Organizers for the iconic Burning Man festival have begun setting up shop with massive art installations as they prepare for tens of thousands to descend upon the Nevada desert.
Before hordes flock to the makeshift city from Sunday until September 4, Black Rock Desert has to be transformed to a ‘metropolis dedicated to community, art, self-expression and self-reliance’.
Every August the barren landscape shifts to a world of art, and preparation is already underway as photos reveal large structures being constructed.
A towering temple and ‘The Man’ were seen half completed, as the works are expected to be focal points of this year’s festival theme of Radical Ritual.
Organizers for the iconic Burning Man festival have begun setting up shop with massive art installations as they prepare for tens of thousands of people to descend upon the Nevada desert on Sunday until September 4
Black Rock Desert is transformed to a ‘metropolis dedicated to community, art, self-expression and self-reliance’ every August for the event. And each year ‘The Man’ structure changes in design (pictured)
The remote week-long rave in the Nevada desert – often described as ‘where Mad Max meets Woodstock’ – culminates each year with many of the statement artworks going up in flames, in a symbol of catharsis, reflection and new beginnings
In the past around 70,000 people have descended upon the wild and art-focused event. Last year’s festival (pictured) marked the 30th anniversary for Burning Man
According to the event’s website, dozens of art installations are expected to be constructed before the end of the weekend, some made from wire, others as patterns on the ground and some as immersive experiences.
The arts festival begins every year in late August and ends the first week of September, luring around 65,000 to 70,000 so-called ‘Burners’ from around the world to gather in the desert for a week.
Since money is practically outlawed on the site, guests are urged to barter for commodities and in the past fans have taken to social media to swap items such as crystals for festival tickets.
Every year, several ‘temples’ are built according to a theme and on the last day, they are burned down in a ritualistic ceremony.
The Radical Ritual theme this year is to honor rituals that humankind has made, including the festival.
The event’s website says: ‘Burning Man is permeated with rituals. These rites speak of soulful need; the desire to belong to a place, to belong to a time, to belong to one another, and to belong to something that is greater than ourselves, even in the midst of impermanence.
‘Throughout all ages temples have been built in order to induce these feelings.’
The Radical Ritual theme this year is to honor rituals that humankind has made, including the festival. Pictured: A temple under construction in the Nevada desert
The arts festival begins every year on the last week of August and ends on the first week of September, luring tens of thousands of so-called ‘Burners’ from around the world to gather in the desert for a week
When complete, The Man structure (pictured) will feature a 360-degree balcony that participants can walk up to and view the makeshift city from. Particpiants are also encouraged to place offerings at the shrine to honor their time at the festival
During the event many people use bicycles to explore. The festival began in 1986 as a bonfire and has continued ever since
The contraption in this photo will soon be turned into a ‘mutant vehicle’ and will be motoring around the playa for the week
The festival is erecting a temple commemorating the Golden Spike and participants are invited to visit the shrine and make offerings that embody what Burning Man’s culture means to them.
The festival, which began in 1986 as a bonfire, takes place in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert.
The remote week-long rave – often described as ‘where Mad Max meets Woodstock’ – culminates each year with many of the statement artworks going up in flames, in a symbol of catharsis, reflection and new beginnings.
The premise of the Burning Man festival is that almost everything is created entirely by its citizens, who are active participants in the experience.
Thirty years after its first incarnation, the event is populous with tens of thousands of people attending the dried up lake where the event is held becomes Black Rock City.
This picture shows the ‘Temple’ being constructed. Each year event participants submit design ideas for the Temple structure and BRC selects the top design to be constructed at the event
Artists who use pyrotechnics in their exhibits have to go through several safety checks before being approved for the event
The festival risked relocation this year due to a pool of standing water, prompting officials in June to warn there was a possibility that the event could be moved from its location two hours north of Reno in Gerlach
The desert basin is transformed into mud every year by the run-off of melting snow, but this past season’s high precipitation formed the lake, causing fears that the playa would be muddy and impossible to drive across
It even attracts celebrities and billionaires, including Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Paris Hilton, Katy Perry, (right) Cara Delevingne, Karlie Kloss, Heidi Klum and Shanina Shaik(left with friend), among dozens of other high-profile names
However, the festival risked relocation this year due to a pool of standing water, prompting officials in June to warn there was a possibility that the event could be moved from its location two hours north of Reno in Gerlach.
The desert basin is transformed into mud every year by the run-off of melting snow, but this past season’s high precipitation formed the lake, causing fears that the playa would be muddy and impossible to drive across.
Crowds as large as 70,000 people have descended upon the desert for the festival in previous years.
It even attracts celebrities, including Paris Hilton, Katy Perry, Cara Delevingne, Karlie Kloss, Katy Perry, Shanina Shaik and Heidi Klum, among dozens of other high-profile names.
Ironically for a festival that markets itself as anti-capitalist, Burning Man it is now patronised by some of the world’s wealthiest individuals. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon boss Jeff Bezos and Google mastermind Sergey Brin have all attended the desert shenanigans in the past.
Some, like Zuckerberg, can even retreat to their own company’s dedicated camp within the site.
The premise of the Burning Man festival is that almost everything is created entirely by its citizens, who are active participants in the experience. At the end, everything is burned to the ground (pictured)
The Sisya art installation at night during the annual desert festival Burning Man last year. The annual festival attracts 70,000 attendees in one of the most remote and inhospitable deserts in America
Since money is practically outlawed on the site, guests are urged to barter for commodities and many fans in the past have taken to social media offering to swap items such as crystals for festival tickets