What is Burning Man? What to know about its origin, name and what people do there

In 1986, two men burned an eight-foot tall human-shaped sculpture in San Francisco’s Baker Beach as a small crowd gathered to watch the first annual Burning Man. 

Today, tens of thousands of people gather in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert each summer for about nine days to create a temporary city known for its communal living and eccentric displays of art and expression. 

Here’s what to know about Burning Man as authorities investigate a death Sunday while more than 70,000 people were told to shelter in place after heavy rain made it difficult to drive out of the swampy desert venue.

Live updates:Burning Man death, a lockdown and unrelenting mud overwhelm festival

Why is it called Burning Man?

The annual gathering, which went on hiatus in 2020 and 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, got its name from a giant sculpture called The Man. The sculpture is burned to cap off the event.

When did Burning Man start?

Burning Man started in 1986 when founders Larry Harvey and Jerry James burned a human-shaped sculpture at Baker Beach in San Francisco.

During the 1990s, Burning Man grew in popularity and was moved to the Black Rock Desert in Nevada. 

What do people do at Burning Man? What's its purpose?

Tens of thousands of people known as “Burners” travel to Nevada to create a kind of utopia. They build villages, a medical center, an airport and performance stages. 

Burning Man is all about self-expression and the rejection of corporatism and capitalism. Instead of using money, attendees borrow, barter and trade for what they need.

People create a fleeting, self-sustaining community that (theoretically) leaves no trace or trash upon its completion. However, the encampment is not without its problems, including drug use, arrests and sexual assaults, The Reno Gazette Journal reported, part of the USA TODAY Network.

Can anyone just go to Burning Man?

Every person needs a valid ticket and vehicle pass to enter Black Rock City, the temporary city at Burning Man.

What are the 10 principles of Burning Man?

Burning Man co-founder Larry Harvey laid out these 10 principles of Burning Man in 2004:

• Radical inclusion: Anyone may be a part of Burning Man.
• Gifting: Burning Man is devoted to acts of gift giving.
• Decommodification: In order to preserve the spirit of gifting, our community seeks to create social environments that are unmediated by commercial sponsorships, transactions or advertising.
• Radical self-reliance: Burning Man encourages the individual to discover, exercise and rely on their inner resources.
• Radical self-expression: Radical self-expression arises from the unique gifts of the individual.
• Communal effort: Our community values creative cooperation and collaboration.
• Civic responsibility: Community members who organize events should assume responsibility for public welfare and endeavor to communicate civic responsibilities to participants.
• Leaving no trace: Our community respects the environment. We are committed to leaving no physical trace of our activities wherever we gather.
• Participation: Our community is committed to a radically participatory ethic. We believe that transformative change, whether in the individual or in society, can occur only through the medium of deeply personal participation.
• Immediacy: Immediate experience is, in many ways, the most important touchstone of value in our culture.

Contributing: Reno Gazette Journal Staff