Create a temporary desert temple to whatever deity or ideals you hold true.
Learn how to spin fire.
Enjoy a cold gin and tonic at the 7 Deadly Gins bar.
Or build a giant sculpture of two people embracing and burn it down, as artists Kevan Christiaens, Kelsey Owens, Bill Tubman, Joe Olivier, Matt Schultz and the Pier Group did in 2014.
All of this and more can take place at the temporary city of 60,000 people known as Burning Man, the annual gathering that is rising once again in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada. Dating back to 1986, this year’s Burning Man starts on Sunday, August 30, and continues through September 7.
Named for a huge totem set on fire on the festival’s last night, Burning Man participants dedicate their time to art and community. And besides the hefty entrance fees — which started at $390 this year for people who don’t qualify for low-income discounts — it’s a community based on 10 principles written by Burning Man co-founder Larry Harvey. They include gifting (no commercial sponsorships or transactions), inclusion, community and civic responsibility.
The city will rise for a week and will disappear at week’s end, in keeping with the principle of “Leaving no trace.”
If you can’t make the trip, check out the “Embrace” sculpture and other Burning Man art in photographer NK Guy’s new book, “The Art of Burning Man.”