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Burning Man

Burning Man is an annual festival held in the Nevada high desert during the week leading up to Labor Day. It's held on Black Rock Desert, an ancient dry lake bed (playa) of epic proportions. The weather on the playa can be extreme, with blazing daytime heat, cold nights, dust storms and winds up to 70 mph. Everyone is responsible for their own survival at Burning Man.

Besides being an amazing art festival, one thing that makes Burning Man unique is that it's completely non-commercial. You don't even barter -- it's a gift economy. And givers don't want or expect anything in return -- this changes the dynamic between people in a magical way. It's the best part and the most important aspect of Burning Man.

There is some "official" art, complements of the borg, and it can be spectacular. However, Burning Man is primarily the collective creation of 10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000 50,000 60,000+ inventive folks. Independent of each other. Who might not be sure if what they're bringing will work; but, it usually does. And if not, that's Burning Man too.

Here are Burning Man photos, organized by year from 2001 - present. You can also see my favorite Burning Man photos in my Burning Man Gallery.

15 sections / 2375 photos

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All images copyright John Kane, 2001-2017