What is Burning Man?
60,000 people get together in the desert to practice radical self-expression of whatever form (dressing as abnormally as possible, cars that are fully functional, fire-breathing dragons, large and small art installations, performing music, etc.) while also engaging in desert survival.
It’s got ten driving principles behind it, including the "gift economy", which means no cash transactions (even bartering is discouraged, no expectations when something is given to someone) except for the center camp which sells ice and coffee, which leads to radical self-reliance, meaning you’re expected to come as fully prepared as possible to take care of yourself with all needed amenities (water, food, shade, sun screen, etc.) in the extremely harsh desert climate (100+ degree weather, pretty much a constant sand storm), while other principles are communal effort and civic responsibility, so you do what you can to look after your neighbors and such. Other really important ones are the Leave-no-trace rule, meaning everything should be the way it was before you got there by the time you leave, and participation, meaning there’s no "spectators", everyone takes part in the art and expression.
On top of all that, it’s basically one of the biggest parties full of expressive, outside-of-the-norm people who take living life and everything they do very seriously. Media tends to really push the whole "hippie drug orgy" thing, but most people out there aren’t taking drugs or having sex at the festival. People tend to be open to that sort of thing, but it’s such an intense, overwhelming experience in and of itself that something like drugs or sex are kind of mundane and pointless compared to all the sights to be seen and the people to be met. There’s "theme camps" full of art devoted to whatever theme they’ve decided on, "sound camps" that are like little mini-raves in the middle of the playa with DJs playing all night, and of course Burn Night on Saturday when the effigy (the wooden "Man") goes up in flames and everyone comes together to party.
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