Burning man is back after a long hiatus due to the pandemic
When it comes to big events, Burning Man is one of the most exciting and overwhelming. In 1986, it started as a small gathering of friends at Baker Beach in San Francisco. Since then, it has grown into a week-long festival with costumes, art cars, and different ways of living in the Black Rock Desert, which is one of the harshest places on Earth. Due to the pandemic, the event has been put off for the past two years. It went rogue in 2021, but it's back in full force as of Sunday. People who have been to the event before often say that it's impossible to accurately describe the choose-your-own-adventure atmosphere. The seven square miles of desert are filled with huge interactive installations and elaborate camps.
We will be able to interact with the artistic installations
Large art installations are all over the landscape, so it's a given that people will interact with them and make their own art. But besides the free-form exploration of mind-bending sculptures (and art camps for the inner child with Nic Cage coloring books), there is a long list of scheduled events with dozens of planned activities that range from the normal to the completely crazy. The music is one of the most important parts of Burning Man. Even though it's hard to run a sound system in the middle of a dusty desert (don't expect to see people playing vinyl), there are lots of chances to get lost in a live DJ. Even though the event is known for electronic dance music, there is a wide variety of music for those who want to get away from the house, techno, and trance beats. There really is something for everyone's ears, from Latin music (with a side of sangria) and jazz jams to '80s pop and disco (with a side of champagne).
Wacky and relaxing activities
But if your ears need a break, there are many more meditative things to do, such as a hammock forest, hypnotherapy, and peppermint bomb breathwork exercises with other people. If you want to be more active, you can stack and climb milk crates (with a safety harness), work out in a pink gym, or test your aim at stations where you can throw all kinds of dangerous projectiles. Safety will be a big part of those events, and if you want a little extra protection for the weekend in general, a workshop on making bikini armor is a good choice.
Food and drink for everyone, except for coffee and ice cream!
The buy-nothing policy of the event means that guests won't go hungry or thirsty, unless they forget to bring money for coffee, which is one of the two things they can buy at the event (the other is ice). There will be brain-freeze margaritas and a gin-and-tonic bar with hot dogs, lollipop forests, sunset pickles, and daily cereal. Even though the long list of events seems like enough to keep you busy for a week, they're really just a small part of the wacky stuff that's planned for the week. As usual, the week will end with the event's heart going up in flames.
Jean Dubreil