­Burning Man is an annual festival that began in 1986. Tens of thousands of people gather at the 'Playa' in Nevada's Black Rock Desert to create a temporary wooden city dedicated to community, art, self-expression and self-reliance.

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[–]JasonCarswell 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (4 children)

Burning Man was an annual summer solstice beach burn on San Francisco's Baker Beach from 1986 to 1991, exponentially getting bigger, until the police said they couldn't light it up. They postponed the burn and moved it out Nevada's Black Rock Desert later in 1991 where they've had most of the growing festivals since, during the week up to Labor Day.

Black rocks are found all over the Black Rock Desert - so Black Rock City has nothing to do with the EVIL Black Rock corporation.

The temporary autonomous zone (TAZ) is not a wooden city. Not everything burns.

It's an extreme community in an extreme environment and only the people who extremely want to be there make and they make it extremely worth while. Yes, it's focused on creative expression, radical self-reliance, and a DIY maker ethos. You have to bring and take EVERYTHING you'll need for your stay and leave nothing but footprints (and whatever comes out of your body in the port-a-potties - the only service they provide). The event is profoundly NON-commercial and a gifting economy is promoted.

I went ten times from 1999-2008, and was very active around North America in the regional festivals and communities where the community and lifestyle persist year round beyond just the week in the desert.

[–]ReeferMadness 5 insightful - 3 fun5 insightful - 2 fun6 insightful - 3 fun -  (3 children)

The event is profoundly NON-commercial and a gifting economy is promoted.

And the tickets are expensive as fuck.

[–]JasonCarswell 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

MUCH of the ticket expense is to pay off the "authorities" who won't grant the permits (that they keep raising the prices of) unless they get their cut and tax the citizens a second time. The police are not even wanted there. The Black Rock Desert is at the corner of 3 sheriff counties, on federal BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land, and also attended by Nevada State police, the DEA, fire departments, ambulance, etc. Plus port-a-potties and the turd burglars who maintain them raise their rates (something I'm actually sympathetic to).

For years they've been considering buying a permanent large region of land to host their private event on, rather than pay off these "authorities". Now I suspect that they've got this cash cow I doubt they would let them find an alternative venue.

[–]jet199 1 insightful - 3 fun1 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 3 fun -  (1 child)

The upper classes don't want to have to see all that ugly blatant capitalism on their weekend break, that's for the trash to put up with.

[–]JasonCarswell 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

I can assure you that Burning Man is NOT for the upper classes. There are poor people there (stinky hippies), but not nearly as many poor folks as are in "normal" society. Of course there are those who range from poor to millionaires and even celebrities - but they are FAAAR from the norm. On average I'd say attendees are middle class and upper middle class.

Burning Man is ONLY for those who make the effort to go waaaaay out of their way to an extreme environment for some extreme fun.

Many people can't handle nature nor the dust, hot, and cold of the desert and never return. They're the ones with a bad attitude.

The anti-corporate policy was NOT started by some upper classes. The event originated as a anarcho-hippie beach burn.