Burning Man for First-Timers

Burning Man is a temporary Nevada city built on self-reliance, gifting and leave-no-trace rules, not a normal music or art festival. A first-timer needs to arrive fully supplied, know the Ten Principles and check tickets and rules on burningman.org.

The event takes place in Black Rock City, a temporary city that rises on the dusty playa of the Black Rock Desert in northern Nevada. Burning Man calls the city a large-scale representation of its arts and cultural experiment: tens of thousands of people converge on a dry lakebed, build a city where they live and work for a week, then make it disappear. Unlike a traditional festival, it is not a spectator event; it is an immersive experience that asks self-reliance and participation of everyone.

The Ten Principles

The culture is shaped by ten principles, written by Burning Man co-founder Larry Harvey in 2004. They are central to understanding what the event is about:

• Radical Inclusion: anyone may be a part of Burning Man.
• Gifting: the community is devoted to acts of gift giving.
• Decommodification: social environments unmediated by commercial sponsorships, transactions or advertising.
• Radical Self-reliance: each person discovers, exercises and relies on their own inner resources.
• Radical Self-expression: expression that arises from the unique gifts of the individual.
• Communal Effort: creative cooperation and collaboration.
• Civic Responsibility: valuing civil society.
• Leaving No Trace: respect for the environment and no physical trace left behind.
• Participation: a radically participatory ethic.
• Immediacy: immediate experience as the most important touchstone of value.

Surviving the Playa

Black Rock City is a remote and demanding place, and the extreme desert conditions require careful preparation and self-sufficiency from every participant. The official Survival Guide puts it plainly: "In Black Rock City you are responsible for your own survival, safety, and well-being." It calls itself essential reading for every participant, and its Personal Survival Checklist includes:

• 1.5 gallons of water per person per day
• Goggles to protect the eyes during dust storms, and a particle/dust mask
• A good camp tent or other shelter, plus warm sleeping bags and bedding
• Rope or tie-down straps
• Your ticket, or photo ID and confirmation number for Will Call pickup

Art, Tickets and Rules

At its core, Burning Man is an arts and cultural experiment, and the city becomes a huge collaborative installation as participants bring everything from individual pieces to massive sculptures. The best-known landmarks are the Man and the Temple, which the event describes as a space for honoring, celebrating, grieving and finding solace; both are burned near the end of the week. The streets fill with mutant vehicles, the event's art cars: motorized creations radically modified from their base vehicle, which must be licensed by the Department of Mutant Vehicles before they drive on the playa. Art exists in the open, inviting anyone to interact with it, and the culture extends beyond the city, with local communities, events and projects around the world.

Tickets, prices and entry rules can change from year to year, so check burningman.org for current information before making any plans. Leaving No Trace applies on the way out, too: everything you bring in, you pack out. Read the Survival Guide and the First-Timer's Guide before heading out, and plan your water, shade and shelter as if no one else will provide them, because no one will.