For the second year in a row, Burning Man will not be taking place in the Black Rock Desert, or at all – in any physical form at least. The official Burning Man organization will be offering a virtual version of the event, from August second to September 7th, much like last year where people will pay for a ticket online that allows them to digitally attend six separate “metaverses” from the comfort of their home.
With coronavirus still raging, not to mention persistent smoke in the area, this seems like a nice and safe option for a lot of burners, but for others not so much. This was the case last year as well with many burners, especially local, not buying into a virtual Burning Man, but instead celebrating in the Black Rock Desert all week long before Labor Day, just as they would have if the event took place, but without paying a penny to the Org.
Before the Burning Man Org was created and they started putting up gates, fences and other infrastructure as well as requiring ticket purchase to enter, the weeklong event was very different from the organized one that younger burners are familiar with. This type of rogue party where just about anything and everything goes, is a reminder to the old burners of what Burning Man used to be. The event started in June 1986, on Baker Beach in San Francisco as a small function organized by Larry Harvey and Jerry James, but over the years became bigger and bigger, with a more corporate, money-driven feel.
Being fortunate enough to become part of one of the oldest official camps, I was able to hear about the epic party that Burning Man used to be. It still is a pretty epic party, but back in the day there were guns, fireworks and absolutely no rules or organization – and this is what last year’s rogue burn felt like. There were private jets strewn about the playa, with tents popped up underneath them, art cars crawling across the expanse of the Black Rock and everyone doing all the same stuff they would be doing at the real burn, but for free and with even more of an emphasis on radical self-reliance.
Everything about the rogue burn has piqued the interest of a lot of people, especially those who have always wanted to experience Burning Man but could never afford it or lost the ticket lottery every year. Even seasoned burners who were glad to have a year off last year are getting stir crazy and are making a point to go out to the rogue burn. All of this is setting up this year’s “Not Burning Man” to be a gigantic, lawless party in the desert. Could it set a new precedent?
The Washoe County’s Sheriff’s Office has warned of even more gnarly conditions than usual with prevalent smoke right now, lack of infrastructure such as bathrooms, little cell phone reception and the nearest trauma hospital more than three hours away.