| It's been described with such superlatives as | | | | temperatures can exceed 37C, yet by night |
| "Mad Max meets Disneyland". Many have tried, | | | | they can drop down to around freezing. |
| and failed, to liken Burning Man to other | | | | Thunderstorms and dust storms can arise with |
| festivals around the world; parallels have | | | | little notice, transforming the playa into |
| been drawn to Woodstock, the legendary rock | | | | one massive mud puddle in a few minutes. With |
| festival that famously got out of hand when | | | | no trees or natural shelter, winds average |
| thousands crashed the gate and the heavens | | | | 25mph under normal conditions and can rise to |
| opened to douse the whole event with heavy | | | | 70mph during a storm. |
| rain. | | | | |
| | | | Unlike other festivals where the |
| England's much celebrated three day festival | | | | entertainment is laid on by the organiser - |
| of music and arts - Glastonbury, has also | | | | at Burning Man it's the festivals' own |
| been compared to Burning Man, and though it | | | | punters that are the entertainment. There is |
| is probably the closest contender that | | | | no main stage, no comedy tent, no dance |
| exists, the concept is very different to that | | | | arena. Visitors are encouraged to participate |
| of Burning Man. The truth of the matter is | | | | in the creative culture of Burning Man by |
| that Burning Man is a completely unique | | | | providing entertainment for others, whether |
| event, the likes of which the world has never | | | | it is in the form of amplified music, |
| seen before. | | | | theatre, performance art, sculpture - at |
| | | | Burning Man - pretty much anything goes. |
| Every year, for five days, some 50,000 people | | | | |
| make their way to the flat, parched playa of | | | | Travellers from all over the States, and the |
| the Black Rock Desert, 120 miles north of | | | | rest of the world, descend on Nevada every |
| Reno in Nevada. They come to form a temporary | | | | year to be part of this bizarre festival. En |
| community, named "Black Rock City" that is | | | | route - many spend a night in hotels in |
| dedicated to self expression and radical self | | | | Carson City, Reno or other nearby |
| reliance. Unlike other festivals - Burning | | | | settlements, grabbing their chance for a |
| Man is a commerce-free event; there are no | | | | night in normal civilisation before heading |
| burger vans, no bars, and no shops, in fact | | | | deep into the desert the following day. |
| there are only two things for sale in Black | | | | |
| Rock City: coffee, and ice, both of which are | | | | What the future holds for Burning Man is |
| found in the Centre Camp. Everything else | | | | unsure, but the steady growth of this unique |
| (food, water, and shelter) has to be brought | | | | event is likely to continue to attract tens |
| in, or traded for. | | | | of thousands each year, as long as the motto |
| | | | of the festival remains true: |
| Black Rock Desert can be an unforgiving place | | | | |
| and is subject to extremes; by day | | | | "We will always burn the man". |