘real world’ I turned my back on my creative side… More and more it was starting to feel like something fundamental was missing from my life. In 2022 I finally did something about that. Together with an amazingly talented team, we created and brought the ‘Prairie of Possibilities’ to the playa, and the experience was so much more rewarding than anything I could have imagined. It reawakened my inner artist, and has set me on the path now to becoming a full-time professional artist.”

Not only are there first-time Black Rock City artists among this year’s Honoraria recipients, but seven 2025 grantees will be touching down on the playa for the very first time, AND bringing art. We love the courage and inspiration that Burning Man ignites in artists and their crews to step into unchartered territory and create audacious things.

Your Turn to Create

While these funded projects are something to celebrate, the real magic of Burning Man is created by YOU. These Honoraria selections are meant to inspire, not intimidate. You don’t need a grant to bring art to the playa — in fact, most of the ~400 art installations in BRC are self-funded. Regardless of scale, every act of creativity transforms the playa from a blank canvas into our collective masterpiece. Check out the recent Journal post The Art of Leveling Up: Your Small Project Can Have a Huge Impact to see how others have brought their creative visions to life in BRC.

How will you creatively activate in 2025? Are you ready to change up your Burning Man experience by bringing something uniquely yours, or joining a project that sparks your imagination?

Explore the list of 2025 Honoraria projects below, and if you feel inspired to create something, you are warmly invited to register an art project of your own. If you’re looking to lend your skills, learn under an experienced lead, or connect with artists, check out the collaboration tool Spark.

The future of Burning Man is built by your hands. We can’t wait to see what you bring. In the meantime, here are this year’s Honoraria recipients.
Drum roll, please…

The 2025 Black Rock City Honoraria Recipients

(RE)Routing — Tabasco Mills and Iron Monkeys — Seattle, WA

Afterlife Reincarnate — Blitzy and The Afterlife Artists Collective — San Francisco, CA

Altar of Awen: Temple of Reflection, House of the Radiant Heart — Kristin Wesley and Roosevelt Artworks — Phoenix, AZ

An Event Horizon — Andrey Sledkov — Salt Lake City, UT

Ancestors of Dawn — Iyvone Khoo, Miguel Guzman, and Dust Spores Studio — Joshua Tree, CA 

Aquatica — Anna Gribovsky — San Francisco, CA

Arm Chair — Meghan “Juniper” Rimelspach and Mike Bliss — Baltimore and Towson, MD

Beast Mode — Beau Blanche and Dust and Beau — Victoria, BC, Canada

Black Cloud — Oleksiy Sai and the Ukrainians ART Group — Kyiv, Ukraine

Black Rock City Chicken Ranch — Rob Brown and The Followers of Floyd — Cordova, AK

Black Rock Monster Containment (BRMC) — Carrie and Chris Jurney, Fat Panda — San Francisco, CA

Celestial Intertwinement — Dominique Birdsong — San Francisco, CA

Celestial Mechanica — Gescykae “Jessika” Wrecca Welz — San Francisco, CA

Disco Snail — Alyssa Oliveira and Alpine Artists Collective — Alpine Meadows, CA

Dispensing Influence — Gerry Laureus and The Black Flame Collective — Denver, CO and New York City, NY

Down the Drain — Michael Christian — Bay Area, CA

DROP — Auli Uiboupin — Riisipere, Estonia

Dust City Diner —David Cole and Michael Brown — Bay Area, CA

Event Horizon — Ben Bartlett — San Francisco, CA

Firebird / Ohnivý Vták — Skyhunter Creative — Dallas, TX

Flame Pixel — Esmeralda Nadeau-Jasso — Slocan, BC, Canada

Future Sketch — James Beach and Ideasmiths — San Francisco, CA

Grinder Garden — Adam Frey — La Ventana, Baja California Sur, Mexico

Guma — Harper Clark and Guma Group — Petaluma, CA

Haven — the Flaming Lotus Girls — SF Bay Area, CA

Hey Queen — Chelsey Hathman — Oakland, CA

Home Grown — Raylene Gorum and Little Earth Makers — Oakland, CA

I Wish You Could See — Benjamin Thompson — Grand Meadow, MN

Inikadowa — Lynn Bryant — Santander, Cebu, Philippines and Mojave Desert, CA

Jukebox Country — Max Juren — Austin, TX

Kauyumari Ceremonial Center — Leyla Brashka — Torreón, Coahuila, México

Kiosk — Studio Woo Woo — Nevada City, CA

Loop — Dan Rabinovitch and Aromatic Designs — Stowe, VT

Moonlight Library — James Gwertzman and The Moonlight Collective — San Francisco, CA and Seattle, WA

Mother — Weld Queen — Miami, FL

Namaskaram — Srikanth Guttikonda and Looking Up Arts — San Francisco, CA

Navagunjara Reborn: The Phoenix of Odisha — Jnaneshwar Das and Earth Innovation Hub — Cuttack, India and Tempe, AZ

Nested Heart — Stephen Reynolds — Los Angeles, CA

Nova — Chuck Sommerville — Folsom, CA

One Tin Soldier — Mark Deem and The Misfit Toys, LLC — Bolinas, CA

Oneirotica — Kirsten Berg — Berkeley, CA and Nevada City, CA

ORBs — David Oliver — Ventura, CA

Ouroboros — Steel Tigerlillies + Bathsheba Grossman — Milwaukee, WI and Boston, MA

Out the Other — Kathryn Greenberg — San Francisco, CA

PATCHES — Hope Antrim and Stardust Alchemy Studios — Brooklyn, NY and Los Angeles, CA

Pillar of Po Tolo — Antwane Lee and The Solar Shrine Collective — Chicago, IL

Pitirre — JuandelPuebl0 and the Parliament Art Crew — San Juan, Puerto Rico

Prisms — Michael White / Chaord Collective — Brooklyn, NY

PropanePunk — Brent K — Arcadia, CA

Proteus — Barbara Lietzow — Oakland, CA

Reborn — Clinton Lesh — Bozeman, MT

Resilience — Whitney Webb — Asheville, NC

Riding the Thermals — Mel Meow and Florian Stadler AKA The Neverending Source — Los Angeles, CA and Sydney, Australia

Rose Wonders — Thomas Dambo — Gadstrup, Denmark

Samsara — Emi Watanabe and Art with Arundo — SF Bay Area, CA

Seesaw Organ — Daniel Newman-Lessler — Los Angeles, CA

Sinksphere — Scottysoltronic and JenkStars — Park City, UT

Solar Synaptic Dynamo [aka Reflections] — Steven Knauff and Temple of the Utterly Indifferent — Saticoy, CA

Staircase to Exordium — Joe Lilley — London and Oxford, United Kingdom

Star Love — Taylor Dean Harrison — Penngrove, CA

Stormborn: The Tyrant of Lightning — Andrew Frank, Space Cadet, and Goldenblack — Reno, NV

The Biggest Ball of Twine in Nevada — Woodruff Burley aka Xeno, Shayna Wade-Reich, and BRC Twine Ball — Oakland, CA

The Cosmic Carousel: A Human-made Object for an Alien World — Michael Walsh — Oakland, CA

The Cosmic Cuddle — Miki Masuhara-Page — Portland, OR

The Fire Hummingbird / El ColibrÌ de Fuego Pyramid — Adrian Arias — Oakland, CA

The Lightning Tower — Pepemaniak — Rome, Italy

The Midnight Museum of That One Time at Burning Man — Jerry Snyder — Reno, NV

The Quantum Existence — STuro — Reno, NV

The Solar Library First Branch — Jared Ficklin aka Pearlsnaps— Austin, TX

The Sphinx Gate — Tania Abdul, Mareesa Stertz, and the Sphinxters — Oakland, CA

Tim’s Bench — Lauren and Caitlin Randolph — Reno, NV

Un Nuevo Camino — Mark Rivera aka Kidnetick — Santurce, Puerto Rico

Voxelite — Tyler Soon — Vancouver, BC, Canada

What Lies Beneath? — Reno Core Project — Reno, NV

When We Were Young — Chris Struble and buttcountry — Crestview, FL

Wings of Resonance — Denver Miller III — Reno, NV

Full project descriptions with images and links will be available later in the spring.
Mark your calendar for Desert Arts Preview on June 1, 2025, where you’ll get a behind-the-scenes look at some of this year’s art and hear directly from the artists bringing it to life.

The BRC Honoraria Program relies on the generosity of our community. You can help support this program and an array of on- and off-playa artist services by making a gift here.

We’re so grateful to all the artists who will be sharing their creativity in Black Rock City in 2025, and we can’t wait to explore this outpouring of creativity together!

Cover image rendering of “Moonlight Library” by James Gwertzman and The Moonlight Collective, 2025

It’s an exciting call. Though wildly daunting, the prospect of transforming an idea into a reality is hard to resist. If you’re feeling like 2025 might be your year to bring a creative vision to life in Black Rock City, but doubts are creeping in about whether you’re up to the challenge, we have good news: leveling up your participation is easier than you might think. 

We’ve gathered some great examples of new small theme camps, art, and even a mutant vehicle to prove that you—yes, you—can bring wonderful, small things to life in Black Rock City.*

*Most of the camps featured in this article gift edible and drinkable offerings to BRC. But there are many kinds of gifts to give; food is just one of many.

Undaunted by Distance

Meet Tini Rich, co-lead of Priscilla, a fabulous pink theme camp hailing (primarily) all the way from Australia. Traditionally Priscilla offers dance parties and events to the playa all week. But iIn 2024, Tini and her campmates knew they wanted to bring a taste of home to the desert. “We wanted to do a sausage sizzle, which is quite iconic to Australia,” she explained. Hurdle one: sourcing authentic Australian sausages in Nevada (Spoiler: Australian sausages are not the same as American hot dogs.) Undeterred, one of Tini’s Aussie campmate, Yin, set up a sausage sizzle test kitchen at her home for months prior to the burn. After testing out all a range of snag options to best match the Aussie way and serving sausages to countless dinner party guests, the camp found a Bay Area butcher to craft hundreds of bangers to spec.f Last year on playa, Priscilla served up over 300 authentic sausages at their inaugural sausage sizzle, complete with grilled onions and traditional tomato sauce.

Priscilla’s Level-Up Tip: Be creative in sourcing authentic materials; geography doesn’t have to limit your vision!

(By the way, if you’re a theme camp planning to serve up grub in BRC, make sure you read about any requirements here first.)

Bringing a theme camp and food offering to playa from another far-off place Vienna, Austria, Dominik Karr and the campers of Schnitzel Camp encountered some obstacles of their own. Eager to serve the eponymous Austrian specialty to their fellow Burners, the first-year theme camp made plans to rent a kitchen truck. A week before Burning Man, the plot thickened: they discovered their rental was a scam. But with the help of sympathetic on-playa neighbors who lent Schnitzel Camp a freezer, a shade structure, and an entire kitchen setup, the schnitzel went on. Over the course of the week, the 12-person Schnitzel crew gathered every night at midnight to pound and fry and bread pork and vegan wiener schnitzel for the playa. To accompany the 1,000 servings of schnitzel they made last year, the Viennese campmates hand-carried 10 magnums and 26 bottles of Austrian white wine across the world to quench the thirst of new friends in Black Rock City, serving the wine in glass stemware (real glass!). 

Proof positive Europeans have their priorities straight.

Schnitzel Camp’s Level-Up Tip: Community support can save the day. Get to know your neighbors in the lead up to Black Rock City. You may be able to help each other make your dreams come true, or help each other out when you’re thrown a curveball.

It Doesn’t (Necessarily) Take a Village

Robin Eno is another tiny theme camp cooking superstar. The accidental one-woman show behind the first-year theme camp Camp Stone Soup found her on- and off-playa calling during a serendipitous moment at Burning Man 2023. 

Sheltering in her RV during one of the year’s infamously torrential rainstorms, Robin tuned into BMIR radio via her car radio and heard a DJ say a line that changed her life: “If there’s anything that you can do for your neighbors, please do.” 

Inspired, Robin sprung into action, cooking up a number of vegan stir-fry and oatmeal for her fellow Burners over the next several days. Then and there, she decided to return in 2024 to form a mini theme camp that cooked dinner every night for hungry playa wanderers. 

When her two other campmates dropped out of Burning Man in July right before the event in 2024, Robin didn’t let that stop her. Undeterred, she became a one-woman feeding theme camp. She cooked and served pasta in red sauce with parmesan cheese, fried PB+J sandwiches, and other tasty treats to 75-100 grateful people per night.

But that wasn’t all for Robin. After quite literally hearing the call over the BMIR airwaves during the rainstorms of 2023, her vision involved cooking for those who needed a hot meal off-playa. 

An early retiree and full-time RV traveler, Robin wanted to give back via a “mobile food ministry” to serve people experiencing homelessness and decided to come back in 2024 to treat Black Rock City 2024 as her testing ground: “Camp Stone Soup was my preparation for being a mobile feeding camp and feeding the poor,” Robin explains. In the lead-up to her first burn as a placed camp, Robin stress-tested her gear and recipes, serving food to small groups and gathering feedback.

After Camp Stone Soup’s debut, Robin took her kitchen beyond BRC a few months later. In December 2024, she served hot meals to people experiencing homelessness in a San Bernardino church parking lot, inspiring a local non-profit and Loma Linda Community College to coordinate a health fair alongside her gifted meal. “Burning Man was one step,” Robin said. “My ultimate goal was this.”

Camp Stone Soup’s Level-Up Tip: Use Burning Man as a testing ground for your ambitions and dreams that extend beyond the playa. And, know that one person can –and will–make a meaningful impact at Burning Man. 

Chase Orton is also no stranger to tiny-but-mighty camps. He is the mastermind behind another first-time theme camp, Stoop. In 2024, Chase used his box truck-turned-tiny home with a big window cut out of the side as his theme camp HQ. Inside, Chase and his crew of three campmates slung 800 grilled cheeses, griddled 800 blueberry pancakes, and poured and shook too many coffees and cocktails to count. 

Chase – an experienced Burner and first time theme camp organizer – says he envisioned transforming his mobile tiny home into your favorite local Black Rock City neighborhood hangout. The key to making that dream a reality was to empower campmates and neighbors to co-create the experience with him, inviting others to come into the tiny home and take a turn hosting too. Reflecting on the smash hit of Stoop, Chase muses, “It’s crazy that the best idea I ever had was cutting a hole in the side of a box truck.”

Stoop’s Level-Up Tip: Repurpose what you already have…your tiny home box truck can become a theme camp HQ. And rather that only serving, empower others to co-create by inviting participation.

It Doesn’t Have to Cost a Fortune

For Elliot Kirk, Whitney Wilhelmy, and Kat Ebert, Gen Z co-leads of the theme camp Neodebauchery, their playa story began in 2020 with a serendipitous Facebook Marketplace find too good to pass up: a cheap geodesic dome. 

The group bought the dome and took it for a spin on the playa in summer 2020 during the pandemic. Despite the daunting logistics of starting and running a theme camp on the budget of 20-somethings, they knew they wanted to bring Neodebauchery to the big leagues of Black Rock City in 2022, gifting a variety of offerings to the playa, including a catty comments coffee bar in the mornings, and a temple devoted to the worship of Steve Buscemi, open 24/7. 

“We were definitely very scared of the idea but loved it at the same time,” Whitney recalls. “There’s nothing quite like going to Burning Man with a community you love and are invested in.” For Neodebauchery, the juice is worth the squeeze.

Neodebauchery’s Level-Up Tip: Start with what you can afford. Work with the budget you have today and scale up gradually.

Listen to Whitney and Kat speak about their experience as the next generation of Burning Man on the Burning Man LIVE podcast episode “Rising Sparks: Bridging Burner Generations”:

Small Art Can Have a Huge Impact

While these theme camps were cooking away and fueling participants’ adventures, artists on the open playa and throughout the city offer much needed catharsis. Among them was Mila Timofeeva, who brought her first art piece to playa in 2024 called “A Journaling Moment.” 

Anyone who found Mila’s installation at the trash fence was invited to sit down, consider the limitless expanse of open playa before them, and journal about moments of serendipity and joy. Inside the journal was the code to a safe containing sticker versions of Mila’s three silk flags hand-painted with loving messages from the Universe, also affixed to the trash fence. Writers were invited to take two stickers, one for themselves and one to gift to a stranger. 

In an act of self-reliance through and through, Mila sewed the flags herself and brought all materials for her piece – including telescoping poles, a folding table, and two folding chairs – and all her personal gear in half a suitcase all the way from Germany, making the last leg of her journey to playa on the Burner Express bus. Mila’s small piece struck a chord. “I have two fully filled journals with people’s stories,” she marvels. “For me, it was a little bit as if I created space to have deep conversations.” 

Mila, who is not a professional artist, brought her first art piece in her third year in BRC, but she has been dreaming about making something since her first: 

“The first time I went to the Burn, I thought, I really want to bring something and I really want to contribute, and I really want to be an artist at the Burn. And then it was just the whole journey of, okay, what can I bring? What inspires me and what can be something that engages people that they communicate with, and that they maybe carry with themselves later.” 

Artist Mila Timofeeva’s Level-Up Tip: Simple ideas can create deep connections. And, if designed thoughtfully, everything can fit in a suitcase. 

Matt Garrity is the Boston-based lead of the art trio Pretty Good Collective. The collective’s first Burning Man art piece, Burner Industrial Dome, was an homage to the creative reuse of iconic Burning Man objects. Intrigued by the glowing repurposed water cubes of 2023’s beloved artwork BitCube, in 2024 Matt challenged himself to build a structure entirely from the infamous yellow-topped black storage bins Burners use to store and transport all manner of gear. 

“My thought was, what if we focus specifically on using things we already have? The bins and everything was tensioned together with ratchet straps,” Matt explains. “I held everything placed with zip ties kind of intentionally. That may not have been the best way to do it, but I wanted to bring items essential to making Black Rock City to the forefront.” 

Burner Industrial Dome is art with a ripple effect. Post-Burning Man, Matt transformed the bins into Burning Man starter kits, stocking them with essential Burning Man supplies like ratchet straps, zip ties, cable ties, and lights. Currently, he’s in the process of giving the bins away to anyone in the Boston-area who requests them.

Matt Garrity’s Level-Up Tip: Use materials and supplies already in your Burning Man arsenal. And consider designing a pay-it-forward afterlife of your project to extend its impact beyond the playa.

Upcycling the Mutant Vehicle of Your Dreams

When siblings Hilary Somers and Seneca Spurling founded Word Play Café with a handful of friends in 2022, their reasons were personal: to avoid losing the New York Times word game daily streak established during the pandemic. 

Two years on, Word Play Café has grown to a 40-person camp, still intimate by BRC standards. Word Play Café is a space where word nerds can gather over a morning cup of coffee to play classic word games like Boggle, Scrabble, and Bananagrams along with custom-made, Burning Man-themed word crosswords before heading out there to get weird. 

In 2024, Word Play Café decided they were ready to take their show on the road. They repurposed an old mutant vehicle, rechristening it Fun Across (a play on the first clue in a crossword puzzle, “one across”). 

Now, anyone on the open playa can go head-to-head in a round of custom, playa-themed Wordle or other playa-themed word games displayed on Fun Across’ LED screen.

“The most rewarding thing about it is everyone who comes in who loves it and is just so happy,” Seneca says. “We were worried; we were like, Will there be more than 10 people? Or even 10 people who also think this is cool? But no, tons of people do and they love it.” 

Word Play Café / Fun Across’s Level-Up Tip: Bring what genuinely excites you to playa. Who knew how many playa crawlers love word games! And rather than building a mutant vehicle from scratch, consider adopting and adapting someone else’s retired MV.

What’s the moral of all of these fantastic stories? To bring something to Black Rock City, all it takes is a willingness to dream one size bigger.

Across countries and continents, these pioneering theme camp leaders, artists, and newly minted mutant vehicle captains all share the same radical, can’t-keep-it-down, ingenious, and impassioned creativity and resourcefulness. Against the odds, they all found a way to bring their dreams to life.

Listen to Event Operations Director Charlie Dolman, DMV Council Lead Chef Juke, and Head of Placement Level talk about how Burning Man Project is cutting away the red tape and making it easier to bring your Black Rock City dreams to life in 2025 in the Burning Man LIVE podcast episode “De-bureaucratizing Your Burn”:

These stories remind us that the magic of Black Rock City doesn’t require you to be a technical wizard or to have scores of collaborators or a limitless budget. You don’t even have to live remotely close to Black Rock City! All you need is scrappy ingenuity, a collaborative ethos, and the desire to contribute whatever lights your fire.

In a city founded on dreams and built by human hands, these Burners prove one playa truth beyond measure: the only limit to your participation is your imagination.

What are you going to bring? 

 Cover image of members of micro-theme camp Stoop, 2024 (Photo courtesy of Chase Orton)

In 2017 and 2018 I held a series of workshops with Burning Man staff and volunteers to ask: what would systems like that look like? How do we imagine a “Burning Man compliant bureaucracy would work?”

These are the ideas we came up with, some of which I’ve written about before, some of which are presented for the first time.

What We Do When We’re Doing It Right

How do we make bureaucracy Burning Man compliant? We begin by examining Burning Man culture itself, the way Larry did when he established the 10 Principles. We’re not trying to impose our vision of what a “good bureaucracy” is, we’re asking: when Burning Man is working, when everyone is contributing and enjoying themselves and only overworked in meaningful ways … what is it that’s happening? What are the conditions when we get this right? What is our system like when it is working in line with our culture? 

We concluded that the experience of volunteering for Burning Man — when we’re doing it right — succeeds so spectacularly because volunteers access and experience five things that are usually hoarded at the very top of organizations (if they’re offered at all). Over time, I would come to call these “RACER” qualities, mostly because the acronym was sitting right there. They are:

• Relevance – People, and the work they’re doing, really matter, and is respected as such.
• Agency – People can behave according to their personal values, choose the kind of work they do, and (to the extent humanly possible) how they want to do it 
• Competence – People can bring their full capacities to tasks, and if they are able to do better than the system is set up for, they can change the system to accommodate their talents
• Relatedness – People get to make meaningful social connections and develop social currency
• Engagement – People are interacting with people and things that aren’t bland, that show personality and distinction, and they themselves can show personality and be distinct

When we are able to both experience and do these things, the experience “feels like Burning Man” or at least “rhymes with Burning Man.” Therefore our processes should be designed in such a way as to generate and spread these experiences. Much in the way that people are willing to put up with incredible inconvenience at Burning Man if they see it as a meaningful part of their experience, if it feels like Burning Man, bureaucracy that feels like Burning Man will be seen as part of the experience, rather than something taking them away from the experience, or blocking it entirely. 

For a deeper look at these qualities and how they’re used, read the Burning Man Journal article: “Don’t Bogart That Leadership — Burning Man is not a Zero Sum Game.” (Note that this post is from much earlier in the process, before Engagement was added. Otherwise it’s in line with this discussion.) Leaders in Burning Man culture are fundamentally not people who make decisions for other people, but who help other people access these qualities in the work they do. That’s what our bureaucracy needs to do too. 

What Does Applying RACER to Bureaucracy Look Like in Practice?

That’s what we have to figure out, but here are the initial design recommendations that the workshops developed:

• Make sure people involved in the processes have the possibility of establishing and using social capital. If they can’t develop social capital by feeling connected, and allowing others to feel connected to them, it’s going to feel that much less like Burning Man.

• Turn bureaucracy into narrative.
  • Weave a sense of purpose into documents, so people can understand why the forms they’re filling out and the processes they’re going through matter. If the process cannot be easily explained, then can engaging with it be made more intuitive or engaging? If the process cannot be easily explained, made intuitive, or engaging, then perhaps the process itself should be examined. It might be a bad process for us.
  • Use communication techniques ranging from documents to infographics to make our processes transparent. The only surprises should be delightful ones.
  • Where possible, tell a simple “story” of how this process works to make it more intuitive
• Give paperwork and processes a playful voice, and provide opportunities for the person engaging with them to be playful in turn. Make paperwork an art project.
• Provide acknowledgement and recognition, as part of the process, of the important work people are doing by participating in this system.
• Ask for voluntary sublimation — get expressed buy-in about the process they’re going to go through. Restrictions on autonomy are subjectively much less onerous if they’re something you affirmatively choose, rather than something that is imposed upon you. So give people opportunities to actively buy-in. If someone learns about the process and says “no, that doesn’t sound like me,” then maybe we can’t help them, but we can still encourage their exploration of ways to do things outside our system. When people decide they’re better off doing things outside our system, the correct response is not dismissal but to ask: “How can we help?” and “What can we learn?” 
• NO BUSY WORK! First choice: kill meaningless systems! Automate the meaningful but repetitive. If neither can be achieved, communicate the underlying value of the work and turn it into an art project so it’s meaningful instead of busy. 
• Allow for flexible reassignment of duties and roles. We may not be able to offer people every choice they want to make, but if they are able to make choices and try new tasks and new roles, then buy-in and sublimation are much more likely.
• Support autonomy in other areas. Some processes may require you to do what we tell you, the way we tell you, but you can do it in a onesie. You can choose your own name. You can play your own music while you do it, or have a DJ performing and a fluffer bringing you drinks during the task. This is, to be sure, window dressing — but sometimes it helps.
• Give processes a personal face. Where possible, avoid impersonal touches like a “feedback@” type email address, or “the committee will review” language — instead, give the person or team at the other end of the system a personality.
• Give role and process histories. How was this developed, by whom, and why? Not only provide a historical story and context, but make this something that one can join by engaging.

That’s what we’ve got as bullet points. In the next (and last?) post in this sequence, I’ll talk about my own experiences trying to implement approaches like these, and how they did (and didn’t) work out.

Cover image of “The Corporate Ladder” by Michael Spraker Night Visions Studios, 2022 (Photo by Ales Prikryl)

Burning Man has come to a point of unprecedented reach, scope, and diversity, with more people in more places “Burning” in a greater variety of ways than ever before. That’s the good news. The bad news is, that presents as many challenges as it does opportunities. 

In my last post, I talked about how this represents a move from Burning Man’s “High Culture” phase, when it had a relatively robust bureaucracy for connecting all these pieces, and a relatively centralized idea of how it should all operate, into a “Diaspora” period, when how Burners relate to their neighbors is more important than how they relate to the Burning Man Project, or its centers in Black Rock City, San Francisco, and Reno. 

That makes global “Burning Man” culture very different from what it was just a few years ago. And yet … and yet … the fundamental challenge of this Diaspora period is essentially the same (just from the opposite direction) as the fundamental challenge of the High Culture period: how to have a healthy relationship between the various parts trying to keep Burning Man coherent and centralized, and the various parts trying to decentralize and localize it.

I call this challenge: “Making bureaucracy Burning Man compliant.” 

Are We Having Fun Yet? What’s Stopping Us?

I know, I know, we hate bureaucracy. 

Except that we don’t. We hate the bureaucracies that we hate. 

When we like a bureaucracy, we call it a “system.” We love a good system! Systems help us with all kinds of things! Or we don’t call it anything at all, it’s just a process we use. It’s only when we find a process onerous, confusing, or dehumanizing that we start calling it a “bureaucracy” and rebelling against it.

But in fact there are a lot of advantages to a bureaucracy that works! From a Burning Man standpoint, a good bureaucracy reifies the principles of Participation, Civic Responsibility, and Communal Effort (at least). Good bureaucracies are how different groups with different customs can work together, and how repetitive processes can be usefully automated.

Advantages to bureaucracy, which are essential to any large undertaking, include:

• Growth of infrastructure – this allows you to scale in ways that you can’t without it.
• Support for improving a process – you can iterate and improve without re-inventing the wheel.
• Forms – wait, why are forms on the plus side? Because if you do it right, filling out 1 moderately annoying form keeps you from having to write 12 really annoying emails. Yay forms!
• Saves time – an efficient bureaucracy means everybody knows what they need to do going in and can do their things with lightning efficiency.
• Gets shit done – an efficient bureaucracy allows you to just zip through tough tasks.

But there is a cost — and we hate the cost. A lot of times, we say it just isn’t worth it: all the pain points created by bureaucracy … the facelessness, the loss of personal agency, the way it can take time away from what you actually want to do and push you into serving the system … can kill what the bureaucracy is meant to support. 

But let’s be clear about this: the Burning Man Project didn’t invent bureaucracy, nor is it the reason we have it. We have it because Burners get inspired to collaborate with one another. A need for these systems is going to arise any time diverse Burning Man groups, from Regionals to theme camps to art projects to initiatives like Burners Without Borders, try to collaborate on anything big. If we are going to be anything more than a bunch of isolated people with a common name who once shared a history, bureaucratic systems are going to develop.

If we want to be greater than the sum of our parts, we’re going to need to find systems that allow us to collaborate without reinventing the wheel every time. 

The trick, then, isn’t to try to do away with bureaucracy, but to develop approaches to bureaucracy that “feel like Burning Man.” That express what we love about this culture in the first place.

To create systemic superstructures that also encourage local self-determination and agency, and to develop local systems that also encourage connection and collaboration across groups and borders.

Connection Over Convenience

Do I know how to do that? 

No. No, I do not. I don’t think anybody does. Some people used to say “the internet will do it for us!” and most of those people are now either weeping at the state of the world they created or are trying to sell us crypto. 

But I do have ideas. In 2017 I started holding workshops on “Making Bureaucracy Burning Man Compliant” at Burning Man staff events, to get ideas and inspiration. Back then we were coming at this from the other direction: our bureaucracy is stifling local initiative and agency, so how do we create something that encourages it while still holding us together and making us greater than the sum of our parts? 

I was reminded of these workshops both by Burning Man’s current debates and by a recent column in the New York Times: Human Interaction Is Now A Luxury Good. Because Burning Man cultural spaces are a place where it very much isn’t. I’ve written before about how much people struggling with a “loneliness epidemic” in our culture can learn from Burning Man, and writer Jessic Grose insightfully explores all the ways in which “default world” world culture is pulling us apart. Our incessant drive for technologically enhanced efficiency and revenue maximization is uprooting all the ways in which we connect as human beings. And yet … ”Even with all the ‘extraordinary advances’ of interactive technology,” she writes, “humans lose interest in interacting with machines after a while, partly because of machine predictability. Most of us still crave the spontaneity that comes from talking to human beings, especially at our most vulnerable.”

Burning Man culture makes that easy, and abundant. This dynamic, I think, is also at the heart of what it means to make bureaucracy Burning Man complaint. It’s okay to have systems, but they need to “feel like Burning Man,” which is to say that they need to connect you to people, rather than to wrap you in rules, and they need to treat the people using the systems like participants, rather than spectators or objects. They need to invite the user to put their own humanity into what they’re doing. 

That’s a lot to ask from a form or a process, but I think we’re up to it. The whole point — much like Burning Man itself — isn’t to make the experience more convenient for everyone, but to create opportunities for the 10 Principles to be applied, and magic to happen.

In the next post, I’ll show what the workshops I held with Burning Man staff and volunteers came up with. 

Cover image of the Bureau of Needless Bureaucracy (Photo by Arthur de Smidt)

Over the past 25 years, these landmark spaces have evolved into an essential part of the Burning Man experience. Beloved by many, belonging to no particular spiritual tradition, the community comes together in these temples to celebrate life’s joys, grieve its sorrows, and search for meaning in the crucible of the human experience. And then, release it all in contemplative fire.

Every year a new lead artist of the Temple in Black Rock City is selected, and a unique Temple design begins to take shape. But making that dream a reality takes many hands and many kinds of contributions. From the Temple builders who create the structure, to the Temple Guardians who hold the space within it, to the donors who help fund these projects, to the Regional artists and builders who bring these healing spaces to their local communities around the world — the effort is vast. The creation of Temples has birthed a far-reaching network, one that has given thousands of people new skills, clear purpose, and lifelong community. 

Prototyping a Better Future

This year’s Black Rock City Temple, Temple of the Deep by Miguel Arraiz García, promises to be a groundbreaking community-fueled project that exemplifies the global reach of the Burning Man ethos. Arraiz, an artist and architect from Valencia, Spain, brings a unique perspective to this year’s Temple, shaped by his journey from Burning Man participant to Honorarium artist, then from Regional Contact to lead artist of the Temple. This exchange of cultural influence has enriched both his community work and art practice in Spain, where he recently served as Projects Director when Valencia was selected as World Design Capital in 2022. 

Listen to the Burning Man LIVE Podcast interview with 2025 Temple Artist Miguel Arraiz García about “Temple of the Deep”: 

In an intriguing departure from many Temples past, Miguel’s concept doesn’t reach up towards the heavens. Instead, “Temple of the Deep” is horizontally oriented, a design choice that’s intentional, created with community connection in mind. 

“We are always looking for the answers above us,” Miguel says. “I was trying to make something just to look for the answer between us or among us.”

“Temple of the Deep” is also unique because it won’t feature an altar — another intentional decision. 

“Inside, there is an agora. A place to meet that is surrounded by small chapels that are the places where you can put the offerings. But this agora is where you meet. You meet other people who have gone through grief or are going through grief.”

An agora, by the way, is a concept borrowed from ancient Greece — a central open space that served as a meeting place for citizens of the Greek city-states.

“So it will be like a small Black Rock City inside the Temple,” Arraiz says. 

Miguel hopes that, like his personal healing journey in creating its design, the Temple will serve all who contribute to its creation. “The Temple has already done with me what it needs to do. Now I want to give it to the community.”

Volunteers Who Bring the Temple to Life

What kind of people dedicate their time and skills to building the Temple for Black Rock City each year? 

“I think we’re all chronic helpers,” says Sarah McManus, a Temple builder since 2023. “We see something that needs to be done and 10 people jump on it straight away. We’re all trying to fix problems. It’s just part of who we are.”

After relocating to California from Australia, volunteering to build the Temple paid dividends for Sarah in fostering deep community and self-confidence. 

“The more you show up, the more opportunities you get given,” Sarah says. “It’s being on playa before everybody else gets there. It’s getting to play with all the cool toys, and every time you go, you learn something new about yourself or you get to teach somebody else something. And that’s super rewarding, seeing somebody else who is in my shoes show up and saying, ‘Hey, do you want to learn how to use this?’ You’ve got this person who walks out at the end of the day being like, ‘Holy shit, I just learned to use a [circular saw], that’s really fun.'”

Temple Guardians also play a vital role in the Temple ecosystem, providing round-the-clock stewardship of the Temple on playa, during Build Week and throughout Burn Week. Part Temple host, part witness and part empathetic listener, the Temple Guardians act as silent, background protectors who ensure a peaceful and contemplative atmosphere. 

Temple Guardians are on shift at the Temple 24 hours a day. Wearing no uniform save a discrete blue bandana, they only emerge out of the background with safety reminders, to gently redirect disruptive behavior, or to offer a friendly ear or a heartfelt hug for those in distress.

Temple Guardians are “drawn to the empathetic, heartfelt, emotional side of things,” says David Johnston, the Temple Guardians Council Lead. “A lot of people come to us that same way. They are just drawn to the Temple because it had such a profound impact on them that they wanted to become a part of it and do something to support it.” Most Temple Guardians find the work so rewarding that they return year after year. Currently, between 400-500 BRC participants volunteer as Temple Guardians every year.

To volunteer with the Temple Guardians, please fill out the Burning Man Volunteer Questionnaire in your Burner Profile and mark “Temple Guardians” as your department of interest.

Taking the Temple Back Home

The Temple’s influence extends far beyond Black Rock City. Temple builders at Burning Man Regional Events around the globe — and outside of Regional Events too — have found innovative ways to translate the Temple’s essence to suit their local cultures and event sites. In 2024, there were over 87 official Regional Events around the world, many of which designed and built their own temples. Here are just a few examples from the Regional Network: 

• In Israel in 2018, the Midburn staff took a step back to reassess the purpose of a Temple at their event. With this in mind, they created The Compass, an alternative structure for personal reflection that was uniquely suited to a part of the world where the word “temple” is often most closely associated with Jewish synagogues. 

• At North Carolina’s Regional Event Transformus, in 2015, artist Andrew Nigh built a floating temple on a lake, adapting his design to the serene mountain setting. He engineered a floating platform such that it left no trace when it was burned. 
• Colorado’s Regional Apogaea faces a unique challenge each year: a burn ban that prevents open fires. Undeterred, Apogaea turned to the transformative power of another element — water. Last year in 2024, Apogaea’s Temple, “Well?” By Diana Merkel, featured a wishing well filled with water. Participants could drop dissolving rice paper wishes inside, creating ephemerality sans flame and preserving the Temple’s cathartic purpose while respecting local environmental sensitivities.

The Temple tradition keeps growing. It has even grown beyond official Regional Events. A Temple in Derry, Ireland was built to heal in the wake of The Troubles. You can listen to Larry Harvey’s brother Stewart Harvey tell the fantastic and hope-inspiring story of the Derry Temple — built on the literal dividing line between the Catholic and Protestant sides of town — in this episode of the Burning Man LIVE podcast: 

The Temple of Tomorrow, Today

Black Rock City is beginning to take shape. You are invited to help make it happen. In a world that cries out for healing, connection and purpose, building a Temple is a radical act of optimism — a beacon of the future we believe is possible. Join us in co-creating a Temple to contain our highest visions for tomorrow, today.

Your participation and support matters. 

Cover image of Temple of the Deep by Miguel Arraiz, 2025 (Rendering by Arqueha) 

Black Rock City passed the 2024 BLM Post-Event Inspection! We achieved our best inspection score since the near-perfect results of 2019, a remarkable comeback after the torrential rain and MOOP (Matter Out of Place) challenges of 2023. However, Playa Restoration’s 2024 MOOP Map highlights a persistent issue: lag bolts and tent stakes left behind, which require immediate community action. As we gear up for BRC 2025 and the #bestburnever, let’s take a moment to look back on and learn from 2024.

No Matter Out of Place

With over 70,000 participants, Leaving No Trace relies on a commitment from the entire community. Black Rock City’s undefeated BLM inspection record is a testament to the dedication of participants, with Playa Restoration providing essential follow-up to ensure that we leave the desert clean and beautiful.

Burning Man’s Leaving No Trace Principle

One of the 10 guiding principles of Burning Man, Leaving No Trace, states: “The Burning Man community respects the environment. 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.”

(Video by Martin Rodriguez)

MOOP Map 2024: A Clean Sweep!

The 2024 Burning Man event in Black Rock City saw the community step up our Leave No Trace efforts—camps were cleaner, departures more organized, and participants conducted Matter Out of Place (MOOP) sweeps and DIY MOOP tests. Amazing work! These efforts helped Playa Restoration successfully sweep over 3,700 acres.

The 2024 MOOP Map reflects noticeable improvements, especially in the back city blocks, which had been more impacted in previous years. The majority of the city was impressively clean, though some red areas still required focused attention. 

Playa Restoration’s role is to fine-tune and finalize our collective effort. In preparation for the BLM Post-Inspection, Resto’s Test Team conducted pre-inspection MOOP tests (represented by blue dots on the MOOP Map) to gauge progress. Thanks to Resto’s final concentrated push, Black Rock City achieved its best Post-Event Inspection score since the record-breaking 2019 season. This success underscores the power of a united community, the dedication of Playa Restoration, and our shared commitment to Leaving No Trace. The 2024 win belongs to the entire community—every camp, participant, and team that showed up to Leave No Trace.

BLM Post-Event Site Inspection Standard

1. The BLM’s allowable MOOP standard for BRC is 1 square foot per acre on average. 
2. As of the 2019 Environmental Impact Statement, no more than 10% of the 120 test points can fail this standard.

On October 7, 2024, the BLM conducted its annual inspection. Only three of the 120 test points exceeded the standard, all within the city grid (Esplanade to K Street, 2:00 to 10:00). This was a marked improvement from 2023, when 11 test points failed, putting us dangerously close to the 10% limit.

Additionally, six specific Points of Interest are under repeat observation and calculated separately, including Man Base, the Temple, and several others. Of these, only one exceeded the standard.

Resto Calls Out LAG BOLTS/TENT STAKES as #1 Worst MOOP (Again)!

Despite our overall improvement, with 1,508 recorded instances this year, LAG BOLTS/TENT STAKES remain the worst MOOP and most dangerous again. Unfortunately, the numbers have shown little improvement from previous years despite repeated warnings.

Recorded instances of lag bolts/tent stakes rose from 101 in 2019 to 1,023 in 2022, peaking at 1,547 in 2023, and slightly dropping to 1,508 in 2024. These figures, based on GPS data, likely underestimate the total. 

Tips for Stake Removal

• Assign someone to account for all stakes/lag bolts and communicate with your campmates.
• Use an impact driver to remove bolts, or a multi-tool or vise-grips if needed.
• Tie bright-colored markers to bolts when installing to prevent loss in dust or mud. 

All spikes put in the ground must be accounted for and removed by the participant, camp, or project that placed them.

Moving forward, the Placement team, Art Department, and Resto will work with participants to refine their Leave No Trace plans. We’ll assess MOOP sweeps, pre-departure MOOP tests, and ensure stakes and lag bolts are accounted for and removed.

Burning Man has always been a proving ground for what’s possible when our community comes together with intention. Let’s have a blast and make 2025 the year we leave no doubt by leaving no trace (and no lag bolts!), keeping the Black Rock Desert clean and beautiful—Tomorrow Today!

Cover image of 2024 MOOP Map (Graphic courtesy of Playa Restoration team)

The artists invited to submit a concept reflect a range of design impulses and backgrounds; all share in common a love of Burning Man and a passion for the work they create in Black Rock City. As you will discover, participating in Burning Man was a catalyst for these artists’ creative journeys. Over the years, they drew inspiration from Burning Man, began bringing art, and ultimately were tapped to submit creative concepts for the 2025 Man Pavilion. Black Rock City has a way of turning people into artists, then inspiring them to build audacious things. What do YOU dream of creating?

Let’s get to know the creators behind this year’s Man Pavilion concepts — their art, and the designs they submitted. Gradually, we’ll make our way to sharing this year’s chosen design.

Antwane Lee

Antwane began by making art for Regional Events in the Midwest before and submitting a proposal to bring an Honoraria artwork to Black Rock City. Awarded a grant but delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Antwane brought “The Solar Shrine” to Black Rock City in 2022. Self-described as an Afro-Futurist, Antwane is both an architect and an artist who lives in Chicago. 

Antwane says about Burning Man: 

Burning Man brings together talented global creatives with unique views and skill sets. I feel that the artists desire to manifest societal change by integrating imagination, inventiveness, and the principles of Burning Man. I am so happy to be part of a culture where we are transforming the world.

Zach Coffin

It rarely gets more epic than Zach Coffin and his love affair with rocks. His first Burning Man was 1996 and his first art project was supporting Michael Christian’s “Bone Arch” in 1997. By 2000 when the theme was “Body” he brought his first big rock, to represent the kidney. Larry Harvey asked him to make it spin (because, Larry) and that became Zach’s first “Rockspinner.” In 2023 Zach’s recent version of “Rockspinner” was opened to the public at Google’s Gradient Canopy Plaza in Mountain View. Zach tells us, “Why I started doing work at Burning Man is a very long discussion and the How could fill a book.” “Temple of Gravity,” at Black Rock City 2003 and again in 2017, had a total weight estimate of 180,000 lb..

www.zacharycoffin.com 

Jon Sarriugarte and Kyrsten Mate with Zolie Sarriugarte

This dynamic family trio boomeranged into the Brutalist past and brought back a mid-century approach to space age buildings for their submission. You wouldn’t think that the history of Burning Man artists goes back further than Zach Coffin, yet it does, as we listen to the unwinding tale of Jon’s Burning Man experience:

Burning Man has been a vital part of my creative journey since I first set foot on the playa in 1995. It’s not just an event—it’s a crucible of creativity, experimentation, and human connection that has shaped who I am as an artist, designer, builder, and collaborator. Before Burning Man, I was deeply involved in the Cacophony Society, where absurdity, chaos, and creativity collided in the most unexpected ways.

Kyrsten Mate, Jon’s creative and life partner is a sound designer with a phenomenal approach to immersive environments, audio, and participatory experiences. Working in the world of sound design is a labor of joy for her. As well as shaping sound, Kyrsten shapes metal, creates fantastical color schemes for art, and produces immersive sound art pieces that work in concert with large scale sculptures. Kyrsten is currently a sound designer at Skywalker Sound in Marin, California.

One final important collaborator to note is Kyrsten and Jon’s daughter Zolie Mae Sarriugarte, a sculptor and artist in her own right. Returning once again to Jon’s words:

For the last 22 years, I’ve had the privilege of sharing this creative journey with my wife, Kyrsten Mate, and our 18 year old daughter, Zolie, who has grown up immersed in the magic of the playa. Watching her and her friends engage with this culture, with the same sense of wonder and curiosity I had when I first started, has been deeply fulfilling.

www.formandreform.com/

Miguel Guzman and Ivyone Khoo

Taking us back to the future are multimedia eco-artists, Miguel and Ivyone. Sculpting in mycelium, plankton, and upcycled materials, they truly ‘grow their own’ when it comes to art and materials. First time Honoraria art grant recipients in 2017, they’ve returned to Black Rock City many times in the last six years. Climate and conservation conscious, their artistry exemplifies how we can take care of the future through our choices today. 

In their words:

The underpinning concern for us as makers was the amount of waste we generated and the impact of our art on the environment. Our biggest challenge was to conceptualize, design and build something that would withstand 60 mph winds, fluctuations of desert temperatures and survive the interactions of Burning Man participants. We turned to mycelium, a sustainable and biodegradable material. We developed ways to work with this material to make it ‘Playa Friendly’ and eventually learned how to sculpt and reinforce it to create larger pieces.

Christopher Breedlove

With the inspiration of infinity and a dedication to a regenerative future, Christopher Breedlove is a constant inspiration and his impact over time is beyond measure. Christopher’s involvement with Burning Man goes back 19 years, first as a Regional Contact, and then as the leader for Burners Without Borders. His design includes an ‘infinity walk’ inviting us to connect with the cyclical nature of time, innovation, and the eternal quest for a better future. Underneath he designed a gallery walk where innovative and regenerative ideas from across the community can be shared — something we plan to explore with the design we selected. 

Christopher states:

Although much of my large-scale installation and design work has taken place outside Black Rock City, I see my contributions within BRC as acts of narrative creation, world-building, and social experimentation. For me, Black Rock City is an unparalleled canvas for experiential production and ontological design — an opportunity to experiment with new ways of being, foster community, and dream about how we might bring these lessons back to the world. 

Diane Hoffoss and Gordon Hoople

There is nothing mundane about Diane and Gordon’s vision for Tomorrow Today. In fact it’s spectacular and audacious and beautiful. We think of it as Tomorrow Tomorrow — and just a bit beyond reach. Titled “Equilibrium,” Diane and Gordon offer in their design narrative:

Inspired by World’s Fair architecture such as the Unisphere and Eiffel Tower, “Equilibrium” challenges visitors to shift their perspective from an individual viewpoint to a collective, global vision of the future. At its heart stands the Man supported by the globe, a powerful symbol of humanity’s shared journey and reliance on our collective home.

When asked about how they first began to come to Burning Man they share that a single math professor came and was inspired in 2016, which then became this story:

Our first piece of art together as a team, “Unfolding Humanity,” was ambitious and maybe a little crazy. Two math professors and their students dreamed up a concept based on an unsolved math problem. None of us had much building experience, but being on a university campus made it easy to find expert help. Despite countless late nights on a project that overtook our lives, tens of thousands of dollars spent, and even an emergency medevac from the playa, we knew we had to keep making art. ArtBuilds was born.

Diane and Gordon’s Man Pavilion design – nighttime view: “Equilibrium”

Cjay Roughgarden, Stephanie Shipman, Jacquelyn Scott

A powerful trio of women artists and builders from the Bay Area, most recently known for their 2024 art project “Naga & the Captainess,” we were excited to see what their conception for the Man Pavilion would entail. Their vision was grand and even proposed a village within the heart of the city. Their collective knowledge and experience is impressive. Jacquelyn works as a production and scenic designer for theater and film. Stephanie Shipman is a woodworker, artist, designer and teacher. Cjay is an artist and architectural metal fabricator. They are all kick ass.

Jacquelyn states:

Through making large art on playa, I have gained the greatest of friends and such an incredible community of artists who support one another. Although my career allows me to design and create, it’s always for a client or director. It’s often only once a year, at Burning Man, when I get to create something truly for myself to share with the world. Playa is such a special place to be inspired by other fellow artists with their ingenuity and tenacity. 

www.cjayroughgarden.com | About “Naga & the Captainess”

Silvia Rueda

Colombian architect Silvia Rueda runs Understory Creative Studio, where they create immersive installations that take inspiration from natural systems — particularly fungi and their interconnected networks. Their projects address contemporary challenges such as urban isolation, while fostering community connections through technology. Silvia’s design titled, “Healing Forest” is elegant and subdued, drawing on recycled wood and relying on lighting to animate. The creative concept is constructed along with a poetic narrative. It seems best to share a portion of that narrative as the inspiration is vast and timely:

A single tree, ancient and gnarled, remained in a forgotten grove hidden from human eyes. It had seen generations fall before it, and it bore their memories in its roots. Under the faint, silvery light of a poisoned moon, the tree began to change. Drawing from the marrow of the Earth and the whispers of the wind, it awakened something new: the ability to heal itself. Wounds that would have bled it dry now sealed with bark as tough as iron. Its branches regrew faster than axes could cut. The ancient tree shared its gift, sending signals through subterranean fungal networks to the remnants of its kind. Slowly, across the barren lands, trees began to sprout anew. They healed themselves, and in doing so, they began to heal the Earth.

Rueda’s Man Pavilion design – exterior view: “Healing Forest”

www.understorystudio.co

William Nemitoff

Grand vision, Buckminster Fuller, a global presence, are all encompassed in Wiiliam Nemitoff’s concept design. He is an artist, designer, and founder of Curious Form, an art studio specializing in digital fabrication and large-scale installations. Informed by William’s Master of Architecture degree, his work bridges the worlds of design, engineering, and public art. Rooted in the belief that art has the power to inspire connection and joy, his interactive sculptures and installations invite audiences to play, explore, and rediscover their sense of wonder. You may recall his artwork “Dream Slide,” a playful, yet lovely, unicorn slide at Black Rock City 2024.

About his design, William says:

Suspended within a glowing geodesic sphere, the Man becomes a symbol of humanity’s shared aspiration and potential. The surrounding landscape of colorful seesaws transforms participants into active co-creators, requiring them to balance and move together. Their collective actions create an up-lifting visual metaphor — progress as a shared effort that “lifts” us all. The installation celebrates play, connection, and collaboration, reminding us that the future is not a solitary endeavor but one built on trust, balance, and shared momentum.

www.curiousform.com

Mark Rivera – Selected Design

Let’s get personal and share with you about Mark Rivera in his own words:

I first learned about Burning Man back in the dial up days of the internet, and it had always been on my bucket list. In 2022, I ran into a friend at a bar and she offered me a ticket. Looking back now, it was one of the best decisions of my life.

Born on March 2, 1975, in Panama City to Puerto Rican parents, I relocated to Puerto Rico in the late 1980s. By the early 2000s, I had established myself as a multifaceted professional, excelling in building, art direction, woodworking, welding, and general contracting across the film and art industries. Simultaneously, I toured as a musician, which broadened my understanding of art and its transformative power.

In 2013, I moved to Santurce, Puerto Rico, where my home became a creative hub for a street art movement. Collaborating with fellow artists, I found my passion for sculptural work, specializing in large scale mixed media creations.

In 2023, I was selected to bring art to Burning Man. At the same time, I was displaced from my apartment in Puerto Rico, which had been sold to an investor. With no other options, I had to move on and to a Puerto Rican friend’s shop in California to focus on the sculpture.

Fueled by the frustration and anger of that situation, I created “Jíbaro Soy” — a piece to show the world who I am and where I come from. A 20-foot jíbaro, with his shirt open, revealing his essence, his people, and his barrio. With his pava and two machetes in hand, he stands to protect his culture and identity, sending a message to the world no one can take who I am.

And so we present to you Mark Rivera’s design, “The World Fair of Unity.” As Mark describes it:

Inspired by the World Fairs of today and tomorrow, this pavilion serves as Black Rock City’s global cultural center. “The World Fair of Unity” is a gathering place where citizens from around the world come together to celebrate creativity, diversity, and shared humanity. This pavilion is a hub of expression, a vibrant space for performances, art exhibitions, and the exchange of ideas. Whether you’re here to create, collaborate, or simply connect, “The World Fair of Unity” invites you to contribute to a collective vision for a more united and inspired future.

Cover image of selected 2025 Man Base design by Mark Rivera (Rendering courtesy of Mark Rivera)

Burning Man 2025 is ready for launch! Galvanized by the theme Tomorrow Today, Black Rock City 2025 is awakening in thousands of hearts, minds and imaginations. With great anticipation, here is everything you need to know about tickets to Black Rock City 2025.

What’s new? With Radical Inclusion and Gifting guiding this year’s ticket offerings, momentum is building for the best Burning Man ever. Tickets to Black Rock City 2025 start at $550 and range up to $3,000 on a tiered and flexible model. With ticket prices lowered to $550 this year, we’re keeping Burning Man financially accessible and culturally diverse — welcoming all to build, explore, dance and connect. This lower price is supported by several tiers of higher-priced tickets. When you buy a ticket priced $750 or higher, you cover the full cost per participant to produce Black Rock City, which was an estimated $749 in 2023. This means YOU are helping to bring more dusty humans, and sponsoring more participatory art, Radical Self-expression, joy and awe in the wondrous city we all build together.

This is part of a larger shift to make it easier for more amazing and creative beings to participate in Black Rock City 2025. The barriers are coming down. The gates are opening wider. YOU and your friends are cordially invited to participate in co-creating one of the planet’s most phantasmagorical experiences.

The best opportunity to secure lower price tickets to Black Rock City is the ‘Today Sale’.

Register for the ‘Today Sale’ Monday, February 3rd at 12pm PST for 8 days through Tuesday, February 11, at 12pm PST. The ‘Today Sale’ starts on Wednesday, February 12, 2025 at 12pm PST.

Why put off until Tomorrow what you can do Today? Secure your ticket early and jumpstart Black Rock City’s powerful engine.

Important Dates for the ‘Today’ Black Rock City 2025 Ticket Sale

• Registration opens: Monday, February 3 @ 12pm (noon) PST
• Registration closes: Tuesday, February 11 @ 12pm (noon) PST
• Sale opens: Wednesday, February 12 @ 12pm (noon) PST

Register, access ticket sales, and find all information at tickets.burningman.org.

NEW AND IMPORTANT DETAILS ABOUT BLACK ROCK CITY 2025 TICKET SALES

• Tiered ticket prices make Black Rock City accessible to all who wish to participate (details below). Be a part of the community ecosystem and pay at the best level you can.
• There will be three open public ticket sales for Black Rock City 2025: in February, April and July. Sales subsequent to February’s ‘Today Sale’ and included ticket tiers will be based on ticketing availability. Fewer tickets at lower levels will be available later. Lock into your best price tier early.
• As usual the Stewards sale has its own ticket allotments reserved and unrelated to the ‘Today Sale’.
• Each sale will have a registration period; register with our ticketing partner (link will be added here on February 3 and announced on our channels).
• Find all information, access to ticket sales, and registration links at tickets.burningman.org.
• You DO NOT need to create a Burner profile for public ticket sales.

THE THREE PUBLIC BLACK ROCK CITY 2025 TICKET SALE DATES ARE:

BLACK ROCK CITY 2025 TICKET PRICES

The cost to produce Black Rock City in 2023 was an estimated $749 per participant. This means that when you purchase a ticket to Black Rock City 2025 for $750 or more, YOUR generosity helps more people experience the magic of Burning Man, funds Honoraria art grants, and underwrites Black Rock City operational costs.

YOU decide how much you want to pay. Subject to availability, ticket prices begin at $550. Prices scale up from here — $650, $750 and $950. There are also $1,500 and $3,000 tickets, which support more Burning Man for more people by subsidizing reduced-price tickets through programs such as Ticket Aid and Resilience.

Learn all about 2025 ticket pricing on the ticketing page.

The Ticket Aid program will once again make reduced-price tickets available to people with limited financial means. The application opens on February 19.

WHAT ELSE IS NEW WITH 2025 TICKETS?

As mentioned above, You will not need to create a Burner Profile for public ticket sales. But you will need to register for each sale individually; the link to register can be found on the ticket page during registration periods.

Stewards Sale Tickets for Camp, Art and Mutant Vehicle Crews
As usual the Stewards sale has its own ticket allotments reserved and unrelated to the ‘Today Sale’. New for 2025: Camp and crew leads can opt to allocate tickets as they always have, OR they can opt to make one purchase to buy the group of tickets for their crew. This option must be arranged in advance of the start of the Stewards Sale. Allocating tickets for the Stewards Sale will still require a Burner Profile. Stewards Sale allocations will be open February 21-28; the sale will happen in early March 2025.

Introducing the Renaissance Champions and Resilience Ticket Programs
Two new programs are opening their doors to support community members and invite participation in Black Rock City. More information about both of these programs will be announced by February 19.

• The Renaissance Champions program taps connectors to invite networks, inspired groups and collectives to bring their magic to Black Rock City.
• The Resilience program makes tickets available to participants who have recently been impacted by natural disaster or geopolitical conflict.

There will be NO FOMO sale for 2025, and maybe never again. If you’d like to create more Radical Inclusion by making a gift of $2,500 (the former FOMO price) that supports participant access and art Honoraria grants, read about a limited time opportunity to do so through the Patron of Black Rock City Program.

OK. ARE YOU READY FOR THE BEST BURNING MAN EVER?

As the Burning Man joke goes: It was better next year. After a phantasmagorical 2024 event, with stellar weather, an amazing vibe playa-wide, and so much mind-bending art and music… How can YOU, and collectively WE, make Burning Man even BETTER this year? As we roll into “Tomorrow Today” together, we are all being called to reimagine what Burning Man can become, how it can catalyze the most playful, innovative, creative aspects of humanity.

What are you imagining? Now’s the time to commit. Get your ticket and start planning, organizing, building and bringing it into the world. Get started here.

#bestburningmanever #thankslarry #tomorrowtoday #BurningMan2025

Cover image of 2024 Man Burn night in BRC (Photo by Rand Larson)

Today, Burning Man Project CEO Marian Goodell emailed the latest update to the Burning Man community — it contains information about adapting to 2024 financial challenges, expresses deep gratitude for the community, and looks forward with excitement to the best Burning Man ever in 2025, enhanced by streamlined process and a new pay-it-forward ticket model. We’ve shared it here in its entirety. Please give it a read and help us keep Burning Man alive!

Hello friends and community members,

As I reflect on 2024 and look forward to 2025 I feel an immense sense of gratitude, purpose, and optimism. 

I keep coming back to a memory of 1997; we were in a tough place, our first major crisis as an organization. If you were there in 1996, you’d remember the city was a mess. We were doubling in size every year, and things frankly just broke. So, following the mayhem of 1996 we moved the event to nearby Fly Ranch, the one and only time we held the event at Fly. Our troubles compounded when 100% of gate revenues were impounded by the sheriff’s office, which threw us into debt for the first time.

In retrospect, this was one of the best things that could have happened to us as an organization, and as a community. Let me explain…

Moving to Hualapai Playa and the adjacent Fly Ranch, which was private land, meant we had to comply with a number of laws and regulations that we had never had to deal with on public land. This forced us to learn strategic city planning. It was the first year we had to have a city map with mapped streets, street names, and street signs. We learned how to spatially optimize a street grid for transit, we learned how wide a county-compliant street should be. We learned that it was important to print the names of streets on BOTH sides of the street sign. We learned.

Holding the event on private land, we chose to incorporate as a Limited Liability Corporation. This forced us to start operating as a business. We had to professionalize our rudimentary processes and systems. We grew up.

Faced with this challenging situation the founders and the community committed even more deeply. We came together.

The next year, 1998, with a more efficient and organized organization, when we made it back to the playa we built a street map, and a stronger community — and it was fucking awesome.

Just as the challenges of 1997 forced us to reimagine what was possible and ultimately made us stronger, today’s moment of change has created unprecedented space for reinvention. We have something now that we didn’t have in 1997: the collective wisdom of our global community, tens of thousands of passionate creators, and decades of proven resilience. When I look at the extraordinary energy and ideas already building for 2025, I don’t just hope — I know — this will be the best Burning Man ever, because each of us has the power to shape what comes next. The future of Burning Man is quite literally in our hands.

A THANK YOU

As we prepare for what promises to be a transformative year ahead, I want to pause and express my deepest gratitude to each of you.

Thank you for being part of our amazing Burning Man community. I am so saddened in the wake of the fires in Los Angeles County, which are on track to be the worst natural disaster in U.S. history. My heart goes out to those who experienced extreme loss, and those of us feeling the many direct and secondhand impacts.

Over the last two weeks I’ve received emails, texts and calls that give me hope — reminding me why I love being part of this Burning Man community. I have been heartwarmed by the stories of Burners helping each other. One friend reflected that the ephemeral nature of BRC brought her hope that her community would rebuild after her neighborhood burned.

Local camps have rallied to support the LA community by providing vehicles with shower supplies, setting up countless grassroots fundraising campaigns to support community members who have lost their homes, and managing communication channels between fire spotters and the Los Angeles Fire Department. 

Burner-affiliated organizations, Solar Punks and Footprint Project (members of both have attended and contributed to Green Theme Camp summits, Burners Without Borders campouts on Fly, deployed solar for art projects on playa and were also supportive in North Carolina after the hurricane and floods in October) are mobilizing innovative renewable energy solutions to power residents’ critical medical equipment, lighting needs, internet hubs, and provide related emergency support for first responders in affected areas.

In times like these we need each other more than ever. There are so many who have, in the last 12 months, experienced loss in a natural disaster such as the recent fires in LA or Hurricane Helene, or extreme hardship and displacement from geopolitical conflict. We know that Black Rock City can be healing for those who have experienced loss and grief. The Resilience Ticket opportunity will make it easier for anyone affected by these challenges to come home to Black Rock City this year. More information will be included with the launch of ticket sales in the first week of February. 

Thank you for your generous gifts. I need to express my heartfelt thanks to everyone who contributed to our recent philanthropic efforts, whether you donated, shared our messages, or acted as an ambassador for our mission.

With the support of thousands of generous community members, our $3M December Community Campaign has been a success. We exceeded our fundraising goal and saw a 20% increase in the number of donors from 2023 to 2024. While this is certainly something to celebrate, we didn’t meet the fundraising goal we set for ourselves. This has forced us to take a hard look at how we operate, how we fundraise, and what our priorities need to be going forward. 

FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY & BLACK ROCK CITY

As I’ve shared in past letters to the community (Oct. 3, Oct. 22, Oct. 31 & Dec. 19), the reduction in sales of certain tiers of tickets in 2024 and coming in shy of our 2024 fundraising target led us to take drastic actions.

When we saw lower ticket demand last June, we immediately cut discretionary spending. We stopped all fixed asset improvements, paused new projects and limited travel. Seasonal hiring was slowed, and in July all department heads were directed to reduce all expenses. After the Burning Man event, we had a formal reduction in force (RIF), reducing headcount by 10%. We renegotiated key contracts and cut expenses throughout the organization. 

We are still closing our books for 2024 (our financials will be published later this year in our federal Form 990 filing and on our website), but the gist of it is this: overall, cash-in was down approximately 16% from the plan (all your donations really helped to reduce the gap), and the resulting savings from spending cuts were approximately 9% from our original plan for the year. What does this mean? We ended up losing money in 2024. 

While we still are moving toward a long-term vision for Burning Man, including a bright future for year-round programming, our current priority is the Burning Man experience in Black Rock City. We believe helping people get access to Black Rock City plays a critical role in our mission to “facilitate and extend the culture that has emerged from the Burning Man event into the larger world.” We will continue to tightly manage operating expenses and capital expenses across the organization. I look forward to sharing our progress as we move forward.

It is through this journey that we’ve created unprecedented space for reimagining what Black Rock City can become. The challenges of 2024 have stripped away what isn’t essential, opening up new possibilities for radical reinvention. That’s why we’re not just hopeful, but certain, that 2025 will be the best Burning Man ever — because this moment of transformation belongs to all of us, and bold ideas are exactly what this moment needs.

HOW WE’RE ALL GOING TO MAKE THIS THE BEST BURNING MAN EVER!

Every great evolution in Burning Man’s history has come from junctures like this — we can together ask not just what we want to preserve, but what we want to become.

Right now, we stand at the threshold of a new frontier. The world is rapidly changing, and Burning Man’s role in that world has never been more vital. This isn’t just about weathering challenges — it’s about harnessing our collective creativity, wisdom, and radical spirit to shape a shared experience that speaks to where we are and to the future we’re moving toward.

The magic of Burning Man has always been in its ability to evolve while staying true to its core principles, and that evolution has always been driven by you — the community that dreams up the impossible and then makes it real. This year, that transformative power is in all of our hands. Together, we have the chance to write the next chapter of Burning Man’s story, one that responds to the needs of our time while creating new possibilities for human connection and cultural transformation.

Looking back, the burn in 2024 was damn good, especially after two challenging years of difficult weather. The vibe was great and morale remained sky-high throughout the week, sunrises and sunsets were spectacular and it was bookended by smooth ingress and egress that led to making Black Rock City rock on all levels.

We’re excited to share a number of specific operational updates with you that will carry forward the energy and make this year even better. We’re determined to make things easier for those of you who bring your creativity to life on the playa:

• Simplify Theme Camp and Mutant Vehicle Processes: In response to your feedback, we’ve streamlined the Theme Camp and DMV (Department of Mutant Vehicles) Questionnaires, making them shorter and more efficient. These two departments have also instituted “office hours,” giving community members easier access to ask questions and get answers — subscribe to the Jackrabbit Speaks (or engage with the relevant department) to learn more about office hours and how to sign up.

• Encourage More Artists, Musicians, Craftsmen, International and Next Generation Burners: The people who inhabit and activate Black Rock City are what makes it incredible. This year, we’re going beyond what we’ve done in the past to make sure we continue to stimulate the Radical Self-expression we hold so dear and encourage folks from near and far to come and play — especially those who always felt the call to Burning Man but never thought it was possible for them. The new Rising Sparks initiative is a great example of this. It is actively recruiting next-gen Burners to come to Black Rock City 2025 and be part of the magic (email: therisingsparks at burningman dot org).

• Revisit Delivered Housing On Playa: In 2022, to address the growing number of convenience camps, we made the decision to stop housing deliveries by outside services vendors. However, this led to some unintended consequences — many Burners faced higher costs for RV rentals, and participants with disabilities, those less comfortable driving large vehicles, and international travelers all found it more difficult to participate. We heard you. In response, we are reintroducing delivered housing services in a carefully crafted way that puts controls in place. We believe we can reintroduce housing delivery services in a way that makes Black Rock City more accessible to those who need it, while maintaining clear guidelines that prevent the shift toward convenience culture that we’ve worked so hard to avoid.

• Improve Ingress and Egress So You Can Get In and Out More Easily: We had the best ingress and egress in 2024; fastest ever, lowest wait times ever, and we debuted a public dashboard website showing wait times and weather in real time. It was a win, and we’re making some additional improvements around operational efficiencies and empowering our volunteers. Let’s ring that bell and see those dust angels (safely, and quickly please!).

• Integrate the Principle of Gifting into Ticketing — Pay What You Can: We’ve thought long and hard about how the ticketing process can balance the resources needed to bring Black Rock City to life with our commitment to making participation possible for our diverse community. We’ve been explicit about the cost to put on the Burning Man event, and that the proceeds from ticket sales alone do not support the event costs. As we move forward, we’re inviting you to reflect on the cycle of giving and receiving that makes Burning Man possible — asking both ‘What can I contribute to our shared experience?’ and ‘What support might I need to make it home?’

This is a community-based ecosystem. When you choose your ticket tier, you have an opportunity to have an impact on our collective experience

We are close to announcing our ticket sales and I can tell you now that there will be lower-priced tickets for those who cannot afford the baseline ticket price, and higher-priced tickets for those who feel excited to expand access for others to Black Rock City. 

2025: #BestBurningManEver

All this improvement is riding with the flow of some incredible early momentum. The first sign of that excitement is receiving interest from the largest number of theme camps ever expressing their intention to participate in BRC in 2025! Woot! #Bman2025!

So much of what we are crafting came from your input. Thank you for all your ideas and feedback so far. Keep it coming, and thank you!

As we imagine how incredible the 2025 Burn will be, we want to make sure all your voices are heard. What ideas do YOU have around what could improve in Black Rock City in 2025? What are the challenges and opportunities YOU see? You can send your thoughts to: feedback at burningman dot org.

TOMORROW TODAY

In thinking about this year’s theme, Tomorrow Today, I’m reflecting on this moment we’re in, both as a community and as a species, and as we plan for the best Burning Man ever, I come back to one of my favorite quotes from Larry Harvey:

“Burning Man is a reminder that we are capable of creating the world we want to live in.” 

Thank you again for being part of this incredible event, community, and culture. Come create the world with us.

With gratitude and love,

Marian Goodell
CEO, Burning Man Project

P.S. Edited listening to The Smiths “How Soon is Now” with a little of The Cure for dessert.

P.P.S. Burning Man is over. #bestburnever #fuckyourburn #burningmansucksdontgo #nosocialmedia #burningmanlovesyou

P.P.P.S. Takes a village to bring a message like this out to the world. Deep gratitude to over a dozen humans who drafted, edited, researched, fixed web links, made web pages, gnashed teeth, edited again, and pestered me. Thank you!

Cover image of “The Hive” by Tim Bremner (Photo by Eleanor Preger)

Editor’s note:

As fires devastate communities in Los Angeles, many of our friends, family, board members, and fellow Burners are enduring unimaginable challenges and loss. Announcing the design of the 2025 Temple in this moment felt uncertain, but Burning Man is a culture rooted in resilience, connection, and the power of art and beauty—all of which feel especially vital right now. The 2025 Temple embodies these values, offering a beacon of hope and togetherness, which is why we felt compelled to share this announcement with you today.

The Temple of the Deep is a space that honors both strength and vulnerability, a sanctuary for reflecting on light and shadow. At Burning Man Project, our thoughts are with everyone impacted by the tragedy in LA. We hold you in our hearts as we look ahead to co-creating spaces that bring healing and meaning to us all.

With the start of a new year, we’re excited to announce the innovative Black Rock City Temple for 2025: Temple of the Deep by Miguel Arraiz! Arraiz is a Spanish architect living in Valencia, and the Burning Man Regional Contact for the Spain – Valencia community. 

The Design

The Temple of the Deep embodies both strength and fragility. Inspired by ancient volcanic rocks from the surrounding Black Rock Desert landscape, it is a sanctuary for shared reflection and healing. 

Miguel’s design is a bold evolution from recent Temple designs, with a natural yet futuristic vision that is both raw and ornate. Rich layers of meaning underlie the 44-foot-high by 105-foot-diameter design, exploring concepts of light and dark, personal and communal, and the power of honoring our journey. Step into the 3D model to understand what it will feel like in the space.

Crafted from wood, the monolithic black rock evokes power and represents a connection to the personal depths that we develop through loss and healing. Reminiscent of organic places of shelter — such as caves, rocks, and mountains — the Temple will be a space where participants can connect, reflect, find meaning, and tap into the mysticism of the Earth. 

Its fractured surface, symbolizing the heart and soul shattered into a thousand pieces, glows from within, creating a captivating interplay of light and shadow. The design references kintsugi, the Japanese art of mending broken pottery with gold, celebrating flaws as sources of strength and beauty rather than hiding them, reminding us that healing comes from exploring, not erasing, the journey.

The radial symmetry and alcove shapes create a sense of balance with the striking exterior design. Seven entrances signify the seven stages of grief, guiding participants along introspective healing paths that converge in the shared central space. The interior seating mirrors BRC’s city plan, embracing unity and transforming it into a space for communal healing.

Miguel invites us all to see ourselves reflected in the Temple’s philosophy of radical acceptance. It is a space for honoring your own journey and finding peace in its imperfection. 

As Miguel writes: “We gather under a symbolic rock—our heart and soul shattered into pieces. Through communal healing, these scars tell our journey (kintsugi), turning loss into peace and connection.” 

The Lead Artist and Team

Miguel Arraiz brings a global perspective to the Temple as the first Spanish native to lead the project, reflecting Burning Man’s thriving international community.

A childhood dream of being a poet and architect led him to architecture, but the 2008 financial crisis pushed him toward ephemeral art. His 15 years creating burnable art for Valencia’s Las Fallas festival unknowingly prepared him for a life-changing encounter with Burning Man in 2015 and 2016. Collaborating with pink intruder on Renaixement, an Honorarium artwork exhibited in both Black Rock City and Valencia, Miguel discovered parallels between the fiery spirit of Las Fallas and Burning Man’s ethos of innovation, community, and impermanence. (Check out this documentary!)

Now, leading the Temple of the Deep — a project inspired by love, reflection, and respect — Miguel collaborates with Spanish colleagues including Javier Molinero, Arqueha, and Javier Bono, plus seasoned Temple Builders Guild members and other experienced leads from recent years to create a celebration of community and global collaboration. 

Stay tuned in the coming weeks for a podcast all about this year’s Temple artist and a Journal post covering all things Temple, from its builders to its guardians.

The Selection Process

After 25 years of the Temple tradition, Black Rock City has seen many remarkable Temple designs. We owe much to David Best for initiating the tradition and shaping the Temple’s design for years. And, as an organization at the forefront of creativity, Burning Man Project embraces innovation and experimentation. 

The Temple of the Deep breaks from tradition with a bold new design. The Temple tradition allows diverse styles as long as the design provides a non-denominational, welcoming space for thousands of participants and their offerings. It must also meet practical requirements, including a feasible build plan and limited installation time on playa.

Miguel’s design stood out for its imagination and depth. From the cracked black rock symbolizing resilience to the open interior fostering connection, its nuanced meaning made it a compelling choice. We also appreciated its potential to inspire new creative directions.

While design is key, the integrity and leadership of the lead artist are equally important — Miguel’s leadership, sincere passion, and selfless motivation were deeply impressive. It’s also exciting to feature only the third Temple by an international artist.

Miguel’s journey — from Valencia’s Fallas festival to the 2025 Temple — embodies Burning Man’s spirit of participation. With a vision, a willingness to collaborate, and a big dash of grit, you too can create something extraordinary.

YOU Can Participate in the Temple! 

Anyone — regardless of skill or background — can contribute to this powerful symbol of connection, healing, and reflection. The Temple of the Deep will come to life through the hands, hearts, and minds of many. Its creation is not just a feat of architectural brilliance but an act of community-building. While some leads are already in place, there are still many opportunities to join. The build will be based in the Bay Area, but roles are available for both remote and in-person participation. Fill out this form to get involved!

You can also contribute written offerings to the Temple, even if you can’t attend BRC. Look for more details in the coming months. Your participation makes Temple of the Deep a true gift for all — a space to reflect, connect, and release.

Be the Artist You Are!

With a vision and the willingness to try, anyone can be an artist at Burning Man. Whether designing large-scale or small-scale artworks, joining a build crew, or creating other interactive experiences, step out of the spectator seat and into the ring.

Burning Man is something to create, not consume. Whatever it is, we invite you to bring your artistic vision to life. The creation of the Temple of the Deep exemplifies how collaboration and determination make the extraordinary possible. 

Cover image: rendering of the Temple of the Deep at night by Miguel Arraiz, rendering by Arqueha 

Placement exists to support Burning Man’s creators (artists, theme camp organizers, donors, etc.), and with this service-oriented mindset, our team’s mission is to make it possible to bring your theme camp to Black Rock City. The team is looking inwards at the core of how we operate, thinking about how to make things smoother for everyone, and how to support you (or get out of the way) so you can bring your best to that thing we all build in the desert. The culture of Burning Man that emanates so brightly in Black Rock City is so important at this time in our world. The Placement team is excited to continue collaborating with you, and to make 2025 one of the best yet.

Submitting an SOI (via the Participate section in your Burner Profile) is how you let us know officially that you plan to join us in Black Rock City as a placed theme camp — SOI’s are due by January 16. The SOI allows us to determine how many Stewards Sale tickets to offer each camp, and helps us anticipate any major changes in store for BRC’s neighborhoods (since every camp contributes something special). If you are a returning theme camp, you’ll notice a shorter form that should only take 10 minutes to complete.

Making It Easier for You

Since 2022, Placement has been working on a key part of the Cultural Vision of Residential Black Rock City to have Transparent Communication from Burning Man Project to Residents, shifting the team’s culture and practices to be more supportive, transparent, and responsive to the community. Going to Black Rock City is hard enough, and Placement is working on a smoother experience. You can expect some key changes to the Placement process including:

1. Meeting more theme camp ticket needs
2. Introducing a fast-track system for veteran theme camps
3. Making sure you have increased and clearer access to the Placement team

Meeting More Theme Camp Ticket Needs

Placement has heard concerns about ticketing for theme camps and has been working with the Ticketing Department to address them. Taking care of our cultural collaborators such as theme camps is a priority — you’re a core part of the community. While Stewards Sale allocations have suited the needs for some theme camps, we’ve heard that others have been stressed about receiving fewer tickets than they need. Based on the recent survey results, Stewards Sale ticket needs will be met for most theme camps in 2025. For camps taking the year off, some campmates may still want to attend the event without your full camp and we’re working on a way to support this.

Please do not overestimate your needs in this early part of the season. No one wants anyone to have an excess of tickets in summer because you’ve bought more than you needed in the Stewards Sale. To remedy this situation, we’re attempting to be more dynamic and responsive to ticket requests the closer we get to the event. If you still find your camp short after the bulk of public sales have concluded in May, you can reach out to Placement directly (at placement@burningman.org) to request additional tickets. We will do our utmost to meet all of the remaining needs of theme camps then. 

Introducing a Fast-track System for Veteran Theme Camps

Placement is excited to debut a fast-track process for veteran BRC theme camps. If you fit this criteria, you will see 20-30% fewer questions in the Placed Camp Questionnaire (PCQ) that opens in February. This simplified version trims down the questions to include only essential information Placement and other Burning Man departments require. Additionally, for all returning camps, some of our lengthiest questions will be pre-filled with your answers from the previous year, so you can use the same response if nothing’s changed (or edit if things have). The questionnaire is still needed from each camp seeking placement, as camps do make adjustments year-to-year — in size, interactivity, theme, desired location, and even camp name and leadership. 

Who’s eligible to be Fast Tracked? Any previously-placed theme camp that has been in good standing for the last three consecutive events and who has raised no concerns with camp interactivity or size. That’s nearly two out of every three camps in BRC out of approximately 1,200 theme camps! 

Increasing Access to the Placement Team

Monthly Office Hours will be held beginning in December so you can speak directly with Placement. The office hours are drop-in sessions to: ask questions about the Placement process, understand the pieces that make Black Rock City work, and learn about the Placement team. We love meeting camp organizers! Check the Placement Newsletter for each month’s Office Hours link (Subscribe to the Placement Newsletter here — anyone can sign up). 

Every volunteer on Placement’s three teams — Placement, Camp Support, and Placement’s Exploration & Engagement Research Squad (PEERS) — comes from the community and dedicates their free time to support and connect camp organizers on playa and throughout the year. Camp Support organizes monthly Campfire Talks, the annual Camp Symposium, and a Camp Advisory and Mentorship Program that’s open to all. On playa, Placement also has headquarters at Esplanade and 5:45. Stop by and say hello! 

As always, emailing us at placement@burningman.org is the best way to reach us; we strive to respond to everyone within 48 hours on weekdays. If there’s anything you wish to discuss or appeal with us, write to us to start the conversation.

Making it Easier on Yourself

Alongside Placement’s efforts to bring more ease to the placement process, we hope camps can also look at how to make your own plans smoother and more enjoyable. The 2024 event was a stellar year by most accounts, and it was due largely to smaller camps. A significant number of camps reduced their sizes, which came with benefits: more manageable logistics, stronger interpersonal bonds among campmates, increased collaboration within and across camps, and all-around reduced stress.

One camp lead stated in their Post-playa Report, “Given our need to simplify this year, due to camp attendance, we’ve discovered simpler is better. It allows for just as much of a contribution and presence, but negates the bigger challenges of trying to do and build too much with a smaller group. It felt safer and more beneficial to all.”

We’ve noticed a trend: camps who struggle the most in BRC tend to be larger camps with larger logistics and challenges around Decommodification. Every year there are camps with only a few people left standing to clean up for campmates who’ve abandoned them. Larger camps have a harder time acculturating their campers, they have weaker community ties to feel responsible for each other, and sometimes campers within the same camp never even interact. Camp size has real cultural consequences. We urge every camp to thoughtfully consider your camp population.

If your camp has more than 100 people and you have things dialed in — wonderful! We want to continue supporting big dreams and large camps.

But take it from one of our largest sound camps: “We truly enjoy our pattern of being big and then taking a step to a more intimate offering every other year. In the smaller years we get to focus on our Immediacy, communal nature and Decommodification together in a more focused way. When we offer up the big stage, it is harder to accomplish due to the level of work that is needed to keep the big camp operational for a full week.”

This isn’t about limiting ambition. It’s about finding the right scale. Going smaller can truly make for a better Burn. Here’s to a more easeful year for all of us!

Before I started volunteering for Placement, I was a theme camp organizer and know how much it takes to organize a camp in BRC. Being a camp lead was truly a labor love and I brought that same love with me when joining the Placement team. Every volunteer under the Placement umbrella knows how much passion and dedication it takes to wrangle all the cats to bring a successful theme camp to BRC. We’re a bunch of nerds who care deeply about the community, Burning Man culture, and building great neighborhoods that can’t be found anywhere else. I’m excited to see how we can all bring more joy and ease to BRC this year!

Cover image of “SWING” by The ManDts, 2019 (Photo by Rick Egan)

Earlier this morning, Burning Man Project CEO Marian Goodell emailed an end-of-year update to the Burning Man community — it contains updates about our end-of-year fundraising campaign plus a bunch of info about the year ahead. We’ve shared it here in its entirety. Please give it a read and help us keep Burning Man alive!

Dear Burning Man community, 

Here we are two weeks before the end of the calendar year. Thank you to all of you who have sent words of encouragement, donations, and pledges to participate in Burning Man and bring more joy, awe, art and engagement to the world.

Let me give an update as to where we are so far in our year-end fundraising effort, and what’s in store.

We started 2024 with a commitment to raise $10M philanthropically. This was up 20% from the $8.2M raised in 2023. Due to the ticket sales shortfall to Black Rock City in 2024, we found ourselves needing to make mission-aligned budget adjustments and raise the remaining deficit to the tune of approximately $10M — this, in addition to the initial $10M goal.

We cut expenses, reduced the year-round workforce, deferred some payments, got reductions on our office rentals, and doubled down on our commitment to do more to bring Burning Man and Black Rock City to the world, not less.

Burning Man is like nothing else in the world. There is no other mass gathering the size and length of Black Rock City that, driven by Principles including participation, gifting, and inclusion, creates such awe and joy — all without corporate sponsorship, vending and merchandise to subsidize the operation. Much bigger than an event or festival, Burning Man is a global cultural movement that is already benefiting the world.

So, how do we sustain it, and get more Burning Man out there?

We have dedicated and passionate donors and supporters. Thank you. With your support, we will continue to lean into what Burning Man Project is:

A global arts and culture nonprofit that needs year-round philanthropic support to accomplish our mission to facilitate and extend Burning Man culture to the world.

This is the first front of our inflection point: leaning into philanthropy to bring more belonging, connection and creativity to the world.

We launched a $3M December Community Campaign on Nov. 25. Now, thanks to the generosity of enthusiastic donors, we are able to offer a match to your donations through the end of the year to help us reach our goal. Every dollar donated is worth $2.

The opposite of shrinking, we are also leaning into our role as a service provider. This is the second front of our inflection point. Burning Man Project is in service to a global cultural movement advancing a more creative, connected and thriving society.

And, to be in service to you, the participants that bring Burning Man to life and sustain it 365, we are making it easier to participate in this phenomenon that started on a beach and migrated to the Nevada desert and out into the world. How?

• We are determined to keep Burning Man financially accessible by offering reasonably priced ticket options for Black Rock City 2025, and we’ve improved many processes to provide better access to tickets and support your efforts to bring your self expression to Burning Man. Ticket details are still being ironed out, and today’s philanthropic support helps inform planning for the 2025 event.
• We have reduced many administrative processes, including how you bring your art, content, mutant vehicles and Theme Camps to Black Rock City. This includes the shortening of forms, including the Theme Camp Statement Of Intent, the Placed Camp Questionnaire and the Department of Mutant Vehicles (DMV) Application Form, and removal of unnecessary questions, to ensure we are seeking only the most necessary details. Additionally, with a new fast-track system for returning camps in good standing, you’ll find many questions pre-populated from your previous applications.
• We are looking deeper into feedback around delivery of Recreational Vehicles not being allowed to the playa, to ensure the policy best balances your safety and mitigation of onsite commercial activity.
• As we did in 2024, we will continue to visit Theme Camps less for compliance to government regulations and instead lean more heavily into pre-event education. In Black Rock City 2024, we simplified the complex fuel storage guidelines to make it easier for participants to follow.
• We are also making ourselves more accessible. By offering town halls, office hours and more clearly providing contact points for you within the nonprofit, we are making ourselves available to participants as a resource, supporting them to successfully contribute to and advance Burning Man culture in every corner of the world.
• We will continue to optimize your Black Rock City gate experience not only for wait times, but to also feel welcoming. This includes helping you prepare for what is expected for entry, and resolving side trips to D-Lot quickly and respectfully.

It is heartwarming and frankly overwhelming at times to hear all of your powerful stories of change and transformation at Burning Man. Most recently, we were thrilled to hear from a major Black Rock City theme camp and art car community that is working to have their group achieve 100% participation in donating to Burning Man Project. Gifts of any amount help us increase our fundraising participation numbers, and when everyone takes part, the benefit Burning Man can have on the world is limitless.

The world needs more Burning Man — let’s lean in and make it happen together.

Marian Goodell
CEO, Burning Man Project

Cover image of “Naga and the Captainess” by Cjay Roughgarden, Stephanie Shipman, and Jacquelyn Scott, 2024 (Photo by Espressobuzz)

So naturally we’re all fighting about it.

But before we talk about that, let me tell you a bit about how I’ve been “Burning” these last few years, as a way of illustrating a point.

How I Burned: Then and Now

I started my Burning Man participation a little over 20 years ago, going to Regional events. 

I went to Black Rock City, and then started volunteering with work camps (I was the Volunteer Coordinator for Media Mecca) and helping out at theme camps, starting wars, and trying to create large scale mischief. When I wasn’t doing that, I was involved with institutional initiatives, most particularly co-founding the Burning Man Philosophical Center. 

That was then. Now… 

I haven’t been to a Regional in maybe seven years or more.

I missed the last two Black Rock Cities (although one was a funny story… I tried to go…).

I didn’t go to any of the “Renegade Burns” (a name that always bothers me because … who’s telling you not to do this? Literally everyone I know inside and out of the Burning Man Project is supportive of these things). Instead, I turned my apartment building’s backyard into a makeshift theme camp and created art experiences there that I would invite friends, acquaintances, and complete strangers to come and participate in. 

One of those backyard art experiences was designed to be unrepeatable, it could never be done again. But the second one — The Demon Garden — could be repeated and, though I never planned this, has turned into something that I have taken on the road, offering it at venues across the country and internationally. I don’t do it often, but it has become one of my signature offerings.

But that’s not all. 

While I was on a recent trip, a group of people I was briefly with were prompted to talk about (of all things) gifts, and so someone I’d never met, who knew nothing about me, sat down next to me and asked “What’s the gift you’re most proud of giving?”

“Well,” I said momentarily stumped, “the kind of gifts I am proud of giving are actually art experiences that…” 

I saw the baffled look on his face. 

“You know what? It will be easier if I show you. May I give you a gift?” 

He said yes, and I reached into my pack and pulled out the art project I brought to Black Rock City in 2019. It’s small enough to fit in my hand, and so I often have it with me. I took him through it, and his jaw dropped. The next day we ran into each other, and he told me he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it, that it gave him a new perspective he needed, and may be helping him in this time of life. 

Not long before that, I had been talking with a small group of people about creating magical experiences, and when they’d wanted more details I again said, “It would be easier to show you,” and pulled out the project that I brought to Black Rock City in 2016, which is not so small that it can fit in my hand but is small enough to fit in a backpack. Once again, minds blown.

A few days later, I was asked if I could come up with an exercise for a group of around 20 people to help unlock their creativity, and once again I had a project on hand. This one I’d created in 2020 as a way to help ease the psychological suffering of people who were experiencing a sense of nihilism in the pandemic. It didn’t originate at Burning Man, but I knew I could create it because by that point I had done so many small, human sized, experiences at Black Rock City that I knew I could create a project like this outside of it. I invented a new use for the project and it had a great impact: people threw themselves through it and into their own Radical Self-expression.

This has become the essence of what I’m doing now. I rarely show up at big, or even medium sized, events, but I have a number of art projects that I can do spontaneously — “magic on tap,” I call it — that directly came out of my experiences at Burning Man, and often debuted at Black Rock City.

Now… Twenty year ago, if I had told people “well, I don’t go to BRC any longer, and I haven’t gone to Regionals in a while, but I do have these art projects that I learned to make through Burning Man that I use when the moment requires some magic,” I think a lot of people would have argued that this was a very nice thing — a great thing — for me to have taken away from my time at Burning Man, but that it didn’t make me an active participant in the culture any longer. To be a “real Burner” back then, a lot of people thought you had to show up at a very limited number of events, especially BRC.

Today? Nobody says that. When I say, “Oh, I have my own path through playa magic that I do wherever I am,” they have a very different reaction: they are happy for me that I have found a way of participating in this culture that I am passionate about. No one accuses me of not really participating.

That’s a major change, and the essence of this new era of Burning Man culture that we’re in.

How Black Rock City Went from a Prototype to an Outlier

Burning Man is experiencing a new cultural era. The pandemic was the beginning of what I’ve referred to as Burning Man’s “Diaspora” period, when we went from a highly connected, even bureaucratic, global network trying to do difficult things across cultures, with Burning Man Project headquarters (BMHQ) at its center… to a super-localized environment in which the way Burners interact with their neighbors is far more important than the ways they interact with BMHQ. 

Back then, there was a relatively centralized vision for what “Burning Man” looked like and did in the world. Now there are a lot of local visions. 

The globally interconnected network still exists, of course, but it has a very different relationship to Burning Man’s “centers” — Black Rock City and San Francisco. No one is comfortable in this new relationship yet, which is probably why there’s so much controversy around Burning Man’s recent fundraising appeals. People are asking “What are you doing? What are you good for? What do we need from you?” And these are very appropriate questions. This stuff needs to be figured out. But the existence of differences of approaches is being seen as a threat, a challenge, rather than — as is usually the case in Burning Man culture — an opportunity for people to support each other in making their visions happen. 

But even more than that: “Black Rock City” emerged during Burning Man’s earlier cultural periods, and became the prototype, the aspiration, for the Regionals and events that followed. It was what we pointed at to say: “Burning Man events are kind of like that, even if they’re not really.” 

Now, in the Diaspora period, Black Rock City is no longer a prototype — it is an outlier. People “doing Burning Man” are getting more experimental with form and approaches, and Regionals are more likely to point at each other as an example of what they are doing than they are BRC. And then there’s organizations like Burners Without Borders, and people creating civic institutions based on Burning Man Principles… 

In Burning Man’s earlier cultural phases, people were experimenting with the kind of theme camps they could create, the kind of art projects they could develop, and the kind of organizations they could have to manage all this — but they were still working on the model of Black Rock City. In this cultural phase people are still experimenting with these things, but they are experimenting with the container itself, figuring out ways to do “Burning Man” that is based on something besides that model. 

Where once Burning Man was a thing that we were working to make happen around the world, now Burning Man is a thing that happens differently wherever it touches. 

And there’s nothing wrong with this. In fact, it’s an indicator of success: this is what a healthy culture, that people love and care about, does. 

But it’s not the only thing a healthy culture does, and this era, like any other, comes with its own distinct opportunities we can live up to and challenges we have to meet.

The Same Challenge from the Other Direction

In many ways the challenge of a Diaspora period is the symmetrical inverse of the High Culture period. 

During Burning Man’s High Culture period (which I would say ran from about 2013 to the pandemic), we had (relatively) strong institutions that were able to communicate and function clearly across cultures, but those institutions threatened to choke off local creativity. All too often it felt like Burners needed to get the Burning Man Project’s permission to try to do interesting things, which is fatal to our culture. (And part of the reason I wrote that we needed to “decommodify permission”)

The challenge therefore was to “make bureaucracy Burning Man compliant” — to keep the benefits of cross-cultural institutions without making everyone ask their permission. To make sure everyone felt (and really had) agency.

This is a really difficult challenge and — I’m just going to say it — I think Burning Man was failing to achieve it. Maybe it would have succeeded given more time, but I can say pretty explicitly (I was working for the nonprofit at the time and talking with Larry specifically about this) that figuring out how to square that circle was still being actively experimented with, and that no clear path forward (that was being tried) had emerged.

Then the pandemic hit.

Now we have the opposite problem: the Diaspora period is opening up the valves on local creativity and engagement. People have new ideas and are not looking for permission to do them. It’s amazing. 

But we are in danger of losing not just the organizations that keep us connected and better able to pool our resources, but the very lines of communication that a culture needs to stay coherent across distances and borders. There is a level of cultural coherence that we have long taken for granted — so much so that we have often fought against it! — that we are now in danger of losing, which will make everything we want to do that is not strictly local (and maybe even then) more difficult. 

We don’t need to recreate the center we had, but we do need ways of coming together, communicating clearly, supporting one another, and solving larger scale logistical problems. If along the way we can share best practices and help those new creative ideas travel, that’s even better.

And we need to do it in a way that feels representative — and helpful — to the people who are diversifying what it means to be a “Burner”… to the artists, the “renegades,” the creators of Regionals, and people doing things we haven’t even thought of yet.

The job is still, in that sense, to make a Burning Man compliant bureaucracy. And it is still a very difficult challenge. 

It will be that much harder if we succumb to the terrible mistake — so common among subcultures — that people who are doing things differently than we would are an enemy. That somehow Renegade burners and Black Rock City burners are on different teams, that Regional burners and smaller event burners and Burners wandering through the world practicing art magic (like me) are in a zero sum game. 

We’re not. We’re all stronger when we all thrive. A healthy Black Rock City makes renegade burns easier, not harder. Regionals are more empowered the more people are successfully engaging in different forms of Burning Man culture. We are on the same team.

This is especially important because perhaps the truest expression of Burning Man culture is to offer to help. To participate. To see someone doing something weird and wonderful that you don’t really understand, and instead of criticizing it or condemning it, to ask: “Can I help?”

That’s who we are at our best. That’s what we need to make sure we preserve in this Diaspora phase, a time of wondrous and brilliant diversity. To see other Burners trying to do difficult things and ask: “Can I help?”

That’s what we need to succeed in this moment.

Cover image of “Earth and Beyond” by Karel and Marie Machalek (Photo by Jane Hu)

Earlier today, Burning Man Co-founder Crimson Rose emailed the Burning Man community. We’ve shared it here in its entirety. Please give it a read and help us keep Burning Man art alive!

Do you remember the first time an amazing work of art at Burning Man opened your heart? For me, it was the Man itself, which I had the honor of sending to its fiery release at my first Burn in the desert in 1991. Now, imagine a newcomer coming to Black Rock City and experiencing Burning Man art for the first time, just as we did. How would their hearts open?

Radical Self-expression is one of our core principles, and art has always been central to the Burning Man experience. A work of art can take you on a journey and give you insight into your own art spirit, for we are transformed from spectator to participant and we are given permission to become active contributors to the creative process. 

But it also requires an incredible contribution from the community to make it possible — countless hours of work and the essential monetary support. When you tally it all up — the annual Honoraria grants, art support services such as heavy equipment, and ticket assistance for participating artists — the nonprofit’s annual cost for facilitating Black Rock City art is approaching $5 million. This is a relatively small part of the $55 million* estimated adjusted cost to produce the event in 2023, but it’s a priceless and irreplaceable part that brings so much joy to so many.

While it may seem we just finished Black Rock City 2024, the Burning Man Project art team and artists around the world are still in high gear, focused on creating next year’s Burning Man art. 

The Tomorrow Today art theme has been announced, the Honoraria grant process is underway, and proposals for the Temple have been submitted and are under review. 

But ticket prices have not yet been set. In order to keep them reasonable, and to fully fund our art programs, we need elevated long-term financial support from the community to be able to plan with confidence for the future. Burning Man needs your help to raise $3 million that will go towards art and engagement in Black Rock City. 

As stimulating as the art of Black Rock City is for so many people, its influence extends far beyond the city limits, reaching local communities around the world, every day of the year. Did you know — community members have helped place hundreds of art pieces from Black Rock City out in the world. The joy and connection on the playa reaches beyond it! I remember when we chose “Charon” by Peter Hudson for an Honoraria grant in 2011. Little did we know that work of art would spend years touring France, Belgium and the UK. 

Artwork that once had a life in Black Rock City can live again. By installing art in a community, the same creative energy that was born of the desert is exposed to new audiences. We always look for art that resonates in Black Rock City, and we are overjoyed when people around the world get the chance to experience this art too.

We are making progress toward the 2024 fundraising goal and we thank you for being so responsive and involved. The community goal for December to raise $3 million plays an important role in securing the future of Burning Man art — on the playa and in the world. And, that goal will help to keep Black Rock City accessible. If you have the means to contribute, I’m asking for your help. I have been part of building and running the art program since 1991 because of the people I’ve met and the art I’ve experienced at Burning Man events around the world. 

Join me in supporting Burning Man Project with a tax-deductible donation today. 

Burn brightly,

Crimson Rose
Burning Man Co-founder

*Note: The version that was emailed out earlier today incorrectly listed $48 million. The correct estimated adjusted cost to produce the event in 2023 is $55 million.

Cover image of “Charon” by Peter Hudson, 2011 (Photo by Anthony Peterson)

Reporting live from How Burning Man Makes the World Better, here are two remarkable stories of how time spent in our one-week-only fair city of dust has led to positive change that lasts.

Powering Hope: How Burning Man’s DIY Spirit Created a Disaster Response Revolution

When Will Heegaard first brought a modest solar trailer to Black Rock City in 2016, he wasn’t planning to revolutionize disaster response. Mainly, he wanted to satisfy his own curiosity: could mobile solar microgrids power critical infrastructure in a harsh environment?

Heegaard’s experimental array worked so well that it eventually ended up powering Rampart, Black Rock City’s emergency medical field hospital. Heegaard and a team of tinkerers returned to Black Rock City again and again, using the harsh playa environment to continue iterating on solar solutions.

“Burning Man was kind of a testing ground,” Heegaard explains. “If you can test or deploy these types of technologies in non-disaster events for critical needs, you can get a lot of data and learning that can be directly applicable to a disaster.”

Those early experiments evolved into Footprint Project, a nonprofit that brings sustainable power solutions to communities hit by natural disasters. Today, their fleet of mobile solar microgrids and battery systems provides essential power to emergency response facilities, medical equipment, and community centers in crisis zones across the US. They have gone on over 20 disaster and recovery missions to date and provided emergency clean power access to more than 50,000 people. 

In the wake of 2023’s Hurricane Idalia, Footprint Project deployed over 50 solar-powered systems across the Carolinas, powering everything from fire stations to home health devices. When roads were impassable, they even partnered with helicopter teams to airdrop solar kits alongside Starlink units, establishing critical communications in isolated mountain communities. Currently, Footprint Project is deeply immersed in Hurricane Helene relief efforts.

“The reality is that I can’t even keep track at this point of how many individual home health needs we’re supporting,” Heegaard says. “We were getting calls two to three to four times a day in the first couple weeks of people saying ‘My neighbor, friend, grandfather, family member is on oxygen, and if our generator goes down, we don’t know what we’re going to do.”

As they say, the playa provides… a potent convergence of necessity and wide-open space for innovations that evolve to meet urgent real-world challenges. The same improvisational spirit and technical ingenuity that power Black Rock City are now bringing light to communities in their darkest hours, literally and figuratively. 

Footprint Project demonstrates Radical Self-reliance doesn’t mean going it alone — it means building resilient systems that help communities power themselves through crisis, one solar panel at a time.

If you want to know how the rich legacy of Burners supporting disaster relief efforts began, take a listen to the new Burning Man LIVE podcast episode “Tom Price: From the Playa to the Planet” with Tom Price, co-founder of Burners Without Borders, Black Rock Solar, the XRT (External Relations Team), and a company that gifts clean-burning kitchens to people in Kenya.

Hot topics include: the importance of a gift economy and innovative solutions for climate change, and exploring how the values of Burning Man can extend beyond the event itself into everyday life.

JAGUARA: When Playa Art Becomes a Movement for Environmental Empathy

On a moonlit night in 2017, Leo Vilar and Catalina Pulido found themselves standing on the open playa, exhausted but elated after completing work on an Honorarium art project they had volunteered to build. As if on cue, in that moment of completion, Mayan Warrior drove out of the dust, massive light array sparkling and legendary sound system filling every inch of desert air with sound. In the midst of this awesome serendipitous spectacle, Vilar, ever the technician, found himself mentally cataloging the art car’s lasers, noting the placement of every speaker, and checking to see how the light array was hung. As his mind whirred, a bigger dream began taking shape. Like so many citizens of Black Rock City before him, Vilar found himself thinking, “I want to make something like that.” 

But his dream wouldn’t be another mutant vehicle only for art’s sake — it would be a messenger from the Amazon rainforest to the world. 

The concept for JAGUARA, Vilar and Pulido’s mutant vehicle with a mission, was born during a traditional ceremony in their home country of Colombia. It was then that the duo realized they could combine the languages of art, music, and technology to facilitate environmental empathy. The result is a stunning fusion of ancestral wisdom and modern expression: a massive jaguar-shaped art car that serves as both stage and sculpture, carrying the urgent message of rainforest conservation.

After its 2018 debut in Black Rock City, JAGUARA caught the attention of the Biennial of the Americas festival in Denver, where it became the cultural centerpiece of a ten-day gathering focused on sustainability. The project has since evolved into a movement, inspiring conservation efforts and educational initiatives throughout Colombia and beyond.

And just this fall, Vilar and Pulido brought JAGUARA to COP16 (short for Sixteenth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity) in Cali, Colombia. There, the duo orchestrated the creation of a grandly immersive outdoor theater space called the Circuito Terra Experience presided over by JAGUARA. The Circuito Terra Experience became a vibrant hub for environmental and cultural programming alongside the formal conference. 

However, rather than producing a pre-programmed experience, they followed a principle familiar to any Black Rock City citizen: build the container and let the community fill it with meaning. Participants from around the world screened films, led discussions, and shared their work on topics ranging from the Amazon Rainforest to worldwide ocean conservation to the Sierra Nevadas. 

Even the logistics of the two-week event echoed Black Rock City’s spirit of Communal Effort and Radical Self-reliance. “This is the closest we have been to Burning Man,” Vilar reflects. “Because it was so expensive for hotels, we ended up renting empty houses that were close to the conference and putting mattresses on the floor. There were always people cooking. And I was happy because my kids, for example – they’re 11 and 9 – they were involved too, baking cookies and contributing, just very much like Burning Man. Everybody was there together, really happy.”

The Burning Man Effect

Footprint Project and JAGUARA are living proof that the arid playa is actually fertile ground. Seeds of innovation planted there flourish long after the dust settles. 

More than watching lasers dance across the desert night, it’s about the inspirations that result, and the wild realities those inspirations become. It’s beyond the technical knowledge gained from stress testing equipment in extreme conditions; it’s really about the unique alchemy that occurs when creative minds encounter the freedom to experiment backed by a community eager to support bold ideas. All that is what makes change happen. 

These two projects are beacons for Burning Man’s Ten Principles in the wider world – Participation, Civic Responsibility, Gifting, Radical Self-Expression, Communal Effort, and Immediacy are the obvious ones, but when any project makes its way from playa to the planet, all Ten Principles are inevitably in the groundwater. Whether powering communities through crisis or inspiring environmental awareness through art, projects like these show how the playa’s transformative spirit takes root and flourishes, far beyond the dust. 

Cover image of the JAGUARA mutant vehicle at the Biennial of the Americas Festival in Denver, Colorado, 2019 (Photo courtesy of Sonic Design)

These FAQs provide info about Burning Man Project’s mission, programs, and funding. Stick with us as together we work to secure Burning Man as a cultural institution that will be here decades from now, empowering future generations to reimagine the world they live in. 

NONPROFIT

Why is it important for Burning Man Project to facilitate programs beyond Black Rock City?

For the nonprofit to fulfill its mission “to facilitate and extend the culture that has issued from the Burning Man event into the larger world,” it means making Burning Man culture accessible through diversified, impactful programming. 

People naturally come to us with ideas for how they can create participatory events and experiences, support community resilience, or carry out disaster relief work. We give them tools and knowledge to create projects and events that are decommodified, participatory and inspired by our culture.

Burning Man is not, nor has it ever been, “just a festival.” Black Rock City serves as the heart and foundation of our global community and will always remain our priority. But, to focus solely on producing the event would be doing a disservice to all the amazing people and projects that are actively bringing the Burning Man ethos to the world. 

What role do Northern Nevada properties, including Fly Ranch, and programs like the Regionals and Burners Without Borders (BWB) play in advancing Burning Man’s mission?

Burning Man’s Northern Nevada properties provide the platform for prototyping the community and regenerative practices of the future. 

Campouts at Fly Ranch, for example, have produced and fueled participant efforts around sustainability, including: Burner Leadership Achieving Sustainable Theme Camps (BLAST), Renewables for Artists Team (RAT), and the Green Theme Camp Community. All of these groups bring their forward-thinking solutions to life in Black Rock City and iterate towards solutions for the world. Additionally, the nature walks at Fly Ranch are open to the public.

Other properties are used to store Black Rock City infrastructure, which saves on trucking from Reno and allows us to maintain extensive assets used to deploy BRC. Our year round presence in Gerlach supports the event and culture.

For nearly 20 years, local Burners Without Borders (BWB) groups have utilized the skills and can-do attitude embodied by so many in Black Rock City to respond with kindness, connection and humanitarian and community support — from Hurricane Katrina (the beginning of BWB) to Hurricane Helene and everything in between. 

And, as we wrote about recently in Sparking Kindness & Connection, From the Windy City to Rural Romania, Black Rock City participants were inspired to create RoBurn, an official Burning Man Regional Event in Romania. Romanian members of our community use their Regional to reach out to isolated elders. Through the Regional Network, we provide tools and share best practices that enable anyone, anywhere (including the RoBurn founders), to manifest Burning Man’s 10 Principles for the benefit of their local community.  

The connection, creativity and innovation resulting from these programs and properties facilitates and extends Burning Man culture in the wider world. 

FINANCES

Why is this year’s fundraising goal $20 million? 

Since becoming a nonprofit, we have raised funds to support operations. At the start of 2024, our philanthropic fundraising goal for the year was $10M. The $5.7M revenue shortfall resulting from 2024 Black Rock City higher-priced tickets not selling as planned, combined with a $3M dip in main sale tickets and vehicle passes means our initial year-end charitable donation target essentially doubled to nearly $20M.

The main sale ticket price is not priced to cover event costs (more on that below) and higher-priced ticket tiers have subsidized the event as a form of philanthropy for years. This is why recurring philanthropic support is needed to sustain our mission – now and into the future. See our Summary Financial Information for the details. 

For us to continue enabling togetherness, mental well-being, creativity, innovation, and storytelling that sparks change, we must rise to this challenge. Philanthropy will help us maintain Black Rock City as the vibrant heart of Burning Man, and protect the culture with which the event is intertwined. 

What do donations fund? 

Donations fuel everything which is core to Burning Man! 

• ARTS: Through Honoraria grants, donations fund artists who build incredible participatory art as well as ~1,375 gifted tickets for artists. (That’s $790,000 of regular priced tickets)
• CULTURE: Donations keep Black Rock City tickets reasonably priced for all ticket purchasers (ticket prices are not based on actual event costs–read more below). 
• DECOMMODIFICATION: Donations maintain a decommodified event – free of corporate sponsorship or merchandise sales – which helps create the space for authentic connection.
  
• TICKET AID: Donations subsidize Ticket Aid tickets, which enable low-income participants to attend Black Rock City.
  
• CONVENINGS: Donations support incredibly powerful educational and culturally rich co-created prototyping experiences like Burners Without Borders campouts on Fly and this year’s European Leadership Summit.
• The bottom line: Donations fuel Burning Man Project operations across the board, and we can’t do what we do without your ongoing support.  

Why don’t ticket sales cover the cost to produce Black Rock City? 

While at face value it might sound crazy, we have purposefully maintained lower ticket prices–lower than the cost to produce Black Rock City. In 2023, for example, the cost to produce Black Rock City was an estimated $749 per participant while the main sale ticket price was $575. This intentional price-setting aims to keep Black Rock City accessible. 

We aren’t like traditional festivals. Whereas traditional festivals subsidize their ticket costs through corporate sponsorship, VIP benefits, and other commercial mechanisms, (which can account for between 25-30% of revenue), we rely on philanthropy to cover the difference. 

Black Rock City is free from brand influence and transactions which enables more authentic engagement, contributing to and shaping the experience of the ephemeral city. 

Through 2023 we have fortunately been able to maintain lower ticket prices because of the generosity of our community, including through sales of higher-priced tickets (a concept we first talked about back in 2016).

Now and into the future, the community’s generosity and broad philanthropic support is needed to keep ticket prices reasonable and Black Rock City culturally diverse. This is the model by which nonprofit theaters, museums, opera and ballet companies survive. Same goes for universities who count on supportive alumni. In all cases, the cost of admission, tuition, or a ticket to the event doesn’t cover all of what the cultural experience is offering. These cultural institutions, like us, rely on community support from people who believe in their mission. 

How is the estimated $749 per participant cost to Black Rock City 2023 calculated?

Feel free to check out our Summary Financial Information for cost per participant dating back the past 10 years. Specific to 2023, the cost per participant was an estimated $749. This includes the cost of Black Rock City and the Arts program, as well as 80% of the time in Management and Administration, divided by the population as indicated on the Burning Man timeline website and submitted and agreed upon with the Bureau of Land Management. Management and Administration is primarily composed of Information Technology, Accounting, and People Operations, where the efforts are approximately 80% of the time focused on supporting Black Rock City.

Would an increase in ticket prices help?

Raising ticket prices would increase ticket revenue, however, Burning Man is different and always has been. Increasing ticket prices would call our Principle of Radical Inclusion into question. We have cultural diversity, with participants representing all 50 of the United States. In 2024, we had 89 countries represented. Philanthropy, which is key to subsidizing ticket prices, helps us avoid a situation where the cost of a ticket prevents a community member or new Burner from coming to Black Rock City.

Could Regional Events drive revenue? 

No, Regional Events are not a money-maker. Burning Man Project offers guidance to Regional Events, but we don’t fund them or earn revenue from them (hat tip to Regional Events that have made donations to Burning Man Project!). These gatherings are locally organized and are financially separate from Burning Man Project. Providing counsel and liaising with Regionals is an incredibly effective way to advance our mission and support the growth of Burning Man culture.

What about the office space? Could greater savings be achieved, particularly in San Francisco?

Maintaining our office space, the footprint of which we reduced by half in San Francisco during the pandemic, is vitally important. Building connections in person is core to Burning Man culture, and to our ability to work efficiently, collaborate deeply and innovate for the future. In working to reduce costs expected in 2025 (and beyond), we were pleased to work with our landlords in Reno and San Francisco to find savings in rent. 

Specific to San Francisco, Burning Man was born here, and it is home to the largest number of Burning Man creators and participants. The majority of our year-round staff and volunteers also live in the Bay Area. It is a venue for fundraising, a gathering space for up to 120 people, and a space to host donors, for staff and board meetings. 

Are Burning Man Project board members compensated? 

Unlike for-profit boards, we have no Burning Man Project board member compensated in their capacity as a board member. However, we do have board members employed in staff roles, including five of the six Burning Man Cultural Founders who have built the event since before 1997 and designed the mission for the Burning Man Project since 2008. Will Roger Peterson is employed as Director of Nevada Relations; Crimson Rose (listed in the 990s as Nanci Peterson) is Art Transitional Officer (she also holds the official title of Secretary of the Board, which means she is responsible for official filings and approval of meeting minutes); Michael Mikel is Historian & Archivist; Harley K. Dubois is Chief Culture Officer and Marian Goodell is Chief Executive Officer. These five founders are also Board Directors and join the other 13 Directors serving on the board. The 990 lists other key employees or highly compensated individuals with the title of “Director of…..or ….. Director”, like Charlie Dolman who is Director of Event Operations. These are not “Board Directors.”

What is Burning Man Project doing to reduce costs? 

In examining and restructuring our operations, we’ve reduced our expected 2025 (and beyond) costs by several millions of dollars. Our efforts have already included reductions in vendor and payroll costs, including reductions in the number of regular year-round employees on staff, and office rent reductions. 

We continue to trim an already lean and tight Black Rock City infrastructure and nonprofit management. However, we can’t budget-cut our way to securing the long term future of Burning Man. It’s taken nearly 40 years to build the Burning Man culture and Black Rock City event to where it is now. Bringing joy, collaboration, art, and innovation through our culture co-created with amazing people all over the world is the priority and will remain so as we balance it with good business practices.

For Burning Man to continue on into the future — not just as an annual event in the desert, but as a cultural institution that will be here decades from now, empowering future generations to reimagine the world they live in – community support through philanthropy is imperative.  

What is Burning Man Project’s long-term financial strategy? 

Long-term financial planning is essential to sustain our mission to bring more Burning Man to the world, including through Black Rock City. Our long-term plan aims to reduce reliance on ticket sales by emphasizing diversified revenue sources and expansion of philanthropy and grants. Further, building a significant reserve and, in the long-term also an endowment, are things that will enable stability and continuity in the face of economic shifts. The reserve and deeper philanthropy will enable us to support a culturally diverse Black Rock City and keep the event decommodified.

Are major donors granted special decision-making power?

No—donors are not granted special decision-making power. You can read more about it here, our statement of values on gifting. 

Why should I donate when I already volunteer and contribute significantly to my Burning Man camp or project?

First, thank you for every moment you’ve dedicated to making Burning Man what it is today. We appreciate how much you give and can’t overstate our gratitude. <3

Gifting is part of the culture and comes in many forms. We can’t all do everything. We all lean into what we co-create in different ways.

Donations power everything we do to get more Burning Man in the world, and there are many reasons to make a gift today. Like an alumni organization, we see anyone that’s ever attended Burning Man as part of the culture. We want to give everyone a chance to help support us whether they attend Black Rock City currently or not.

If you can’t donate, you can help by spreading the word about why Burning Man matters. It may inspire others to give. This outreach, along with your continued participation – as a theme camp lead, an artist, a mutant vehicle visionary, a performer, a costumer, a musician, a chef, a sous chef, a Black Rock City volunteer, a mechanic, and electrician, a programmer, a staff member, a regional contact, a filmmaker, a photographer, a writer, a storyteller, or however you like to be involved – helps ensure the spirit of the playa continues to thrive and impact the world for the better.

We so ardently believe the world can benefit from the magic, creativity, and inspiration of Burning Man. And that’s why we’re letting our entire community know – why we’re letting you know – that we need philanthropic support to continue our mission.  

MORE INFORMATION

Earlier communications on the blog: 

• What’s Happening in the World with Burning Man (8/18)
• Our Current Financial Situation (10/3) 
• The Inflection Point Requiring This Broad Call for Support (10/18)

Recent email storytelling:

• Marian Goodell’s The Future of Burning Man (10/31) 
• Stuart Mangrum’s Burning Man 2025, by Heineken (11/9)

Summary Financial Information

Cover image of  “Identity Awareness” by Shane Pitzerin, 2015 (Photo by Mark Nixon)

Earlier today, our cacophonous instigator and Director of the Philosophical Center, Stuart Mangrum emailed a call to action for the Burning Man community. We’ve shared it here in its entirety. Please give it a read and help us keep Burning Man sponsorship-free!

Friends — apologies for the subject line, but it begs the question: why not? Wouldn’t a cushy co-branding deal solve Burning Man’s money problems in a hot minute?

After all, it’s standard practice in the festival business to make a big percentage of your revenue from corporate sponsorships. Along with additional income streams such as merchandise sales, food and drink vending, and premium VIP services, it’s how festivals stay profitable despite rising production costs.

But here’s the thing: we’re not a festival. And we’re not here to make a profit. Sure, Burning Man Project is a business, but our business is culture: creating spaces for art, innovation, connection and joy, and making the potentially life-changing experience of Burning Man available to anyone who’s willing to take the ride.

Back in the 90s when Burning Man’s early organizers were first figuring out what we wanted Burning Man to be, we used to joke about this. Who could we persuade to write us a big fat sponsor check? Home Depot? Bic lighters? Mercifully it stayed a joke, with enough cringe factor that it ended up being directly addressed in the principle of Decommodification. 

As was so often the case in our history, we made a good cultural decision that was maybe not the best business decision. Would we be asking you for money right now if we had chosen otherwise? Perhaps not. But we wouldn’t be Burning Man anymore, either.

The other thing any sensible festival would do in the face of soaring costs is to jack up ticket prices, which we’re also not going to do if we can possibly help it. We are way behind the profitability curve when it comes to pricing tickets to the event, and have been for years. The actual per-person cost of producing the 2023 event was $749. Which means we are losing $174 on every full-price ticket, $524 on every reduced-price ticket sold through the Ticket Aid Program, and the full $749 on every one of the more than 1,300 gift tickets we distribute to artists.  

So what’s to be done?

I’m looking at you, Burner. Because we need your help.

In some respects, the current money challenges are predictable growing pains rooted in our transition from an event production company with a nonprofit side-hustle to an arts and culture nonprofit that also performs the annual magic trick that is Black Rock City. We are taking a cue from other cultural nonprofits, such as orchestras and theater companies, and swinging the finance needle away from ticket sales and deeper into philanthropic support now and into the future. 

Thanks for helping with that.

The moment we’re in is challenging, but it’s more than a moment. The future of Burning Man as a cultural force in the world depends on our ability to keep producing Black Rock City without compromising on our principles and not going bankrupt in the process. 

Whether or not Burning Man is still your thing these days, let me ask you this: do you really want to live in a world where there’s no Burning Man anymore? Or one where it’s just another festival with a $900 ticket price and a huge branded beer tent in Center Camp, next to the merch booth and the overflowing trash cans?

Surely that is a future no one wants. And speaking of the future, that’s the Burning Man theme for 2025: Tomorrow Today. I wrote it because I want us to have a future, and for us to make it real together. Because at this point in time, our future is anything but certain.

If you have the means, and if what we do together is meaningful to you, consider a gift of $749 to cover the cost of one artist’s Black Rock City ticket. Or $524 to help one person get to BRC who couldn’t afford it otherwise. Better yet, make it a monthly gift of $62 or $44 to achieve the same results. 

Honestly, your gift of any amount is going to make a difference. 

Thanks for listening. 

Stuart Mangrum

Director, Burning Man Project’s Philosophical Center

PS: Sorry, no tote bag. It would just be MOOP. 

PPS: If you haven’t heard about our fundraising efforts and this is all new to you, you can catch up here: Burning Man Journal. 

Cover image of Black Rock City, 2008 (Photographer unknown)

At first glance, Burning Man looks like a kaleidoscope of contradictions: an experiment in Radical Self-reliance built on a bedrock of collaboration and Communal Effort; a decommodified endeavor that takes many millions of dollars to emerge; an experience of ephemerality that has become a permanent fixture in the lives of hundreds of thousands of people around the globe. 

Many of us who’ve made Burning Man a cornerstone of our lives have discovered something profound beneath the surface. There’s deep meaning to be found by participating in Burning Man culture, meaning that compels us to invest our hearts, minds, and resources into this movement. 

If you were in Black Rock City this year, you may have encountered a story booth beneath the Center Camp Canopy that asked: “Why does Burning Man matter to the future of the world?” 

When we asked this question in Black Rock City, the responses received were as diverse as the community itself. In aggregate, they pointed the way toward a truth that within our culture lies something far more significant: a curiosity for new ways of solving problems, building community, and reimagining what’s possible for human society.

From togetherness and personal growth, to creating change and building bridges, the following seven themes emerged based on Black Rock City 2024 participant submissions in the Center Camp story booth. 

When asked, ”Why does Burning Man matter to the future of the world?,” here’s what participants said:

1. Burning Man matters because it is a laboratory for new social models

“Burning Man is the epicenter of what the world could look like if we built it using different starting principles, different starting values. It’s a city of love. It’s a city where if we live by a different set of rules, what could society look like?”

“We need to be able to reimagine a new way of getting along with each other, getting along with the earth, reckoning with our future, reckoning with our past. Burning Man is a place that allows you to think outside of the box, to imagine and build something that previously was unimaginable, impossible, but we still do it. At Burning Man we create the impossible and we survive in a place that is very inhospitable. If we can survive here, get along here, we can surely do the same in the rest of the world.”

2. Burning Man matters because it creates space for real human connection

“Connection is not going to get any easier. I think even though we are going to be connected to one another, by devices everywhere, real connection with humans, it’s going to be more difficult. So, it’s important for a place like this to exist, where immediacy can be practiced in a way that is available to us in the default world, but that we often don’t get to experience due to a life we built.”

“Burning Man matters because people need to still relate to each other in a personal way. Not on their phones, not texting, not on the computer, but actually relating to people face to face, eye contact, hugs, shoulder rubs, you name it.”

3. Burning Man matters because it is an incubator for creativity and innovation

“Burning Man matters to the future of the world because it is a petri dish of human curiosity, human creativity, and human kindness.”

“The more technological we become, the more we automate everything in the world, the only thing that humans are important for is creativity and creating new things. And there’s nothing that amplifies that or promotes that or creates space for that more than Burning Man. So as the world becomes more automated, I hope that experiences like Burning Man can bring to the forefront the importance of funding and creating the ability for people to be creative and make newness in the world, new thoughts, new art, new ways of thinking of things, new connections, new people in their lives. So spaces like Burning Man are important because in a more dehumanizing world, this is where humanity exists in its purest form.”

4. Burning Man matters because it enables personal transformation

“I’ve learned self-love here. I’ve learned love for humanity here. I stopped becoming a misanthropic person, a person that’s angry and hateful.”

“Burning Man matters to our future because it gives space for individuals to process, to understand who they are, what they’ve been through and who they’re becoming. Burning Man gives us a pause in our day-to-day life, a break from technology, a chance to disconnect and to simply be a human being, not a human doing.”

5. Burning Man matters because it builds bridges between people

“Burning Man matters to the future of the world because intentional communities are the future and building communities through diversity is what the future needs. We need to come together despite all our differences and Black Rock City is the perfect example of that.”

“It’s about the only place in the world where everybody can come together and get along and find fun and peace and love.”

6. Burning Man matters because it shows a different way of human connection

“Burning Man helps the community and the citizens understand each other a little bit more because the masks are down. You meet some of the most beautiful people and I think if we can just take that into the default world and remind ourselves that it’s easy to listen to somebody and opening yourself up to vulnerability, to have access to people’s hearts, we might just be able to save the world.”

“I think Burning Man matters to the world because people need to know that good, kind energy exists in abundance and can exist in their own lives as well. It provides hope for the future, which I think we all need right now.”

7. Burning Man matters because it creates change agents

“Burning Man matters because the world needs to see that it’s possible. Burning Man matters because the bliss that people experience while they are here is what elevates them, is what motivates them, and is what activates them to act in real life.”

“Larry Harvey said that the burden begins when the Burn ends. How do we capture the magic, the creativity, the love, the hard work, and all the values that we bring out here in Black Rock City and bring them into the world? That’s why it matters to the world because when we take what we do here and we bring it out there, we’re making this world a better place.”

So what do you think? 

Whether you’re a first-time Burner or a decades-long participant, your perspective matters. 

Add your thoughts here: “Why does Burning Man matter to the future of the world?”

We’d love to hear your story! How have your interactions with Burning Man shaped the way you engage with others? How do the principles we practice on playa shape the way you present yourself in the default world? What innovations from Black Rock City could help address challenges in your community or on the global stage? How has your experience of burning influenced your vision of what’s possible?

As we prepare to explore 2025’s Black Rock City theme of “Tomorrow Today,” it is clear that Burning Man matters. We are in a time when our world desperately needs more human connection, cooperation and collective resilience, laboratories for testing new forms of community and culture, and proof that transformative change is still possible.

The idea that there is a deeper ‘why’ to Burning Man — whether it be the event in Nevada, Regional Events and communities, or the culture Burners have collectively created — feels particularly urgent now. 

As we find ourselves amidst deepening societal rifts, climate emergencies, technological upheaval, thank you for pausing to ask: What, exactly, is it that makes Burning Man worth the time, attention, and resources of the vibrant people who co-create it? What possibilities are we discovering in the dust (or whatever terrain it is where you burn) that might light the way toward a future we want to live in?

Cover image of “Kaleidoscope Hole” by Michaela Hares, 2024 (Photo by Ales Prikryl)

“I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept.” —Angela Davis

The 2025 Burning Man theme is an invitation to imagine the future in new ways, and to make it real through our collective actions. In the exuberant spirit of the prior century’s world fairs, which celebrated not only scientific progress but also cultural exchange and artistic excellence, the 2025 edition of Black Rock City will showcase Burning Man’s global culture of art and innovation. It will provide a venue for us to dream, invent, prototype and share our best and brightest ideas for the years ahead. 

 If we think of the future as a story we tell ourselves, two plotlines have seemingly come to dominate the popular imagination. On the one hand, a happy modernist fable of tech-fueled utopia, and on the other a postmodern myth of dystopian collapse. It’s increasingly difficult to believe in the first because we now know it’s built on an unsustainable foundation. And we don’t even want to think about the second because it’s a tragedy where no one gets out alive.

 Yet for all its uncertainty the future still feels real to us. It’s a time and a place where we’re going to live, sooner or later. What’s it going to be like for you? For us? For all of us? If you could talk to your future self, what would you say? And what would you want to hear? What kind of an ancestor are you going to be? 

 Burning Man is a lot more than one event these days, and the global culture is strong and healthy. And yet, as we expand our presence out into the world and daily life, we no longer have the luxury of thinking we are somehow apart from that world. The world’s problems are ours, and vice versa. We may not be able to fix everything that’s broken but we just might be able to build something better. Let’s take back the future!

“The future doesn’t exist. The only thing that exists is now and our memory of what happened in the past. But because we invented the idea of a future, we’re the only animal that realized we can affect the future by what we do today.” ―David Suzuki

Most lives are lived in a sort of endless present, or more accurately a fractional second in the past thanks to processing lag. But somewhere back in the Pleistocene, some of the cleverer apes developed the ability to conceptualize time and create mental models of things that did not really exist. The future was one of those things. It was useful but not terribly so, because for a very long time things didn’t really change much for most people. Then, a few hundred years ago, the pace of change suddenly sped up from zero to dizzying. Electric lights! Indoor plumbing! Espresso machines! Before long the slow march of progress had turned into the all-out sprint we know today, and the idea of the future was back in business. 

 The first of what would come to be called World’s Fairs was England’s Great Exposition of 1851, which showcased bleeding-edge tech like an early fax machine. By the 20th century, this tech-forward depiction of the future had become part of the mythos of western culture, complemented by the starry-eyed prose of “golden age” science fiction and made manifest in popular culture through movies, TV shows, and theme parks. And, of course, advertising; the World’s Fairs and Expos were coming-out parties for debutante products, which sooner or later everyone was going to want to buy. Looking back, the modernist myth of the future seems to have been first and foremost a marketing story. An alluring story, with sexy robots and flying cars, but nonetheless built on an untenable foundation of endless growth and boundless resources.

“Along the road to a utopia, the future seems to have run out of gas.” —Larry Harvey

The term “dystopia” has been around for centuries, coined originally as a snarky counterpoint to the dreamy Utopia of Thomas More. But from a cultural point of view it wasn’t really much of a thing until George Orwell published his 1984, a dark tale of perpetual war and pervasive surveillance. And so was born the prevailing postmodern myth of the future, now typified by planetary ruin, societal collapse, and AI murderbots. 

It’s important to appreciate the cultural weight of these two mythic structures – the modernist story of eternal progress and the postmodern story of irreversible destruction. For all its evolutionary advantages, foresight has its shortcomings. Like all mental models it is by definition incomplete. And lazy human computers that we are, we populate it with memes we’ve absorbed from popular culture. Like the AI that famously concluded the meaning of life is cat videos, we have been exposed to enough dystopian thinking that at some level we may start to believe the zombies are real. 

Somewhere between the extremes of a perfect but impossible utopia and a terrifying dystopia that nobody wants is a third possible path for the future: protopia. Writer and futurist (and longtime Burning Man participant) Kevin Kelly coined the term to describe a future based on steady progress, better than today but not perfect, and not without setbacks. Predicated not on avarice or despair but on slowly, gradually working to make the world better for everyone, one step at a time. In other words, a lot like the iterative approach that we encourage and embrace in the Burning Man world.

“You can’t see a difference of 1 percent unless you turn around and look behind you. One percent a year, for 100 years — that’s a big difference.” —Kevin Kelly

Burning Man is emphatically not a utopian society, nor was it ever meant to be – but it is an influential cultural movement and social experiment with some unique opportunities to prototype new solutions. As we cross the halfway mark in our 10-year sustainability roadmap, this is a natural point to consider how we can achieve a more harmonious relationship between ourselves, the environment, and the resources required to Burn. In the spirit of protopianism, we are prototyping ways for humanity to survive and thrive in the face of a mounting climate crisis over the decades to come. Our strength lies in our ethos: in the power of communal effort, in our commitment to leaving a positive trace, and most of all in the Principle of Participation, to “make the world real through actions that open the heart.”

This year’s Black Rock City event will seek to rekindle the hopeful spirit of the World’s Fair, fueled in this case not by consumerism but by a shared interest in learning from each other and advancing our collective progress toward a better future. Artists, camp organizers, and cultural contributors of all varieties are encouraged to bring their visions for a protopian future. And since so many of the challenges we face are global, we invite the international Burning Man community to join us in this effort, whether in Black Rock City or in their local actions around the world.

It’s easy to be disheartened these days. Our event, our society, and the planet itself are all facing unprecedented challenges. But we are a can-do crowd, a resourceful bunch with a strong bias to action. So when you imagine the future, what is your place in it? How are you going to show up? As a hero or a victim? Whatever future we imagine, it’s not something that’s going to happen to us. It’s something we’re going to go out and make happen.

• Black Rock City will rise again from August 24th to September 1st, 2025. Your best source for timely and reliable event information is The Jackrabbit Speaks newsletter.
• To learn more about bringing artwork to Black Rock City, see our playa art guidelines.
• If your vision involves fire art on the open playa, please read our fire art guidelines.
• To apply for a grant to fund the creation of artwork for Burning Man 2025, visit the Black Rock City Honoraria page.

Cover image graphic by Mike Hampton, inspired by art from Disco Space Shuttle, Five Ton Crane, and David Best. #thankslarry

The Jackrabbit Speaks newsletter — affectionately known as the JRS — has been burning brains since 1997, when it was penned by the original Jackrabbit, now Burning Man Project’s CEO Marian Goodell. Earlier today Marian sent an important message, written in the style of her early JRS editions. We’ve shared it here in its entirety. Enjoy!

Hi, 

If you’re getting this email it’s because you’ve probably had a ticket to Burning Man in the last 20 years.

Either Burning Man is still a huge part of your life, you F **#$% ing hate Burning Man, or maybe you’re ambivalent. Wherever you land, it’s probably been just as impactful for you as it has been for many of us. 

What started for me in 1995 at the edge of a dry lakebed — where a tall man wearing a bedsheet and holding a plastic flamingo told me to “drive 12 miles to a black mountain and then left until you see five pointy things” — has evolved from a bunch of weirdos with guns into a global institution reimagining and reinventing what the world could be like if we did things a little bit differently.

Burning Man now is a worldwide cultural phenomenon that, since 1986, has been built and experienced by nearly a million people, both in Black Rock City and at more than 80 annual official events around the world. You may be one of those people. Whether or not you come to Black Rock City regularly, you are part of the community and we value the ways you have contributed to make Burning Man happen. Thank you.

It’s a little-known fact that revenue from tickets does not support the cultural movement that Burning Man has become. We do not want to raise ticket prices. In the name of Radical Inclusion, we actually prefer to lower them. But, the fact of the matter is that the cost to produce Black Rock City in 2023 was $749 per participant while the main sale ticket price was $575. You can read more about this inflection point and the reduced ticket sales in 2024 and how this has forced a much larger fundraising goal to keep operations going. Or explore the summary financial information going back 10 years to see how the higher-priced tickets have been subsidizing the event for some time, and how the drop in those sales threatens Burning Man.

The plan for 2025 and beyond is to flip the script. It’s time to think about the most Burning Man way to close this gap. 

No, we won’t go towards corporate sponsorship, additional RV fees or merchandise sales. Instead, we will turn to the community and invite participation and support to help fill the gap. Yes, we have reduced the number of regular year-round employees on staff, and we’re diving into the budget to trim what is already a lean and tight Black Rock City infrastructure and nonprofit management. But that alone isn’t enough.

Now is the time to ensure that Burning Man can persist into the future — not just as an annual event in the desert, but as a cultural institution that will be here decades from now, empowering future generations to reimagine the world they live in. 

I would certainly prefer that our focus be solely on pushing the edge, rather than having to raise money all the time. But as we continue to provide containers for the future to be prototyped, we operate in the context of the default world, and that requires ongoing charitable support year after year to keep this thing going.

You already know we’re not a normal nonprofit — we never wanted to be “normal.” But we are a nonprofit and to keep doing what we do, we need your help.

F-*&$ commercial sponsorship! \<>/ 

Contribute today so we can:

• Prototype new ways of living, working and being together
• Support art and artists through grants
• Get Black Rock City off fossil fuels
• Nurture Burning Man culture around the world
• Capture the DNA of what we are doing to hand off to the next generation
• Get funky and bring more cacophony of chaos

We are moments away from announcing the Black Rock City 2025 theme — one that’s rich with creative possibilities! Simultaneously, community-led Temple and art teams hopeful for an art grant are hard at work on their proposals for the 2025 event. We urgently need your support to finish 2024 and prepare for 2025 and beyond. 

If your friendships, community, family, or personal life have benefited or could benefit from the magic, creativity, and inspiration of Burning Man, I urge you to please support the movement with a gift today. 

How much would you pay to keep corporate sponsorship out of Burning Man? 

Listen, I am happy to fundraise — it’s an important part of who we are and what we need to do. But, let’s not get so tangled up in that part of the process that we lose sight of what my colleagues and I are driven to do with you. We’re facilitating the building of a massive city on a dry lakebed. Our relationships and friendships with 1,000 temporary seasonal employees help further drive and facilitate 10,000 volunteers directly related to the city infrastructure, who in turn are in service to the 75,000 participant creators of one hell of a magical Brigadoon appearing and disappearing in the middle of the desert. And then THAT brings collaboration, communication, empowerment, resilience, self-reflection and joy back to the world.

I don’t want to raise ticket prices. I wish we could offer Black Rock City as a gift for free. I want more art. I want ephemeral pop-up cities around the world thriving with life and possibility. We are not in service to consumption. We are in service to social interaction. Let’s realize the cultural impact that the experiences we have at Burning Man events can have in the cities and towns we all live our day-to-day lives in. This is the long game toward a cultural shift, and I believe strongly that Burning Man has a role to play. 

As our dear friend and OG Burner Larry Harvey once said:

 “We think Burning Man has great application to the world, but a larger iteration can only occur as people incorporate the essential ethos of it. The Ten Principles are meant to describe that ethos, that way of life; and then, by their own inspiration and by collaboration with others in the everyday world, people will find applications that are as various as the many gifts they bring to it. It has to be culturally transmitted that way.”

He also spoke about money not “being inherently good,” nor “irretrievably bad,” and that money can be made “to serve non-monetary values in a way that’s self-sustaining” to the culture.

“If there is a moral here, it is that money isn’t moral. It is not inherently good, it is not irretrievably bad; it is like water as it tumbles in its pell-mell progress through our world. But money can be canalized by culture; it can be made to serve non-monetary values in a way that’s self-sustaining.”

It is with these words in my heart that I ask you to join me as I am turning my annual donation into a recurring monthly donation. 

Whether or not you regularly attend Burning Man, I hope you’ll join all of us in supporting Burning Man in Black Rock City and in the cultural work that we do out in the world. 

Stick with us as we unfold the story together. \<>/     

Thank you, 

Marian

P.S. Why aren’t we all covering the logos on our trucks like we used to? Let’s make that a thing again. )*( 

Cover image of The Man, 1995 (Photo by Rick Egan)

A call for your support, this post shares more about our finances, and builds on my prior communications about what’s happening in the world with Burning Man (8/18) and our current financial situation (10/3). The financial information I reference throughout this post is available in full detail here. As I previously shared, the big revenue shortfall causing today’s cash crunch is primarily from 2024 Black Rock City higher-priced tickets not selling as planned. This $5.7M shortfall, combined with a $3M dip in receipts from main-sale tickets and vehicle passes, means that our year-end charitable donation target has essentially doubled to nearly $20M. This needs to happen before 2025 ticket sales and our annual revenue cycle begins in January. 

We are working behind the scenes to raise money from dedicated major donors, but this moment will work better if we look to the long term and engage everyone. Translation: We need your help to keep Burning Man accessible for the next generation! Gifting is a core value to our culture, and we need your support now and into the future. Your steadfast generosity and ongoing donations are needed to help secure the long-term of Burning Man. 

Before we get into where we are going, it is important to review how we arrived at this moment. 

HOW DID WE GET HERE?

Core to Burning Man is our practice of the 10 Principles, which enable the conditions for authentic moments of awe and joy. That being said, to operate in alignment with the 10 Principles, including without corporate sponsorship or merchandise revenue (while other events and festivals rely on it for nearly 25-30% of their revenue), generous philanthropy is required to grow and keep Burning Man economically accessible. 

Many are surprised to learn that ticket revenue alone does not fund all that Burning Man Project does to bring Burning Man to the world, including the production of Black Rock City, and has not for years. Specific to BRC, in 2023, the cost to produce the event was an estimated $749 per participant while the main sale ticket price was $575 per ticket. Further, since 2014, the Black Rock City production cost per participant has been greater than the main sale ticket price and the event has had to be subsidized. 

This gap is why we have sold higher-priced Black Rock City tickets. A concept we talked about back in 2016, these higher-priced tickets not only kept main sale tickets reasonably priced, they also enabled us to provide lower-priced tickets to participants with financial need. And through 2023 the higher-priced tier helped to subsidize some, but not all of the cost increases. 

Over the years, we also increased our annual goal for our contributed donations to address this gap and support the global mission. The community rose to the occasion, helping us raise $2M in 2019 up to $8M in 2023. With this increased philanthropic support, we felt confident in our financial outlook despite increased costs following the COVID-19 pandemic. We have been working since 2020 to increase the relative importance of philanthropy to achieve our mission. This year’s ticket revenue shortfall is accelerating our plans and has underscored the importance of year-round philanthropic support. 

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, and thanks to a lot of hard work by our staff, we had more than $16M in cash. Then, in the face of the pandemic and without BRC, the incredible response from the community and beyond in 2020 and 2021 resulted in more than $39M in contributed revenue. Like many other organizations, during this time we reorganized our staff, including layoffs, and tightened our belt. 

Without Black Rock City in those years, but because of the community’s generous support, we were able to “Save the Man” and retain many full-time employees for a post-pandemic return to BRC and continuation of the cultural movement. Staff were deployed to do work that needed to happen to amplify the global culture. We fostered creative connection through Art Speaks, launched the Burning Man LIVE podcast, provided resources to bring Burning Man to life 365-days a year, celebrated micro burns and promoted local events through Kindling. 

Between 2020 and 2022, we also invested in maintenance of Northern Nevada properties such as the 360, and other assets that directly support Black Rock City production (to go deeper on how we invested in those assets during those years, see Summary Financial Information).

Through 2023, the reliable revenue from higher-priced tickets and charitable contributions enabled the nonprofit to produce incredible programming, including Black Rock City, and support other low-budget, high-impact primarily community-driven efforts that stoke the Burning Man global culture and benefit the vibrancy of Black Rock City. 

The combination of these efforts is working — there is more Burning Man out in the world and the movement has momentum! 

For example, campouts at Fly Ranch have produced and fueled participant efforts, including: Burner Leadership Achieving Sustainable Theme Camps (BLAST), Renewables for Artists Team (RAT), and the Green Theme Camp Community, which then bring their forward-thinking solutions to life in Black Rock City. Participants from around the world (including From the Windy City to Romania) attend Black Rock City to learn and they then bring Burning Man back to their local community members. For nearly 20 years, Burners Without Borders local groups have utilized the skills and can-do attitude refined and realized by so many in Black Rock City to respond to catastrophe and provide humanitarian and community support after events such as Hurricane Helene. The combined budgets to support these efforts can be seen in the Summary Financial Information, under “Civic Engagement” and “Other Programs.”

The result is that global participation is now at a record high. In 2023, 95,000 people participated in official Burning Man Regional Events (check out the map!) around the world — on top of the more than 74,000 people who came together in Black Rock City. This means 170,000 people experienced Burning Man events directly in just one year — this is mind-bending! 

TODAY

We started 2024 with approximately $9M cash in the bank. As noted above, even with our initial $10M fundraising goal for 2024, we face a cash crunch and need to raise $20M this year. 

Fundamentally, we must balance the budget for 2024 now, and then readjust the revenue objectives and cost objectives for 2025 and beyond to secure Burning Man’s future. 

Starting to sell tickets now just kicks the can down the road, and increasing Black Rock City ticket prices to cover the nonprofit costs to get more Burning Man in the world is another untenable option. This would price out diverse community participation and is inconsistent with our principles. 

With everything at risk, we continue to focus ourselves on the future. This includes examining and restructuring our operations and reducing our expected 2025 (and beyond) costs by several millions of dollars. This has already included reductions in payroll and vendor costs. As you may have heard, we had to lay off talented and brilliant people who make Burning Man happen year-round. 

At this inflection point, it’s important to remember why we are a nonprofit and why we must sustain the culture and make it accessible to all through impactful programming. 

First, we became a nonprofit in 2011 to better scale the values born of the playa. The first Regional Event, Burning Flipside in Texas, started in 1998, and there were countless untold stories like Flipside, about how our desert city’s culture was spreading its wings far and wide. Being a nonprofit enables those stories to be told, and for resources to be developed to meet the growing demand for tools that enable anyone, anywhere to manifest Burning Man’s 10 Principles. 

Second, all nonprofit programs, and the personnel supporting those programs, are part of the vision to bring more of this culture to the planet. As I shared in several examples above, these programs provide value to our culture in two directions — they enrich and support communities around the world and additionally are key to the vibrancy, evolution and innovation of Black Rock City. They are vitally important as we go forward. 

We must maintain the ability and caliber of our workforce and the diversity of our programs to bring the culture to life. Further, rather than in a vacuum, this work must be done in partnership with the community to ensure the culture remains relevant and accessible for future generations. We seek and appreciate your input! 

Specific to the moment we are now in, our need for philanthropic support is extremely urgent. 

So, what’s our path forward?

When I say we are at a new moment as a global nonprofit, I invite you to embrace and advocate what we are: A global force for good! The world needs what we offer now more than ever. For us to continue to be this force for good, convening people in person, inspiring creativity and innovation, and storytelling in ways that spark change, we need your help to raise the funds needed to preserve Black Rock City as the vibrant heart of Burning Man, and to protect the culture with which the event is intertwined. 

Philanthropy has always been part of the long term plan for Black Rock City and the Burning Man culture. Just like other nonprofits, Burning Man Project depends on financial support to accomplish its mission. The moment to step into this future framework is now.

Give $20 a month to keep Burning Man going year-round!

If your life has been positively affected by Burning Man, you understand the personal growth and wellbeing that results from this cultural movement. Whether you’ve been to Black Rock City, or still attend, or not, you are a member of the community. We are committed to a future where Burning Man continues to be available to more people in the world. 

Now, if you are interested, the deep details are available on our Summary Financial Information. 

Together we are a community that’s excited and motivated to bridge the gap between people, reduce the loneliness of our time, and lean into “yes we need more connection, creativity and engagement, and we need it now!”

Thank you for all that you do to bring the values of our culture into the world!

• It enables connection: Makes Black Rock City a reality for tens of thousands of participants to find their voices and creativity, including through initiatives such as the Ticket Aid Program and ticket pricing that keeps the city financially accessible and ensures the cultural diversity of the movement.
• It stokes Burning Man culture: Enables the next generation of leaders to connect and create the future of communities and Burning Man at global and Regional leadership gatherings, and funds resources and tools to adapt and bring Burning Man to life in locally relevant ways, in every corner of the globe.
• It inspires creativity and innovation: Makes prototyping the community and regenerative practices of tomorrow a reality and fuels the creative vision of artists receiving grants to build incredible, inspirational pieces of participatory art for BRC and beyond.

Cover image of “Dream Slide” by William Nemitoff, 2024 (Photo by Gurpreet Chawla)

“We know that every person has value and their contributions are a gift. We honor that. It is the spirit and positive intention of every person who contributed or will contribute that makes Burning Man.”
– Harley K. Dubois, Burning Man Project Co-founder and Chief Culture Officer

Burning Man comes to life through participation. Giving one’s time, skills and resources is a touchstone for this global cultural movement, everywhere — whether in Black Rock City, or in 30 countries around the world. The impact of what we create together generates ripples that inspire and connect humanity.

More than an event, Burning Man is a global cultural movement. The nonprofit in service to this culture requires year-round support — year after year. Support the Burning Man Project nonprofit’s mission to build a more creative, connected world. Make a tax-deductible donation today.

Every August, thousands of hard-working humans (this year, nearly 70,000 strong) make their way to Northern Nevada to co-create a mighty desert city. They get involved in a myriad of ways — from organizing theme camps and building art, to lending their skills to any number of teams and projects. Similarly, around the world people gift their time and resources to create close to 100 official Burning Man Regional Events and a vast number of creative and community projects. Why do this? Because it feels good to contribute to something that brings a sense of purpose and community.

Whether or not you frolic in the Black Rock Desert, there are oh-so-many ways to get further involved. You can connect with your Regional community, participate in a Burners Without Borders chapter, join a volunteer team helping run Black Rock City, bring art to Black Rock City, build an art car or a theme camp, or start a wildly imaginative and completely unique project with your friends.

In Black Rock City we met up with long-time contributors who help run the city’s infrastructure to ask: Why is it important to participate? And how has helping create Black Rock City had a positive impact on their lives and communities?

(Want MORE? We also produced a Burning Man LIVE podcast episode featuring Deb, Eric, Trevor and others. Listen to “Volunteer Voices” here.)

‘Topless Deb’ Stiers: Greeters

“I want to help people, serve people, show them other places, things they can do.”

We connected with Deb Stiers at Greeters Camp, where she lounged with friends beneath a tidy shade structure. Known on playa as Topless Deb, back in 2002 she arrived at her first burn and immediately started greeting newly-arrived Burners. 

“I have volunteered for Greeters since I rolled in the gate. I had no idea what it was. I came in the middle of the night and thought ‘Oh, this looks like fun!’ I parked my car. I pulled out a jacket and I started greeting and I’ve greeted ever since. I like welcoming everyone home. I like that you teach and learn from each other when you greet. It’s not one-sided by any stretch of the imagination.” Deb has been a Greeter in Black Rock City every year since — 21 Burns to date. 

Deb brought so much of what she learned in Black Rock City into her life beyond the desert. She served as a Los Angeles Regional Contact for many years and co-founded Bequinox, LA’s official Regional Event, which she continues to co-produce.

Watch Deb and her fellow BEquinox producer speak about LA’s Regional Event in this whimsical video:

“What you learn here is easy for me to take into my normal day-to-day life,” Deb observed. “Leaving No Trace is a big one… Volunteering and doing what you can for others is really important. I crochet voraciously and I share that skill with other people. I’m an accountant by trade. I share that skillset with other people. I want to help people, serve people, show them other places, things they can do… I’m retired. You really can go into the community outside of Burning Man and do things for people when you have the time.”

Eric ‘Fuckyeah’ Hale: Man Pavilion Crew

“I see traces of what Burning Man is to me out in the real world when I see people doing things that they feel excellent at because it drives them.”

Eric Hale, aka Fuckyeah, works on the Man Pavilion as a carpenter. Over the years, he volunteered with various playa teams — including Fence Crew and Arctica. He’s a second-generation Burning Man volunteer; his parents contributed to Greeters and Playa Info.

“What inspired me to first volunteer was actually my parents,” he shared. “They had already been coming to Burning Man for a number of years before I got here. This would have been their 25th year. They’re not here this year unfortunately, for health reasons… They gave me the reason to want to keep doing something, and made me realize [volunteering] gives a sense of purpose and connection.

“I definitely bring what I get here into my default world in the sense that I have learned more about myself as a man and as a person, how I want to be, the values that I have,” he continued. “It’s given me a strong sense of acts of service being a really strong love language and a meaningful way to show care and connection with things that I value and people.”

“I see traces of what Burning Man is to me out in the real world when I see people doing things that they feel excellent at because it drives them… because it is not something that they’re just doing for money, but because they have a want for expression or a community and connection. And when I see that — people doing something in spite of difficulty, it is absolutely this place. This is one of the dumbest places in the world to have a party, and yet here we are,” Eric laughed. 

Trevor ‘Ruin’ Tarin: Department of Public Works Shade Crew

“I switched everything around after my first couple years out here… and I started a bunch of small businesses.”

Trevor Tarin, aka Ruin, is assistant manager for the Department of Public Works (DPW) Shade crew. “We come out here and build roughly 120,000 square feet of municipal infrastructure shade… everything that keeps the city cranking.” 

Trevor began his Burning Man journey in 2009, living in a tiny camp with no shade. Subsequently he ran a small sound camp with friends, and ultimately joined the DPW. “I decided that my gift to the playa was going to be a little bit more substantial, and it was going to be sweat equity.” 

He cites working hard in a DPW crew as his path to self understanding. “When I come out here, the choice is to work really hard with my team, work really hard on myself, and find out what I’m made of. It’s exhilarating. Every year I come away with another pretty big life lesson, and I endeavor to help share that growth pattern with my crew. I find that to be really fulfilling.”

After his first couple years on playa, Trevor switched his life around. “I stopped being an office assistant, and I started a bunch of small businesses — one of which is something I’ve been working on for over 10 years now, a hat company. 

“The reason I do the hat thing is because it’s a way I can participate in people’s transformations in this small way. When someone decides that they want to be a new or a different or more authentic version of themselves, sometimes they need to accessorize with something that’s a very unique hat.”

Burning Man changes people in profound ways. But is it changing the world? Beyond how this global cultural movement has impacted their lives and immediate communities, how do they experience the impact of Burning Man in the wider world?

Deb sees change happening one person at a time. “When someone comes to Burning Man, they can’t help but leave this place a different person,” she observed. “I’ve seen people go home and start a brand new business because they’ve discovered that they want to weld or they want to cook for people or whatever it is. Has it changed the world one person at a time? Perhaps? Will it? Hopefully, eventually they’ll all get together and make a difference.”

Trevor points to the awe-inspiring art, which journeys beyond Black Rock City to public spaces around the globe. “It’s undeniable that Burning Man has had a profound impact on not just the local art scene, but on the global art scene. It’s created a new precedent for new kinds of art, especially on large scales. It’s touched millions of people’s lives… I love the gifts that Burning Man has brought to the world. I think that its impact is undeniably positive.”

Burning Man Changes You, and YOU Change the World

Wherever you live, and whatever point you’re at in your Burning Man journey, know this: YOU are a quintessential part of how this playful, inventive, community-minded culture evolves into the future. Whether or not you frolic in the Black Rock Desert, there are oh-so-many ways to contribute to Burning Man. For starters, you can join a project in your Regional community or volunteer to help bring Black Rock City to life.

Ticket sales alone do not support the nonprofit’s year-round work to build Black Rock City and nurture a global cultural movement. The ticket sales shortfall in 2024 has heightened our need for community support to keep going. If you have the means, make a tax-deductible donation to Burning Man project.

Cover image of Volunteers in Black Rock City, 2024 (Photo by Gurps Chawla)

This is a good kind of blaze. The kind that ignites that Burning Man flame in people from all walks of life, all around the world. 

Burning Man Project’s nonprofit programming enthusiastically supports the global spread of more Burning Man in the world, including through support of the Regional Network, art grants, and opportunities for knowledge sharing online and at forums such as the European Leadership Summit. All of this is for the same cause: to bring more connection, creativity, innovation and thriving to every corner of the world. Send the spirit of the playa flying to the farthest reaches of planet Earth; extend this Burning Man thing as far beyond the trash fence as possible; create a worldwide virtuous cycle of inspiration and transformation. That’s the dream. And, with more than 95,000 global participants in the past year, in addition to the 70,000 at BRC 2024, we are well on our way.

To further fan your Burning Man flame, we are pleased to present three stories of community members around the world whose passion is fully ignited. Through Regional Events, art projects, and sustainable business ventures, these are stories of those fanning the flames of Burning Man far and wide.

Bridging Generations: How Burning Man Revitalized a Romanian Village

Gabrielle Muscalu co-founded Romania’s RoBurn to bring the deep sense of belonging he felt in Black Rock City home to Romania. Three years into producing RoBurn, Muscalu and his co-organizers had to find a last minute new location for their third event. And that’s when Romania got an influx of unexpected Burners: village elders in rural Romania. 

As of 2022, RoBurn takes place every summer in a remote valley outside of a town called Ștefănel in Romania’s southwestern Dolj County. Mascolo knew about this village and its neighboring valley because his grandfather lives in the next town over.

As is the story in so many rural towns, Ștefănel had fallen on hard times. All the young people had moved away, seeking better opportunities abroad. Save for its oldest residents, the village was empty. 

It could have been a recipe for disaster. But rather than meeting the RoBurn participants with hostility, the residents of Ștefănel welcomed them. They brought gifts of homemade bread, milk, wine, tomatoes, and eggs. One village local even participated in a cacao ceremony (a gathering where people ceremonially consume cacao to promote healing, connection, and self-exploration).

At the end of the event, Ștefănel’s police came to offer their congratulations. 

“We went to the village and started interviewing the people,” recalls Mascolo. “We were fascinated to see that their need is actually a simple but quite interesting one. We asked them, ‘What do you need?’ And they said, ‘We want to be young again.’” 

The RoBurn crew is continuing to build a relationship with Ștefănel. In an act of Civic Responsibility and Radical Gifting, they returned in autumn to plant the first new trees the village had seen in 50 years. The mayor has since told Mascolo Ștefănel’s valley is RoBurn’s to use. Every year, for free.

The Burning Man LIVE podcast episode “Burning in Europe: Stories of Home” features recorded conversations from Burning Man’s 2024 European Leadership Summit, where Burning Man regional contacts and collaborators gathered in Estonia to connect, teach, learn and conjure ideas for the future of Burning Man worldwide.

Rooting in Togetherness: Nebula Shroom Grove’s Cross-Continental Community

As much as we may work to avoid it, loneliness is an inevitable part of the human experience. 

In Colombia, there’s even a saying about it — andaba como un hongo. 

Roughly: “I’m lonely like a mushroom.” 

The Colombian artist Silvia Rueda and the team behind the 2024 Honoraria project “Nebula Shroom Grove” were inspired by this Colombian saying to bring their first art piece to Black Rock City, a place that’s the ultimate antidote to loneliness and a hotbed of connection. Thanks to partial funding of an Honorarium awarded by Burning Man Project, the team was able to bring a piece with a powerful message to playa: that though we may feel lonely, much like mushrooms connected through a mycelial network, we are never truly alone.

The Nebula team has their own mycelial network. They are a group of college friends — architects and designers from Colombia, Venezuela, Spain, London, and Ukraine. They live scattered across the globe, separate from each other’s daily lives. Their art piece was the perfect way to stay connected across distance. “Nebula Shroom Grove” was one of 13 internationally-led Honoraria art pieces on playa this year, and the first Honoraria piece to be woman-led by a Colombian LGBTQIA artist.

“As architects, we just like to have people experience our spaces. I cannot imagine a better place to bring art and a spatial architecture piece, a place where grown-ups act like kids and will explore every little nook of our piece,” Rueda said. 

Thanks to a partnership with the design firm Creative Machines, grown-ups and kids will be able to continue exploring “Nebula Shroom Grove” together soon when installed at its permanent home of Second Sky, a community hub in Tucson, AZ. Much like Burning Man, Second Sky was created to “build community by inspiring adventurous play, communication and learning across generations.” 

Hauling Dreams: ChiCargo’s Journey from Rideshare to Community Lifeline

In the transformative spirit of Burning Man, Drew Huening’s journey from carpooling with strangers to Black Rock City to becoming the founder of ChiCargo, a community shipping program for Burning Man and Regional Events, is a testament to Burning Man’s ability to inspire grand acts of creativity and practicality. 

Answering the call to adventure on the Burning Man rideshare board in 2008, Huening embarked on a 3,000-mile drive to Black Rock City with two strangers in a cramped Prius. It was a journey that marked the beginning of Huening’s evolving role within the Burning Man community, from an informal camp leader to organizer of a large theme camp.

Driven by necessity and the ever-growing scale of his camp’s needs, Huening’s transportation methods evolved annually — from a humble Prius to progressively larger U-Hauls, culminating in the acquisition of a 48-foot semi-trailer in 2015 through the creation of an LLC. 

This strategic move gave birth to ChiCargo, which has become integral to the Burning Man experience for many in the Chicago area. The program allows other Burners from the Chicago area to rent space on the company’s trailer to transport gear to and from Black Rock City. This frees Chicago area participants to avail themselves of the Burner Express Bus and rideshares, with a bonus of having a significant net impact on emissions reductions for travel to BRC.

The success of ChiCargo underscores a central Burning Man narrative: what begins as a practical solution can transform into an essential community service. As Huening puts it, the gratitude of participants echoes across the playa — “My burn is so much easier!” “I don’t have to rent a car!” “I can take the Burner Express Bus!” “I can’t imagine burning without it.”

It’s all connected. Musing why Burning Man is such an incubator for innovation, Huening said, “If you’re at Burning Man and you see something unbelievably cool and innovative, close by is gonna be the person that made it, sitting on a lawn chair, and they’ll want to tell you all about it and they have the time to. It’s like, ‘let me open the hood to this thing and let me tell you candidly what worked and what didn’t work.’ As a tinkering person, it’s a pure feedpipe of inspiration, but also the hands-on ability to actually learn.”

And thus conclude three stories showcasing the power of Burning Man culture. It fosters innovation, builds community, and creates positive change all over the world. Burning Man Project exists to nurture this global ecosystem of creativity and connection. And we want to hear all about how you bring Burning Man to the world and the impact it has on your family, friends, workplace, school, town. 

We want to know all the ways you fuel the fire, so we can fan your flames.

Cover image of Roburn participants, 2023 (Photo courtesy of Roburn)

Fostering interactions, innovation, and community based on shared experiences, Burning Man is the antidote to the division, hostility, isolation and conformity we see too often in the world. 

Burning Man is more relevant than ever and global participation is at a record high, but 2024 Black Rock City tickets in the higher price tiers did not sell as planned. The resulting revenue shortfall means everything is now at risk. In fact, when compared to 2023, the revenue shortfall from the higher price tiers was approximately $5.7 million. This is only representative of a portion of what we must raise in 2024. More than an event, Burning Man is a global cultural movement, and the nonprofit in service to that culture requires year-round support — year after year.

Every dollar helps! Just like other cultural and arts nonprofits, including your local symphony or theater company, Burning Man Project depends on the generosity and support of its community members to accomplish its mission. Ticket revenue alone does not fund all that Burning Man Project does to bring Burning Man to the world, including the production of Black Rock City, and in fact has not since 2014. This is why whether you went to BRC this year or not, you are a member of our community, and a monthly contribution of $20 will help to keep Burning Man programs alive. Without corporate sponsorships — which we’ve never had and will never have — to underwrite our operations, we are increasingly reliant on philanthropy (including your generous purchases of those higher-priced Black Rock City tickets). 

We are taking steps to focus our operations for the future, and need the community’s help to raise the funds needed to preserve Black Rock City as the vibrant heart of Burning Man, and protect the culture with which the event is inextricably intertwined. 

The power of the Burning Man community is incredible — we come together, do hard things and overcome challenges head-on. We got through a rain event, we’ve battened down through dust storms, and we’ve even navigated a pandemic together. 

With your help, we will accomplish what is good for the world, save the future of Black Rock City and continue to get more Burning Man out there. Consistent with our 10 Principles, your generous participation and gifting is what sparks the Burning Man flame. 

My hope is for you to be the spark for more Burning Man, and I invite you to be a part of co-creating the future. I look forward to your involvement. 

If your friendships, community, family or personal life have benefited or could benefit from the magic, creativity and inspiration of Burning Man, I urge you to please support us with a gift today. 

Your Support of Burning Man Project creates a thriving world:

• It enables connection: Makes Black Rock City a reality for tens of thousands of participants to find their voices and creativity, including through initiatives such as the Ticket Aid Program and ticket pricing that keeps the city financially accessible and ensures the cultural diversity of the movement.
• It stokes Burning Man culture: Enables the next generation of leaders to connect and create the future of communities and Burning Man at global and Regional leadership gatherings, and funds resources and tools to adapt and bring Burning Man to life in locally relevant ways, in every corner of the globe. 
• It inspires creativity and innovation: Makes prototyping the community and regenerative practices of tomorrow a reality and fuels the creative vision of artists receiving grants to build incredible, inspirational pieces of participatory art for BRC and beyond. 

Set up a recurring payment today or reach out to giving@burningman.org if you would like to speak with us about how you can make a difference!

Cover image of “METAHEART” by Johnny Crash (Photo by Gurps Chawla)

Up until they lost their platform, BRCvr was a thriving virtual playa where Burners gathered to meet far-flung friends and share immersive, participatory adventures. Rather than call it quits, BRCvr founders Athena Demos and Doug Jacobson seized this opportunity to build an even more lifelike Black Rock City experience — to bring people together and to tell the story of a global community of communities.

Over the past three Black Rock City events, Athena and Doug have been gathering footage (with consent & permission, and in collaboration with Burning Man Project) that will revolutionize their next immersive Burning Man social VR experience — now called BRCvr presents BurnerSphere. 

As we’ve learned from supporting the global, year-round Burning Man community, people gather in all sorts of ways. It is clear that Athena and Doug’s vision for the platform will be a wonder-filled and authentic way for people to convene and be inspired. We sat down with them to learn about the past, present and future of their exciting new project.

Kirsten: Before BurnerSphere, you created BRCvr. What’s the story behind how BRCvr came to be?

Athena: We created BRCvr, an official virtual Burning Man experience, out of a desire to get the community together during a time when Black Rock City and official Burning Man Regional Events were on pause during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

So in 2020 and 2021, we built a network of immersive virtual worlds on a social VR platform that made it possible for people to gather in social spaces and then visit different Burning Man inspired worlds to feel a sense of presence and connection to the larger community. BRCvr was housed on Microsoft’s AltspaceVR platform. 

Doug: You could put on a VR headset, or use it in 2D on your mac or PC, then walk around as an avatar and meet your friends, then check out Burning Man art and interactive experiences, listen to artist talks and DJs, and hang out. The magic was the people. It was the community. And it was 100% immersive, much like Black Rock City. You’re there, you’re talking to people, you’re connecting with people. It had that magic soup. You start having these experiences where your friends are running off to something and you’re like: “Wait up, hold on, we’re going this way!” Artists created a lot of art that was from playa and some that could never exist in the physical world. With the sights and sounds as well as the ability to look around in 3D, it took you to that immediate moment.

What motivated the transition from AltspaceVR to creating BurnerSphere?

Doug: We ran BRCvr continuously until March of 2023. Then AltspaceVR — the platform on which BRCvr was built — was sunsetted. It left the BRCvr digital Burner community without a home. We must have looked at 30 different platforms. We really did try to find a new home, and nothing met our storytelling needs or the needs of the community. We felt like the rug was pulled out from beneath us when AltspaceVR was gone. As we looked at other platforms, we began to ask: what’s preventing these from also disappearing? Ultimately we decided to create our own platform, a safe place for the community, and be in control of our destiny. 

How does BurnerSphere capture the essence and spirit of the real Burning Man event?

Doug: Once the dust settled on us, and there was no more Altspace, we asked ourselves, “How can we take this and make it better?” We decided we wanted to add lots of live recorded footage, live video and photogrammetry scanned art. So we took many photos of the art and created 3D models of playa art. Since 2022 we’ve been shooting an immersive documentary of Black Rock City in 3D that tells the story of the community of communities.

Then we started creating experiences — for example, you could be standing on a Mutant Vehicle (digital) and driving around Burning Man (physical video)… and you’re really driving around within a real video of Burning Man. We tried to find as many ways as possible to put real video into the digital worlds. We also recorded 3D sound. It got a little crazy… we even captured the smell of Burning Man (though the technology isn’t ready to create VR smell… yet).

How will people be able to access BurnerSphere?

Doug: Currently BurnerSphere is a Unity-based app designed for the Quest. We’re starting off with the Meta Quest because it is the easiest and most immersive to develop for. Eventually it’ll be on the Apple Vision Pro and available on desktop computers, in 2D on your Mac or PC like BRCvr was; that’s how a lot of people will experience it. 

Athena: We’re trying to keep it as simple as possible. A lot of thought went into how much energy it takes to onboard people into their first VR experience. We’re trying to make the user experience of setting up your account, getting on the platform, and building your avatar as fun as possible. If you have fun doing it, you’ll have fun teaching other people how to do it, too. 

How are you making it possible for people to learn about the 10 Principles and put them into practice in virtual space?

Athena: We’ve worked extensively to translate the 10 Principles into a digital experience, featuring videos that explain each principle’s meaning and activities for hands-on learning. One principle requiring significant tech development is Gifting—finding ways to create a true gifting experience within the virtual space and making it a core app feature. We’re also excited about developing a unique avatar builder for Radical Self-Expression and incorporating various interactive objects for diverse participation. By focusing on Radical Inclusion, the app will broaden access to Burning Man’s culture, ethos, and community, with plans to enhance accessibility for those who find virtual technology challenging.

How is BurnerSphere rolling out? How and when can people experience it?

Athena: We’re building BurnerSphere from scratch with a focus on community input. You can apply for the alpha version at burnersphere.com, which requires a VR headset (Quest 2, 3, or Pro). We’ll gradually invite participants who have some basic understanding of VR and Burning Man culture, though VR expertise is welcome. Your feedback will help shape the experience.

Doug: We have the foundation for exploration and interaction in place and are now focusing on building out content. First, we need testers to check the servers and functionality. Once we reach a set number of participants in BurnerSphere, we’ll launch a closed beta to test new features added after the Alpha. Alpha and closed beta participants will have the first chance to invite friends before we transition to the public open beta.

In order to be sustainable and cover ongoing expenses, we will have to charge something for BurnerSphere. We will have “camp dues” for open beta. We promise to keep the amount as low as possible and to be transparent about what expenses are covered — just like camp dues in BRC.

We’re hoping this time next year we’ll get to that level. 

Will people be able to fly around the playa like they did in BRCvr?

Doug: We definitely want to bring flying back. It’s on our feature roadmap. Everybody wants to be able to fly around the playa.

It’s not cheap to build a technology platform. How are you paying for all this?

Athena: Initially, we were fortunate to have AltspaceVR host us, but now we’re building everything ourselves and hosting the server space, which is costly. We’ve self-funded the project through some client work and support from friends and family. As we approach the final push to complete our extensive feature list, we’re eager to connect with like-minded Burners interested in investing in BurnerSphere’s mission to spread the community’s ethos. If you’re interested, please visit BurnerSphere.com and click on “contact.”

Cover image of the Burnersphere, 2024 (Screenshot courtesy of the Burnersphere team)

But most of the online discussion about it was still as awful as ever. Honestly, if I didn’t already know and love us from all my in-person experiences, I probably wouldn’t want to have anything to do with us based on what I see on my social feeds.

So I was struck by a social media post by Halcyon noting that “the magic of Burning Man community has never translated into positive online socializing.”

He explains that:

In my 26 years of Burning Man participation, I have continually been disappointed by how quickly the positivity of Black Rock City disappears when we start to talk about it online.

Without the face-to-dusty-face element, something significant is lost.

I agree, but it’s not just “in Black Rock City” as opposed to the “default world.” It’s all the conversations that we try to have online. Over the years I’ve gone across the U.S. and (to a much more limited extent) the world, having challenging conversations with Burners about this thing we do, its philosophy, and its cultural implications. And every time — literally every time — the conversations that we had in person went much, much, better, than they ever do online. Even when the same people were involved. Often, the in-person discussions of difficult topics felt very much like Burning Man — playful, experimental, courageous, kind. The online discussions almost never do.

This isn’t unique to us, of course: pretty much the only thing we can count on in this world is that talking about something online makes it worse. It’s a difficult dynamic because we are social creatures. Just as it’s harder to live the 10 Principles in the default world because everybody around us is living as if they’re in the default world, it’s even harder to live the 10 Principles online because, well, everybody is behaving the way they’ve been conditioned to behave online. The way the structure of online communications is essentially designed to encourage. 

As I wrote a few years ago:

The problem with thinking about the internet as the “new Black Rock Desert” (and I’ve been guilty of it, too) is that for virtually everyone who first goes to Black Rock City, the open playa is a completely alien environment. We see it, we feel it burning our skin, and we are in a new and unfamiliar world. We don’t know shit about how to exist here, and we are crushingly aware of our ignorance. That ignorance also happens to be opportunity: we know so little that we get to invent everything, including ourselves. We are all, suddenly, amateurs.

The internet, on the other hand, is an environment that we already know intimately. We have developed a lifetime of habits around it, many of them terrible (if we’re being honest about it). Most of our internet habits involve not connecting with and humanizing one another, but keeping other people at a distance — both presenting and seeing only our facile representations of who we want to be — and dehumanizing one another.

It’s not our fault, but it is something that we have to deal with. Because while we have tried, with some success, to use digital avatars as means of improved communication (the talks in Burn2 and the VR Burning Man tended to at least be civil), we are clearly not reaching the standards we hold for ourselves. And so either we need to figure out how to be keep our standards online, or we need to be upfront: Burning Man is fundamentally an in-person phenomenon. You have to show up, in person, to get the experience right.

Is that true? Can we not do online what we were able to do in one of the harshest physical environments on earth?

Here’s What I’ve Tried

I’m open to that possibility, but right now I’m betting against it. 

First because I don’t think we’ve really put our minds to trying. We collectively put so much more effort into our BRC theme camps than we do our online dialogue — we shouldn’t conclude we can’t do anything until we’ve really tried something.

Second because my own experience trying to create “Burning Man” type experiences over Zoom during the pandemic taught me a great deal about how to successfully shift from in-person to online experiences. And while “making art experiences” is different from “having a positive community dialogue,” I think some of the lessons will cross-over. Or at least support the search for a new approach.

My general design elements for creating “psychomagical experiences” in the style of Burning Man and the San Francisco art underground are quickly summarized here. All of those apply, but interpreting them for an online environment was not a simple task.

I wrote about my efforts to create Burning Man-like experiences here, here, and here (and a few other places), but a summary of what I learned is below. I want to be clear about something first, though: this is not my list of how I think things should work, or how I want them to work, this is my summary of what did work. The ideas emerged from trial and error. It is also not meant therefore to be an exhaustive or exclusive list: if other people get results that “feel like Burning Man” doing other things, great! Tell me how you did it so that I can try it too!

That said, here goes:

• Time and Place Still Matter: the internet (literally) encourages “browsing” experiences, stepping in and stepping out, jumping in and saying something when you have the chance, then going about your life. This seems to be poison for Burning Man-like experiences online: every successful online experience I created or was part of involved people committing to show up and be present, be actively engaged, for the full duration of the experience. You can’t create magic with people who are distracted and don’t really show up. 

I suspect the same thing is true of online conversations. Part of the problem with those conversations is that people jump in, throw a grenade, and then hop out again, repeating the process at their leisure. A better online dialogue might require people to stick around. 

• Structure It So That Everybody Gets to Participate: Even in “real world” experiences it’s very easy to let the loud and extraverted people take up all the time and bandwidth of the experience. It’s even easier online, and it’s even more harmful. I discovered in the online experiences I was trying to make “feel like Burning Man” that some kind of turn based system often needed to be included in the structure of the event itself: it needs to be explicitly set up that everybody gets a chance to do the Main Thing (whatever that is), and that nobody gets to go twice until everyone has gone once. I’m sure there are other ways, hopefully less heavy handed ones, to make sure everyone feels like they have participated fully, but so far this is the only thing that worked for me. When people know that they’re not going to have to fight or struggle to participate, it tends to make everyone calm down and more open to the experience and each other. 
  
  Once again, I suspect this is true of creating online conversations that “feel like Burning Man” — it seems like it goes against Radical Self-Expression to tell people “you’ve had your turn to talk, wait for other people to express themselves,” but this is an area where Participation, Communal Effort, and Civic Responsibility, seem to matter just as much. Perhaps there are ways in which giving people fewer chances to chime in actually makes each opportunity more precious, and so will be better used. I dunno, but it seems like it helps in some circumstances. I don’t actually like this personally, it feels overly controlling to me, but I found it necessary and effective al the same.
• You Need to Take Risks: getting together just to hang out and “have fun” may be okay for people online. Not so much for me personally with groups, but some people definitely get something out of it. Creating experiences of art and whimsy that “feel like Burning Man,” however, requires more. To bring that element up, people need to take risks. They need to put something on the line. 
  
  Burning Man events, particularly ones like Black Rock City that exist in harsh and unforgiving environments, present many risks as a basic part of the experience — and that’s in addition to whatever personal risks people take once they’re there. Online experiences rarely seem to have that element built in in the same way; indeed, our social media and conferencing software is designed to be as frictionless and seamless as possible, to minimize risks and keep everything easy. Real risk is an ingredient that can be very difficult to add to an online gathering when we’re sitting at home.
  
  But it can be done. In particular, I found there were four kinds of risks that could be added to any experience with a webcam and a microphone:
• Physical risks: do something difficult, spontaneous, or intimate, with your body in your own surroundings;
• Emotional risks: do something, reveal something, that feels emotionally risky to you;
• Social risks: go out on a limb to learn about and connect with the other participants;
• Absurdist risks: do something so utterly bizarre that no one can predict what will happen next.

The more of such risks you manage to tie into an experience, especially one that does last for a prolonged period, the greater an experience of authentic engagement, connection, and even magic is likely to emerge.

This works great for art experiences, but seems like it is going to be particularly difficult to transition over to community dialogue, where you want people to feel safe expressing themselves. Social media is also a places where too many people see edgelord behavior as “risky,” when in fact it is perfectly safe from behind a keyboard dealing with people who you’ll likely never meet. It’s so convenient to flame someone, so easy and risk free it is to just pile on someone you disagree with. Which brings us to the next point:

• Make Communication Inconvenient: Much in the way that we get so much out of how goddamn difficult Black Rock City and other Burning Man events are to access, how much better everything gets because of how much we had to put everything in just to participate … online art experiences can benefit from a substantial helping of inconvenience. This goes against the nature of the medium — social media is designed to be convenient and easy! — but that’s precisely the point. Experiences have more gravitas, and people put a lot more intention on what they’re going to do and say, when participants have worked so hard to get here.

There’s a few other things but this list has gone on long enough and those are the big ones … I think. Again, the point isn’t that I’m right about anything in particular, the point is that this is what I’ve found works for creating online events that actually “feel like Burning Man,” and maybe there’s something helpful here for other efforts to better ways to communicate online.

Trying Together Is More Important Than Being Smart Alone

But it’s also worth remembering that biggest reason Black Rock City and other Burning Man spaces are so different isn’t just that we have better ideas; in fact, Burning Man had been going on for 18 years before the 10 Principles were developed. 

The important thing was that we decided to actually do things differently when we were in a Burning Man cultural space, and enough people committed to that and joined in the ethos that new people who came looked around them and saw a culture that truly worked differently. The reason it’s so difficult to be your best Burner self in the default world is that you have very little support for it — most strangers give you weird looks when you try to give them gifts, you have to really coax people into acts of Radical Self-Expression, and there’s an active hostility to Radical Inclusion these days. It’s so, so, much harder to carry the torch alone.

But when we come together, we find brilliant ways of making it work. Culture is not like physics — it can be changed by people who commit to it. The important thing wasn’t just that our ideas were better, it’s that we threw ourselves into the experiment together and followed what worked. 

I suspect the same dynamic is true with online spaces. The problem isn’t that we’re bad people (or at least no worse than anybody else), the issue is that we have inherited a set of terrible behaviors for online conversation, and we revert to them. 

It’s a free country (more or less) and so we’re not going to ever stop people from saying whatever they want on their own social media forums, nor should we try. We don’t need to be scolds, we don’t want to be scolds — in fact, the endless rounds of accusations and bad faith attacks are what we want to move away from. We can do this playfully. We can try to do better in a spirit of experimentation, a spirit of “what happens if?” 

And if enough people get together and try to have important conversations online in a different way, if in their own spaces they develop alternatives and try them together, it will so much easier to change the way we relate online than just handing people a sheet of rules. Seeing other people do it is far more effective than being told how to do it, especially when it looks like the people doing it are having more fun, and being more productive. 

We are social creatures. The point isn’t necessarily that we succeed so much as that we are trying together, and having a better time for it. I believe Burning Man culture can create better internet conversations — it will just go through some phases where we fail first and look absurd doing it. That’s okay, that’s our happy place. We can make our online communities feel like theme camps if we apply the same creativity and effort. 

Cover image of “Broken but Together” by Michael Benisty (Photo by DustToAshes)

Specific to Black Rock City this year, we can’t wait for the Curiouser & Curiouser convening. We expect the metropolis to bring together nearly 70,000 participants including similar levels of first-time Burners on playa as in the past. Those who are new will discover as they acculturate with the Survival Guide what community—at Burning Man events and in the world—is truly all about: storytelling, celebration and laughter, informality and care of others, generosity, kindness, and collective effort. Let’s remember, we were all newbies once, and with that wide-eyed expression caught up in awe and joy we went on to do more and bigger things. 

From building a wilderness camping experience in Black Rock City as an experiment in civics, to achieving our nonprofit goals, no one said it would be easy. And, the goal remains the same–to make the world better. The key to our collective success is the long-term survival of the Burning Man culture and our continued ability to inspire participation—in Northern Nevada and globally.

Burning Man culture is more relevant than ever—this is exactly what it offers through art, music, learning, leadership and civic engagement.

In the early years, annual ticket revenue was sufficient, but it alone does not fund Black Rock City and all the other ways the nonprofit brings Burning Man culture to the world. Since becoming a nonprofit in 2011, philanthropic support has been increasingly vital. It is even more important today given lower ticket sales to this year’s event. 

It is easy to hypothesize about why we’re in this moment, but let’s not forget that while the movement is vibrant, any culture is impacted by what is happening in broader society. Moods and societal values change, economic forecasts and consumer confidence fluctuates, local, state and federal laws shift, the weather patterns become unpredictable, and costs rise, but one thing remains: Our passion and commitment to bringing more Burning Man culture to the world is steadfast.

Judging by the outpouring of community response to our extended ticket sales—including the return of in-person sales at beloved locations in San Francisco and Reno—and the invitation to share music line-ups earlier than usual, it’s clear you care deeply about what we are doing to safeguard the future, and how you can be involved in it.

When ticket sales slowed for this year’s gathering, we leaned into radical inclusion. We helped more people discover that this could be their year to make it to Black Rock City. Because we are deeply committed to managing ticket prices in a way that facilitates a citizenry from diverse economic backgrounds, we re-opened the Ticket-Aid program for low-income $225 tickets, while at the same time kept $575 and $1,500 tickets available for purchase. Is this the year that a friend of yours can finally come to the desert?

To the Burning Man Project, the future includes prototyping the community and regenerative practices of tomorrow, particularly in Northern Nevada; acting as an effective steward with the global network to increase and expand upon the relevancy and meaning of Burning Man culture; and creating more lower barrier opportunities to engage with the community and the culture while, across all we do, leaning into the bleeding edge of collaboration and co-creation that will enable the handoff to the next generation.

Burning Man isn’t easy. It is a badge of pride to get out of your bubble and convene, create and innovate with people of different interests, backgrounds and beliefs, but it sure is worth taking the risk. The reward is personal growth and communal benefit—oh, and a hell of a lot of fun. 

Join in understanding the opportunity for more Burning Man in the world, in exploring how you can play a part, and how you can support the movement beyond Black Rock City. Communities are built on the recognition of the unique abilities of every member, and I thank you for being a part of Burning Man! 

Hope to see you out in the world,
Marian Goodell
August 18, 2024

Cover image of “Glotus” by Gidget at sunrise in Black Rock City, 2009 (Photo by Ales Prikryl)

This ambitious conversion project is just one of the many threads in a larger sustainability effort that is having a powerful impact. Burning Man events around the world, including Black Rock City, are real-life laboratories where new tech and wild ideas get thrown into the desert furnace. Here, innovation is built, broken, and regenerated, becoming playa-tough and perfected. From the Super Bowl and music festivals, disaster recovery to private homes and municipalities, the ever-advancing power configurations on playa and at 85 official Regional Events around the world are inspiring regenerative solutions that support a more sustainable future.

Burner-conceived Energy Technologies Are Influencing Large-scale Commercial Events

Renewable energy technologies developed in Black Rock City have made their way to the Super Bowl. 

Black Rock City Operations and Regeneration teams are working in close collaboration  with technology providers to power the city’s electrical grid, as a path to reducing emissions from the city’s operations. By bringing together decades of hard-won experience in the desert, with state-of-the-art gear from companies such as Sunbelt Rentals and Viridi Battery technology, some intriguing real-world results have come about. Sunbelt was also the power provider for the 2024 Super Bowl, where they introduced sustainable technology developed in BRC to power the vehicle screening area during the event in Las Vegas. 

“We were able to successfully deploy Viridi batteries at the Superbowl, as well as showcase the Dragon Wings solar product designed by Burners…,” said Gary Meador, a senior director at Sunbelt who has been collaborating with Black Rock City Operations since 2023. “We ran that whole area for a month without turning a generator on hardly at all. Neither of these would’ve been possible without our collaboration with Burning Man Project.”

Developed in BRC, The Dragon Wings renewable microgrid system powered the 2023 Super Bowl’s vendor operations and the construction of the halftime stage. The brainchild of Dr. Ryan Wartena, Dragon Wings answered a need for a mobile energy system to power his BRC theme camp. Wartena shared, “Dragon Wings evolved right from Burning Man and Black Rock Labs’ extensive experience with solar power at Snow Koan Solar in Black Rock City.”

BRC’s role as a crucible for sustainable innovation continues to resonate far beyond the playa. This desert laboratory not only pioneers technologies reducing its own environmental impact, but also helps shape the future of sustainable event production by exporting these solutions globally.

Going Solar, by Profiles in Dust, features projects that are contributing to a net zero Black Rock City. Watch it here:

Burning Man Is a Testing Ground for Regenerative Technology and Practices That Are Changing the World

Picture this: Beneath the dust-swirled steady thud of revelry in Black Rock City lies a less-visible yet equally vital heartbeat—a complex power grid, woven into the desert surface. This isn’t just a couple of extension cords and a prayer; it’s a full-blown maze of batteries, solar panels, and generators powering the essential infrastructure of a temporary 80,000-person city, day and night. This complex power configuration is an ever-advancing network where renewable energy, alternative fuels, and cutting-edge battery technology are displacing fossil fuels and traditional generators, rapidly paving the way for a cleaner BRC and beyond. 

“George Reed: Invisible MOOP and the Net-Zero” on Burning Man LIVE podcast—Stuart Mangrum speaks with George B. Reed III, Director of Regeneration, about how BRC crews and participants are embracing clean energy.

Now, Net Zero Black Rock City plans to convert all staff and participant operations into a net zero carbon model. It’s already resulted in a 25% reduction of power-related fossil fuel use in BRC thanks to a new grid design that uses solar, batteries, and renewable fuels. We’re just getting started—in BRC 2024 we plan to have batteries on 100% of our grid, fast-tracking the shift away from fossil fuels on the city’s operations. “If things go according to plan for this event, we will have reduced the carbon impact of producing power for the infrastructure of BRC by more than 65% in just three years’ time,” says Chris Neary, the Associate Director of the DPW known as ChAos. Burners have always led the charge in innovating cultural, technological and logistical innovations—we’re now seeing those innovations make their way out into the world to solve big problems well beyond Black Rock City.

Commercial Events Around the World Are Inspired by Sustainability Practices of Burning Man Regional Events

Burning Man’s ambitious sustainability goals and the Net Zero BRC initiative have inspired and guided Regional Events to develop their own sustainability roadmaps to address their unique environmental needs and challenges. Founding member Ancka Stefan of Kiez Burn in Germany’s Berlin area shared, “In integrating the principles of Leaving No Trace and Communal Effort from Burning Man, we’ve been able to foster a culture of environmental consciousness and collective responsibility at Kiez Burn. The Sustainability Roadmap and Net Zero BRC have served as guiding lights for us in developing our own sustainable practices.” 

Kiwiburn in New Zealand (incidentally the first Regional Burning Man Event outside North America) was the first Regional Event to prototype Burner Leadership for Sustainable Theme Camps (BLAST), a sustainability rating system that assesses theme camps.

Kiwiburn’s sustainability initiatives have influenced larger commercial events, particularly in waste management strategies such as food and plastic recycling. “Green Kiwi-Burners work with other organizations, and there is a ripple effect—our sustainability practices are absorbed into other events,” noted Kiwiburn’s chairperson, Andy Justice. “Kiwiburn is quite often used as a sort of a guideline for other commercial events in New Zealand to look at how to do things.” 

KiwiBurn has long planted trees to offset carbon emissions generated by their event; with the implementation of BLAST-inspired Green Kiwi, the initiative is now expanding beyond their own community to other parts of New Zealand. In 2022, KiwiBurn launched the Green Kiwi initiative to encourage theme camps and the wider KiwiBurn community to adopt sustainable event practices such as carpooling, compostable toilets, a compost program, and renewable energy sources. As a result, the event has seen a significant shift towards solar power, with many camps investing in solar panels and battery storage. 

Black Rock City Participants Iterate on Renewable Practices That Extend Beyond the Dust

Burning Man has always been a testbed for innovative sustainable technologies and practices — born in our own backyards, refined on the playa, and extended to the wider world. Through their camps and art projects, participants in BRC and Regional events are actively testing regenerative technologies that will help meet the goal of a net zero BRC, and are already being applied elsewhere in the world.

Black Rock City has 1,188 placed camps, and many more unplaced camps, each contributing uniquely. According to Bryant Tan, Associate Director of City Planning in Black Rock City, 52% of placed camps in 2024 are working towards Burning Man’s 2030 Environmental Sustainability Roadmap, and 61% are using alternative power (mostly solar). 

We’re also seeing camps expand their sustainability efforts beyond BRC. Marcus De Paula built a rapid-deployment solar power infrastructure for a camp that has served 35,000 bao buns in its eight years on playa. “I knew nothing about solar last year. I built the whole system in two weeks and learned everything from YouTube.” Bao Chicka Wow Wow’s system in 2023 was 20 panels producing 10,000 watts of power—since they learned that setting up their solar array takes the same amount of time as setting up their normal shade structure, they’re going to quadruple its size in 2024. 

After this year on playa, De Paula has plans to market his design to other rapid deployment situations, disaster relief in particular. “Disasters can disrupt roads and infrastructure, creating challenges similar to those faced at Burning Man of getting fuel out to locations that require generators. Running a generator is actually really challenging, and when you have solar, you drop the equipment and then you don’t have to worry about consistently servicing it. They’re pretty robust at this point.”

The Temple of Time is a two-story interactive art car built by William Venable that will be fully electrified at BRC in 2024. It has a 3,000-watt inverter and 10,000 watts of storage capacity on a 48-volt system. Back at camp, it plugs into a shade structure that doubles as a solar power generator, effectively creating a self-sufficient operational base. The whole setup will produce 15,000 watts of power in Black Rock City, more than they need—with the extra energy produced, Venable has arranged to supply excess power to support the Black Rock Observatory’s infrastructure. 

Once back in Utah, Venable plans to repurpose this technology to power his home. “There’s nothing quite like a 24 hour free power grid powered by the sun,” Venable shared. “So I think that’s the way to do it, is to start blending our personal lives, our Burning Man lives, our work lives, and we start blending everything together so that they almost become indistinguishable from one to another as far as our energy sources and our energy uses go.”

Join Us and Inspire a Cleaner Future

Burning Man Project is the nonprofit in service to this global cultural movement, in all its beautiful and brilliant manifestations. Your tax-deductible donation will support our year-round work stimulating innovation and creativity, in Black Rock City and beyond.

Mitigating climate change is everyone’s responsibility. Burners in Black Rock City and at Burning Man events around the world have been creating and implementing low carbon practices and technologies for decades, and we’re no strangers to tackling difficult problems. Burning Man is not separate from the world. We are part of it and have always led the charge in innovating cultural, technological and logistical innovations that make their way out into the world to solve big problems. Our work in this realm is no different, and the stakes have never been higher. Join us today!

Cover image of a Unicorn solar array powering the Man, 2024 (Photo by Rand Larson)

For the last four months I’ve been deeply immersed in world-building and designing outrageous experiences in the heart of this year’s version of Black Rock City. As the Center Camp Plaza Project Manager, I have the privilege, honor, and great responsibility to hold space for, and in some cases actively orchestrate, the center of the swirl. My mission is to catalyze the emergence of something new, fantastic, and outrageously engaging in a zone that knew its identity for decades, and then plummeted into an odd type of existential decay over the last two years.

From a Ghost Town…

“Ghost Town” is the term I’ve heard used most often to describe what Center Camp became after the COVID-19 pause, and it’s a phrase that fits the desert imaginal scape quite well. I’ve combatted this dismal spell in my own mental space with a conjuring of my own. I dream of myself as a boisterous buckaroo, sauntering into the whistling wild west center of town with bubble guns and kazoos strapped to my bandolier, jokers up my sleeves, and a magic squeaky rubber chicken whose squawk calls in the merrymakers, the pranksters, the zany gag-wits and cutup clowns from across the lands. “Ghost Town no longer,” at least if my magic rubber chicken’s got anything to say about it!

And yet, it’s important to recognize that the decline we experienced is part of a larger cycle. Seeing the Center Camp fields lay fallow for a few years gave us the opportunity to experience what it’s like when the heart of the city is empty. From the barren landscape of service camps dark at night, to the image of an unattended canopy cordoned off because it had become a lake in 2023, these memories give us the permission to dream anew and ask the important question:

What wants to spring to life in the center of our great city, here at this important cultural nexus point?

Urban Renewal and Cultural Revitalization in the Heart of the City

It inspires me to report that the concepts of urban renewal and cultural revitalization have been important driving forces in the reimagining of our Center Camp experience. The minds at Burning Man Project and engaged Burners in the community are regularly ruminating on these academic wrinkles. What we are collectively building this year is born from the fruits of their musing. 

A fascinating alignment is emerging. This alignment of thinkers and doers, of minds and hearts and desires, is calling forth innovation and a return to togetherness and joyful engagement. It’s like a giant magnet, pulling weird art, wondrous characters, and satirical shticks into an epicenter of awe that will manifest in physical reality smack dab in the midst of the Central Plaza and Center Camp Canopy. Rejuvenation is upon us, mark my words. What’s more, it won’t look like it’s looked in the past  — so prepare for that new-new. 

One of the most unique facets of our beloved Black Rock City, which sets it apart from every other city on the planet, is the amazingly short urban lifecycle. Across all the cities we know in the world — which we’ve grown up in or visited on vacation or spent four years grinding in their local university halls and service industries — the city lifecycle generally traverses six phases: rapid growth, slow growth, shrinkage, decay, renewal, and revitalization. For the most part, these phases play out over long time horizons, decades or even generations.This is due to the fact that most city streets are paved; the urban planning is complex, rigid, and institutionalized, and the buildings are made of wood and bricks and stone and steel. 

Yet in Black Rock City, where the infrastructure is held together by rebar, zip ties, and dreams, and the canvas is wiped clean down to playa each year to build anew, we’re provided with a much more responsive and condensed urban lifecycle. In this special petri dish, the implications for learning about the cultural mechanics underlying urban transformation are tremendous — and not just in theory, but in lived practice.

What will be gleaned from the experiment at hand?

Will we step up to innovate and create together? Will we harvest the learnings from our unique experiment and provide valuable contributions to society at large?

Only time and the omniscient magic rubber chicken can tell. 

But What Will It Look Like? To the Galactic Center We Go!

Here’s what I will share, just to be fair to those of you who’ve made it this far: The new Center Camp Neighborhood will be nothing short of a new Galactic Center, alive with weird Burning Man everything. The Plaza is full of theme camps with a balanced array of daytime and nighttime activities. Service camps have been moved out to the Esplanade or peripheral neighborhoods. Rod’s Ring Road is gone; it was time for a change to the neighborhood layout, bringing the energy into the center. 

In the Plaza you’ll find a ski slope, a piano bar, a jazz lounge, a few fabulous watering holes, a home-brew beer hall, a sunrise cafe that serves breakfast sandwiches and caffeinated goodness, a teahouse, two karaoke spots, a carousel, roaming appliance robots, and a couple of fire stages where the city’s best fire spinners will be imbuing the space with bold fury! A total of eight camps around the Plaza will be serving muddy bean juice, so hopefully we can just leave that at that. The Plaza was curated by our Placement team intentionally to uplift and encourage the objectives of rejuvenating the zone into a bustling downtown district.

Then there’s the Canopy. This is a place where I’ll opt to leave much of the plans to be a surprise. And what an epic surprise it will be. What I don’t mind disclosing now is that there will be hundreds of activated collaborators bringing their special sauce into the center of the center. A center stage will be built the likes of which center camp has never seen. French Quarter will be installing an epic hundred-foot-long dining room table that will feature absurd tea parties, crafternoon sessions, gaming tournaments, and ridiculous dining pop-ups. You can expect an Around the Clock Teahouse with ceremonial tea service 24/7. There are 16 alcoves around the perimeter of the Canopy featuring cool micro-environments and devious spontaneous experiences. There will be many of the staples you’ve known and loved over the years, such as contact improv, a new and improved art gallery, a speaker series, the People’s Fashion Show, the Cacophony Society mixer, the Billion Bunny Takeover, and spoken word poetry of questionable quality. And there will be new things that Center Camp has only dreamed of hosting before … like the Burner Olympics, the Genius Hour variety show, Black Rock Blackjack, a grand trading post, and so much more… I can’t believe I’m leaving it at “and so much more…” But for real, there is SO MUCH MORE. You might just burst your fun meters, so maybe leave those at home. For those of you keen to brush up on all the happenings, you can peruse the Playa Events Guide for Center Camp activities. Also when you arrive on playa, you’ll want to take a gander at the WhatWhereWhen guide’s sexy Center Camp centerfold — featuring events beneath the Canopy!

If you feel the energetic pull to embark on this journey of renewal and revitalization and you wish to add your intentions to the cauldron, you are cordially invited to participate in the Opening Ceremony, Sunday August 25th at 7:30pm at the main entrance to the Canopy. Let’s convene and remember that the heart of Burning Man isn’t just in the art or the music or the beverages that help us wake up. The heart of BRC is found in the connections forged and the spaces shared. It’s about the magic of the moments spent with other adventurers, in time as it passes. How very precious these fleeting experiences are.

Squawk Squawk! 

Captain Gabriel, signing off for now. May we meet in the new Center Camp Canopy Galactic Center soon. And until then may your journeys be filled with dust, dreams, and delightful surprises.

Cover image of aerial view of Center Camp, 2023 (Photo by Barbara Kojis)

As with most ritual objects the spike itself is a meaningless fetish, imbued with meaning only by our intentions. To an outside observer, it’s a length of spray-painted rebar hammered into the dried mud with what looks like the world’s oldest sledgehammer. But to those inside the circle, it is a direct physical connection to something larger than any of us. A chance to contribute directly, with sinew and bone, an actual physical action in the physical world with an undeniable physical effect. Not a pixel cloud, not another Zoom meeting; the feel of wood against the palm and the ringing peal of steel on steel. After so much separation, the beginning of a homecoming. 

ax​is mun​di : world axis : line or stem through the earth’s center connecting its surface to the underworld and the heavens and around which the universe revolves.

The ancients believed that the center of the earth, the pathway from this world to the next, can be any place we decide it is. In a world without a center, the center is whatever we agree on, and today this spike marks the center of our world, our Burnerverse. For a moment in time this place will be the axle of our global culture, the capital city of our notional nation. 

When you put a stake in the ground, you move from the ideal to the real. The spike we drive into the ground in Nevada has a powerful ripple effect, cascading around the world into hundreds of other cultural touchpoints. Not just the other ephemeral cities of Burning Man like Tankwa Town and Pyropolis, but also smaller spaces and groups. A beach cleanup on the Texas coast, a homeless outreach program in Detroit, a civic art project in Ukraine. Each of these marks a step towards defining the landscape in our own terms, not taking things for granted and not accepting powerlessness in the face of adversity. In a world that seems relentless in trying to tear itself apart, we choose instead to come together, and to work together to make our dreams real. Powered by kindness and generosity, fueled by love. We do this because we can, and for some of us because we must. Because to do otherwise would be to surrender to the helplessness of the world.

“We make the world real through actions that open the heart.” – Larry Harvey

As the shadows lengthen on the playa, founders, elders and DPW team leaders each step up and take a turn at the cockeyed hammer, adding their individual intentions to the collective will. Coyote and his two sons, teenagers now. Mr. Clean and Crimson Rose. John Curley, who has covered this event so many times, taking a well-deserved victory lap after surviving the stroke that nearly took his life. They each say a few words and take a swing, one after the other, until the spike is barely visible above the dust. 

After the hammering is done and the spike is christened with a bottle of cheap champagne, it will be followed in turn by countless other spikes: the nearly 20,000 placement flags that demark our city’s neighborhoods. The stakes and posts and lag screws that hold everything up, anchoring the vertical to the horizontal. And a 9.2-mile trash fence to hold it all in, with close to 2,000 T-stakes, bounding a playground where we can act out the 10 Principles and try on different ways of being in the world.

Fence Day, August 2, 2024 — installing what will be the Black Rock City 2024 perimeter (Photos by Nick Cahill):

Like all ritual acts, the Golden Spike ceremony exists in an odd relationship to time. I’ve been coming out to the black Rock Desert for more than thirty years, and as I get older, each Burn seems closer to the others than it does to the adjacent weeks and months on the calendar. A series of liminal, luminal moments that are more connected with each other than with anything else; more Moebius strip than straight line, sinuous and continuous.

Every time is the first time. Every time could be the last time. And every time that hammer strikes steel, it’s a wake-up call to go out and make the world we want to live in.

Cover image of the Golden Spike, 2024 (Photo by Martin Rodriguez)

Which is another way of saying, “That thinking is making me uncomfortable so stop it right now and go dance around a mutant bus where a DJ from Budapest is pretending to be spontaneous, like sensible people do.”

When the argument is presented that way, as an insulting attack on all you thinky-people, it deserves to be met with laughter and ridicule. Because, come on: thinking is a form of Radical Self-expression too. Philosophy is no weirder or less pertinent a way of expressing ourselves than is building a giant sculpture out of pianos or blowing up penis-shaped buildings. Saying “Your thinking is ruining our good time” is the hipster equivalent of being the pastor in Footloose declaring: “There will be no dancing in THIS town!” 

Oh yeah? Just try and stop us, old man! 

So there’s that. We can do this just because it’s fun. 

But there’s another level at which this is a legitimate question. Sure we can toss the philosophy of Burning Man back and forth, preferably naked in a hot spring, as much as we want. But that doesn’t mean it’s important, or any more relevant than that statue that you saw last year … you know, the one at the place, that had the blinky lights on it. 

Unless … it is? Is there actually some reason why it matters if people are thinking about Burning Man philosophy, and doing so rigorous and well? Is it important? Does our art party actually need a philosophy?

The answer — not surprisingly — is: “It depends.” It depends on what you want to do with your art party.

If all you’re doing is having a party? If you just want to get together with some friends and make some art and light it on fire and then go home and it has nothing to do with the rest of your life? Then … kinda no. No, actually, you don’t really need a philosophy. Go and have a good time. Get out of your head.

Which is the way most people relate to most parties and festivals, right? Nobody goes to the big music festivals and says, “I want to change the world so that it’s more like Woodstock!” Nobody tries to organize their lives around the premise of Coachella. You don’t go to a birthday party and say to yourself “I like birthday parties so much that maybe I need to quit my job and do something more in line with the spirit of birthdays!” 

None of those things need a philosophy, just a premise. Their marketing materials may allude to a philosophy, but they don’t actually have one (just marketing materials) and they don’t need one. 

But Burning Man hasn’t been a small family picnic or a party on the beach in a long, long, time. Something about Burning Man inspires people to want to turn it into a culture, and to bring the spirit of this culture into the rest of their lives. They’re not told to do it, they want to do it. And if that’s what you want to do … if you want to have your home be “more like Burning Man,” and your career be “more like Burning Man,” and your life be “more like Burning Man,” then … yeah, it’s kind of important that you figure out what it is you’re trying to do. To understand what distinguishes it and how it works and why. 

Your art party needs a philosophy the moment people start trying to make it more than an art party. 

Or rather, you have a philosophy the moment people start trying to do that. Because whether or not they think it through carefully, whether or not they are rigorous about it or insightful about it, or wise about it, they have at least a rudimentary sense of what they’re trying to do and why. When they start using Burning Man culture to do community clean ups or refugee support or put more art in their communities, they have SOME sense, right or wrong, about what it is they are trying to bring from a Burning Man event to this other aspect of life, and how. To take it from here to there. They have a philosophy of Burning Man. 

And at that point, it’s very helpful if it is thought through. It matters if they get it right. 

Which highlights another important aspect of Burning Man philosophy — it is about doing. It exists not to make some abstract claims about the nature of the universe (although, go ahead if that’s fun for you) or to be more correct than that stupid Hungarian DJ that you hate. It exists to help you do things in and with Burning Man’s culture. To make it accessible, to extend it to new people, to other areas of your life, to make it more potent and avoid reducing it. The philosophy exists to support the things people do, not the other way around. Burning Man isn’t about a philosophy, but understanding its philosophy can be helpful and supportive.

This is how it originated. Larry was asked by the Regionals to develop some language that people doing Burning Man where they lived could talk to their communities and neighbors about what they were doing and why. The philosophy emerged out of a need to communicate, it didn’t emerge out of a desire to prove some abstract point. Larry didn’t develop it from a desire to tell people what to do, he developed it by watching what people were already doing when they were successfully engaging in our culture, and describing that. 

When we want to use “Burning Man” culture to do something, it matters that we can describe what we want to do. Especially to keep our description free of bullshit. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but people say a lot of bullshitty things about Burning Man. A whole bunch of nonsense. I don’t mind if it’s funny, in fact that’s great, but most of the time it’s just stupid. I don’t know about you, but I could use a lot less stupid in the world. 

Now some people just get Burning Man culture intuitively: they take to it, they’re good at it, they don’t really need anything explained, and they are wonderful ambassadors for it in new domains. Those people are awesome, and I really admire them, and most of the time they don’t need to get all thinky. Which is great. Some of us, though … we’re not so cool. Figuring out how to Burn, how to organize, how to engage, can be hard for us. When we get stuck, having access to some high quality thinking about this culture we’re in can be really helpful. Even a pleasure.

That’s what it’s for. Not to tell anyone what to do, but to help people make their goals and passions more accessible. If all you want to do is show up to a Burning Man space and enjoy yourself, maybe you don’t need it. (Although if you want to understand what’s going on, it could be helpful.) If you want to create a Burning Man space, then understanding the underlying philosophy is probably going to be a lot of help. And if you want to take Burning Man culture out of the spaces where it is native and into other cultural spaces, understanding its philosophy is probably essential. 

And yeah, sometimes we need that. Even DJs. 

Cover image of Burner at sunset, 2019 (Photo by Juan P. Zapata)

Yet to this day, the most common question I’m still asked is: “Does Burning Man have a philosophy?” The second most common question is: “Does Burning Man need a philosophy?” The third most common question I’m asked is: “Were you actually invited to this party?”

The answer to all three is “Yes … but also, it depends.” 

I think it’s occasionally worth going over what that “it depends” is about, and why. And you should definitely invite me to more parties. I probably won’t go, but it’s really nice to be asked.

What Do You Mean by “Philosophy”?

When most people think of “philosophy,” they think of one of three things:

1. Definite maxims intended to provide an eternal truth, like “I think therefore I am,” or “The unexamined life is not worth living,” or “man is condemned to be free,” or “Caveat is on the guest list.” The idea is that if you can repeat these back at somebody, or come up with your own, you are doing philosophy.
2. A set of complicated theorems and proofs, generally known as “analytic philosophy,” in which you attempt to define abstract terms so clearly and logically that only true statements can come from their rigorous application. It’s like geometry, if geometry were less fun. 
3. The TV show “The Good Place,” which aired from 2016 – 2020, and is probably the single most philosophically oriented comedy in modern history. If you haven’t watched it, you really should. Seriously.  I Good Place therefore I am. 

Burning Man has none of those things. None of that is what we do. And if that’s all that someone means by “philosophy,” then no, we don’t have one, and honestly we’re better off without it. 

In fact, many of the intellectual elements that were influential in Burning Man’s development were explicitly intended to prevent things like that from developing. Burning Man could, in that sense, be considered “anti-philosophy,” and certainly anti-academic philosophy. Academic inquiry tries to put things in boxes, Burning Man tries to get people out of boxes.

But confident maxims and formal academic inquiry aren’t the only way we understand the world, are they? 

No. No they’re not. In fact they’re probably among the least common ways that people, across cultures and history, have tried to make sense of life. There are other options, and those options matter. 

And just because those other options aren’t academic or formalistic doesn’t mean they can’t be rigorous — in fact, the best ones usually are. And when they are rigorously applied, when they are open to new evidence and make critical thinking accessible, then they are by any reasonable standard “philosophy.” Like The Good Place. 

In a recent article in Aeon, Harvard philosophy PhD student Abigail Tulenkois took a deep dive on what some of those other approaches are, and how much they have to offer in areas that “traditional western philosophy” struggles with.

For example:

“Folklore is an overlooked repository of philosophical thinking from voices outside the traditional canon. As such, it provides a model for new approaches that are directly responsive to the problems facing academic philosophy today.”

“In my view, philosophy is a mode of wondrous engagement, a practice that can be exercised in academic papers, in theological texts, in stories, in prayer, in dinner-table conversations, in silent reflection, and in action. It is this sense of wonder that draws us to penetrate beyond face-value appearances and look at reality anew.”

Well, Burning Man certainly has folklore. It definitely has stories. It has all kinds of conversations. I don’t know that it has “prayer” in the sense that’s normally meant (your mileage may vary), but maybe it’s true that there are no atheists in the Exodus line. 

Okay, that was a joke, but actually sometimes you do see people in the exodus line doing amazing things to support, entertain, and engage with each other — and when people participate, what you’re seeing in those moments is very much Burning Man’s philosophy in action.

In this sense, Burning Man very much has “a philosophy”: in fact it has a “wisdom tradition” — a culturally unique way of looking at the world, engaging with the world, asking questions, and finding answers or at least better questions. And that … that is everything we can reasonably ask of a philosophy.

And while it is not formalistic — in fact it tends to laugh at unnecessary formalism — it can in fact be quite rigorous. But it’s grounded not in a series of abstract maxims about the world but rather in the experiences that people are having. (In philosophical terms, it is a “phenomenological” approach.) Being rigorous in Burning Man’s philosophy means paying close attention to ideas, yes, but it is even more important that you pay close attention to, and be honest about, your experiences and the conditions that create them. (If you find yourself saying “oh, that’s Immediacy!” then Stuart Mangrum will personally give you a sticker. Find him on playa and demand your sticker.)

In many ways this approach to philosophy emerges out of the history of the 10 Principles; when Larry was asked to write something that explained what Burning Man was, he didn’t write a political or artistic manifesto, he didn’t explain what the “big idea” was and urge everyone to follow it. Instead, he did two things:

First, he wrote as little as possible and explained as little as possible. His entire explanation for what Burning Man is amounted to less than 600 words. 

Second, he made it descriptive rather than proscriptive. Instead of coming up with a conceptual blueprint that he insisted people follow, he observed what our community was already doing when we were successfully “Burning,” and described that. 

Burning Man’s approach to philosophy has followed: it does not privilege abstract thought and ideas over the actual experiences of people. Rather, it takes the experiences people have, examines them carefully, and sees what it can learn. 

In this sense, Burning Man is an “orthopraxy,” rather than an “orthodoxy”: it considers what people do to be more important than what they think. 

Burning Man doesn’t care what your views on environmentalism are — but it does care if you MOOP. Burning Man doesn’t care what the content of your art is, but it does care that you express yourself. Abstract thought and language are not the fundamental units of meaning here: action is. We don’t tell people what “burning the Man” means, but we do burn it together. What it means is up to you, but we do it together. 

From that approach, from the 10 Principles and Burning Man’s history and stories and careful attention, a philosophy emerges. One that has significant, relevant, insights on art, human thriving, and the ways we can build better communities. It just doesn’t look like academic philosophy. It can be in dialogue with academic philosophy, but it will have a lot more jokes.

But is it necessary? Does Burning Man have to have a philosophy? Do we need it?

We’ll examine that question in the next post, “Does Your Art Party Need a Philosophy?”

 Cover image of “The Only Other Thing Is Nothing” by Midabi, 2022 (Photo by Ranny Víquez)

• The speed limit in BRC is 5 mph. For everyone!
• Class 1 and 2 e-bikes are permitted in Black Rock City. Class 3 e-bikes are not allowed in BRC.
• If you are found speeding or riding an e-bike in an unsafe manner, or you leave the scene of an accident you were involved in, your bike (and maybe also you) could be evicted from the event.
• We must all look out for each other, be part of the solution, and support Burners being safe. 

Black Rock City is built and inhabited by 80,000 creative and caring participants. As the nonprofit that supports this vibrant community, Burning Man Project aspires to nurture a culture of mutual respect and Civic Responsibility. In 2023, we experienced the worst accidents involving e-bikes to date. One injured participant required more than 20 stitches to their face, another was evacuated to Reno when their bladder was impaled, and multiple Burners were struck and left unconscious. In some cases, the e-bike operator just drove off. 

This is entirely unacceptable.

In the run-up to the 2023 event, Burning Man Project discussed a range of ideas on how to end the speeding issue, including the possibility of banning e-bikes altogether. In the end, however, we didn’t want to make new rules, and we sincerely hoped a well-informed community would modify its behavior, as we believe that is always the best way forward. While some community members responded by being more responsible at the event, unfortunately, many did not. 

So, in Black Rock City 2024, we are ramping up the efforts to curb reckless biking behaviors. 

Class 3 bikes are no longer permitted in Black Rock City, period. If you are found speeding or riding an e-bike unsafely, depending on the severity of the incident or behavior, the consequences may include removal of your e-bike and/or you from BRC. 

 If you bring an e-bike to Black Rock City, you agree to operate under these parameters:

1. BE RESPONSIBLE: The speed limit in Black Rock City is 5 miles per hour. This is to keep everyone safe.
2. BE SAFE: Operate your e-bike safely, especially in crowded or high-traffic areas. Listen to your neighbors, who might give you feedback if you are going too fast!
3. BE CONSIDERATE: Help injured parties receive proper medical attention after an accident.

Black Rock citizens and Burners everywhere excel at caring for each other, whether in the rain, dust storms or under any circumstance. Let’s continue to be the best for each other by traveling safely in our beloved city and behaving in ways that do not endanger fellow participants.

And once more, for the folks in the back…

• Do not bring a class 3 e-bike.
• Slow down — 5 mph, please.
• Take care of each other.

Finally, remember that it’s all about the journey and not just the destination. Dismount, explore, and enjoy the wonders of Black Rock City! 

Let’s see how 2024 goes. If we are all part of the solution, there will be no need for more drastic action in the future.

Your friendly neighborhood Event Director,
– Louder, Charlie!

(Cover photo by Kate Beale)

Read on to meet three fascinating artists who have lived this journey — two who became artists because of their experiences in Black Rock City, and one who continues to develop and deepen her artistic capabilities through the work she installs on playa. All three are living their lives as working artists, while bringing their work into communities well beyond the desert.

Black Rock City Honoraria grants only partially fund artists’ Black Rock City journeys. Many artists roll out crowdfunding campaigns to cover build and transportation costs. Find a project to support here.

Burning Man Opens Doors that Invite Exploration and Inspire People to Become Artists

By design, Black Rock City and Burning Man Regional Events encourage people to explore and create art.

Valerie Mallory, whose dreamy casted sculptures have graced Black Rock City for more than two decades, began her artist journey as a volunteer at the Center Camp cafe. In 1999, for her second year on playa, she brought and painted mannequins to install in the cafe. In 2000, her mannequins were placed on the Center Camp stage. From there, year after year she designed displays for the stage and her partner painted the backdrop. 

Since 2014, Valerie has brought a piece to playa every year — a total of eight unique installations. In 2023 “Womantree” was installed in front of the California State Capitol in Sacramento as part of the California 100 Youth Summit.

Valerie learned to cast out of a desire to make hands and feet for her mannequins. She lacked funds for formal art classes; staff at her local sculpture store taught her to cast hands, and later, faces. “One thing led to another, and I started doing more and more castings and adding onto the mannequins more and more. After a while, I jumped in and started casting people.”

“I was very, very deeply involved with the cafe… It was a nice little safe place to be. I could camp with them every year, and I could bring my art. It was just an integral part of my life. Then one year they told me, ‘Your pieces are getting really big, probably too big to be in here.’”

Staff at the cafe encouraged Valerie to install her work on the open playa. Reluctant at first, she took the leap in 2014 and brought “Womantree,” a large scale sculpture made from multiple casted female forms. “That was it. Then I learned that I could learn how to do lighting and learn how to do pieces that would stand up in the desert and learn how to be independent of the cafe and be totally on my own. And that’s how that began.”

“You don’t know what you can do until you’re given a great big desert and be told, ‘Okay, here’s all the space you could possibly want. It’s up to you now to figure it out.’” – Valerie Mallory

“I feel like I’ve been getting a doctorate in art by going to Burning Man… bringing something out,” Valerie observed. “What else will give you that experience? What else will really test you like that? What else will bring you to the very edge of what you can do? Plus, I was fascinated by what I was able to do and how I was able to really challenge myself and see it through… If it hadn’t been for Burning Man, I wouldn’t have ever started casting.” 

Valerie is currently preparing “Womantree” to return to Black Rock City 2024 to mark the artwork’s 10th anniversary.