Costumes are encouraged, and the fashion is imaginative, with attendees following trends and lots of colors and creating some of the most daring ensembles ever. This is how you get people like the guy in this picture. He was in the mood for being an alien for a few days and had the kangaroo boots and body paint to execute his wishes.
Good on him! There is no better place than Burning Man to feel like you are on another planet. For many, Burning Man is a way to disconnect from the ‘real’ world, so when they return to the real world, it can feel like a fresh start.
A Community
Over the years, Burning Man has evolved and fashioned its own governing organization along with real city problems and opportunities. (Just imagine what it takes to provide any kind of infrastructure to tens of thousands of people for just one day. Now multiply it by nine days. Yup — insane.)
Nevertheless, the sense of place and community at Burning Man is undeniable. When organizing a community, it’s essential to clearly outline what you expect from the participants if you want them to be willing and active members and advocates. It also helps that one of the core principles is active participation.
What to Bring
When one arrives at Burning Man, you are expected to come with absolutely everything that you could possibly need while you’re there and then some for the community. It all depends on what you can gift people and what is required from you based on your camp's needs. Most camps will divide the equipment and workload among their people.
That includes water, shelter, a first aid kit, food, flashlights (the desert is very dark at night), apparel to accommodate extreme and unpredictable weather, batteries, a mask (to protect yourself from breathing too much of that powdery sand), and trash storage.
Let It Burn
Burning artwork has become a traditional activity, which takes place in the evening on the event's last day. But the Man is not the only thing that the Burners get to burn. Another common Burning Man sight it the Temple — it is a sacred and contemplative space that holds immense significance for participants of the festival.
Designed as a temporary structure that burns along with the Man, it serves as a place of reflection, healing, and letting go. It's also become a tradition to inscribe the piece's surfaces with personal messages that have continued through all of the temple's iterations.
Mutant Vehicles
Mutant Vehicles are creatively altered motorized vehicles built explicitly for Burning Man. The term "Mutant Vehicle" was coined by Organizers of the Burning Man event to delineate a type of "Art Car" that was more dramatically modified than merely decorating an existing vehicle. Just like the truck in this picture, which boasts a swing as well as a ship's crow's nest, among a bunch of other things.
Vehicles that are minimally modified with the primary function to transport members are discouraged. This is why at Burning Man you would have a better chance of seeing a pickup truck that looks like a pink sea turtle rather than a mini-cooper with eyelashes on the headlights.