What is Burning Man - Another Place to Express Yourself & Party Uninhibited

     Discussing last week's episode of "So You Think You Can Dance", my friend asked about one of the judge's comments.  Remarking on a dancer's exotic outfit, the young judge said "That'd be perfect for Burning Man."  What was Burning Man?  Despite my lack of interest to attend, I have acquaintances who've gone, and I pride myself on being aware of varied things in the world in which we live.

     Begun in 1986, it's an end-of-summer, week-long party in the middle of Nevada's Black Rock desert.  The desert is a prehistoric dried lake--a "dust bowl".  Initially, its "effigy bonfire" celebrated summer solstice.  It is still considered one of the world's biggest pagan events.  UFOlogists would love the patterned grid created by the event organizers.

     Nevada lets nearly anything happen without legal repercussions, so it seems the ideal location.  Black Rock is near Reno, a casino town like Las Vegas, but also the "divorce capital", since the 1940s.  It costs money to arrive for the event--especially considering the airline ticket price-gouging that's allowed to happen during Labor Day Weekend.  Still, "if you build it; they will come".

     Event organizers "truck in" a staggering amount of eccentric and mischievous paraphernalia--all temporarily installed in "the middle of nowhere"... at enormous expense.

That's right, ALL of these people were unrestricted by their schedules, jobs, families, or financial constraints to attend.  [Since vacation time in the U.S.A. is one of the lowest in the world (2 weeks), it's an impressive feat].

After people go (and share energy), they want to go each year.  Returning participants--from all around the globe--are called "Burners".

In fact, burners have their own language:

playa - (not meaning "he's a playa"--although many of the male attendees are) is Spanish for beach.

ancestors - the spiraling dust storms.

artica - where participants go to buy ice.

burn scar - environmental discoloration due to fire built on ground, which is prevented by using burn mats/platforms.

chasing shadows - racing across the playa in pursuit of brightly burning objects.

culture shock - state of melancholy, anger or frustration when trying to readjust to normal life after Burning Man. 

decompression - a party held one month afterwards, to give participants a chance to return and get relief from reality.

Donner Award - given to whomever pushes the limits of stupidity, inattention or bad luck.

fallopian tubes - two roads that connect the gates with the grid.

fluffer - (in the porn industry, this is the gay guy who uses oral skills to excite the male stars) a volunteer who supports others in the field.

FOMO - fear of missing out on something going on.

moonwalker - participant who's become unaware and wanders the playa in a dream state.

nose tators - plugs of dust that form in nostrils.

sparklepony - derogatory term for participants who fail to embrace the principles and is overly reliant on their own friends.  They usually pack nothing buy costumes.

Black Rock Ranger - volunteer guardian, empowered to mediate disputes and address safety issues (as seen below, wearing the traditional khakis outfit).

Rangers are not enforcers; they merely act to "protect the sacred space of the Temple."  Burners probably prefer their own Rangers instead of local law enforcement.  

70,000 people bought tickets to attend, last year.

At nearly $400 per admission ticket, that's $28,000,000.00!  All paid by hippies, nudists, twinks, massage therapists, aura therapists, bored housewives, folks living "off the grid", and varied "artists"... to camp together for a week in the desert.  

     No wonder Nevada is happy to share its public land.  It is strictly not commercialized and prohibits vendors as well as corporate sponsorships.  But, it does accept grants and donations of land or money.  It uses volunteers for nearly everything: Box Office sales, Concierge, Census taking, and Data Disseminators.  It also uses Greeters, Fun Interactors, and an Appreciation Team (A-team) to keep the Temple grounded with good vibes.

Initially a hippie convention, the clothing-optional, free-spirited, free-for-all milieu attracted greater crowds.

The notion of unsupervised orgies caught the attention of the gay community, which quickly joined--in all its usual bare-chested & buttocks-clenched enthusiasm.

Even though it is an open-minded complex, the gay group naturally made their OWN camp.

All those muscles actually got applied to workmanship as they built their annual camp and decorated it.

Each year, its notoriety attracted more and more newcomers.

After all, you never know whom you might encounter... when maneuvering your wood, popping a tent, and positioning your pole.

It's amazing: delicate personalities and effeminate glitterati--that normally pout over the silliest things--don't mind the dessert's sudden sandstorms and ever-blowing dust!





I guess they don't mind, since everyone is in it together... just like camping in the mud.

     To be fair, the organizers concoct amazing structures of whimsy out of all kinds of materials (all shipped to the location and built on-site).

Not to mention the thousands of bicycles and mutant vehicles used to traverse the huge expanse of dessert sand.  It probably gives a faraway-world effect.

It seems a truly an "out of this world" experience of fantasy.

You can do nearly anything you want--out in the open--and feel free/unrestrained/undisciplined.

Even more perverse than Fire Island, it's an orgy of sex appeal.  Despite the barren setting, it attracts an astounding quantity of "beautiful people" who like "to be seen" to "fit in": the crowd that visits Mykonos, Ibiza, Madrid, and Provincetown en mass.

Notice the name of the lounge: "Cock n' Tail"

For some younger participants, it's a "coming of age" scenario

Whether day or night, it's a networking event, often forging long-lasting connections across vast distances.




For flirtations and casual sex, it's an ideal playground.

An occasional marriage even occurs.



Perhaps that compensates for crappy food, dirt in your water, communal showers, and sleeping in dusty tents or trailers.



Coloring the landscape, the event is renown for its creative costumes... worn for no particular reason.















As the event gained notoriety (thanks to social media disturbing the secret), those outfits gained attention, too.



If you don't meet someone "fun" at the bonfires or midnight concerts, then it may the person lathering up beside you during your shower...

... or just a person casually "cruising" the area...





From what I hear, the intention is always to get what you aim for.



Each year, everything seems to go smoothly, and it shows how raucously happy groups can coexist without a glitch.

Just like the end of summer on Fire Island, attendees are sullen at the return to reality (for some, their normal life is still far from the average person's real life).  They might take their freedom experience and apply it to living more fully.  

     While the artwork and construction can be considered impressive, it's disappointing that those folks spend half a year dedicated to building a temporary community.  Imagine if those man-hours went towards bettering the world.