This year was my second time at Burning Man. The first time I went was back in 2007 and I finally made it back home after a break. Burning Man is such a magical place and its hard to describe it to anyone who has never been there. It is one of those places that you truly have to experience on your own in order to know what it is like. There are things that I remember from last time that are still there and of course plenty of new things to see every year. The first time is always a sensory overload and since I knew what to expect the second time, it was definitely a different experience. What really set it in for me this year was on Saturday watching the Man burn. As we wait for the burn to begin, we are entertained by hundreds of fire dancers, spinners, and performers. Then there is an amazing display of pyrotechnics followed by the destruction of the spectacular architecture that was built. There is so much organization and planning put into the Burning Man Organization every year as a perfect circle is created around the burn filled with safety precautions and security while thousands of people surround the circle along with all the art cars creating a beautiful display of neon lights. It is an experience that cannot be expressed in words.
Most people might think of it as a big rave or music festival full of hippies, drugs, orgies, and naked people. Although some of that is true, it is so much more than that. It can be an experience of a lifetime. There is so much creativity and art that takes place there as people spend months creating projects and structures only to have it be admired for a week before it gets burned, never to be seen again. It is a place where people can truly be themselves or whatever or whoever they want to be. People are happy there and friendly to everyone, and I just love meeting people there. There is nothing to be purchased other than ice and coffee. If you need something, someone will have it and will happily give it to you, possibly for a barter, or just for free. Alcohol is aplenty and all you may need is your ID just in case you need to prove you are over 21. There is so much to do there, and every single day, there is a big book full of scheduled events and workshops happening every hour. Many people can also be happy just relaxing and doing absolutely nothing and just hanging out with friends new or old.
It would be so awesome if the real world could be like this, but instead we will just have to settle for living in this Utopia called Black Rock City for just one week every year. Until next time…
My full set of photos from Burning Man 2013 can be seen here.
The Man at sunrise with a red glow
One of the many gorgeous women that wander around the Playa.
One of the many art sculptures on display for all to enjoy
A small dust storm
A view of The Temple from one of the windows at the Burning Man spaceship
A closer view of the 2013 Temple
Peyton is only 4 years and she stayed at my camp with her 3 siblings. It was a blast having them around and she was a great photographer! Tex Allen has a writeup about her here.
