Burning Man Canceled, But Black Rock City Still Lives For A Few Die-Hards

Bruce Haring
·2 min read

Burning Man lives for a few thousand of the faithful. Despite the cancellation of the annual alternative event by the pandemic, some die-hard “Burners” are camping out on the Black Rock Desert playa.

The annual Burning Man is a gathering of artists and tech enthusiasts in the desert, aligning in various camps in a free-spirited festival transforming a stark playa into a community filled with the bizarre and delightful. The event culminates with the burning of a wicker man effigy.

The Bureau of Land Management officials are monitoring the attendees, who are prohibited from building a fire to “burn” the man, as tradition dictates.

“We miss Burning Man, and it makes 100 percent sense that it was canceled. But I feel like it’s our backyard and there’s a lot of space,” said Louise Brock, of Reno to the Reno Gazette Journal.

There are 20 small camps at the event site and one large camp on Thursday, the news outlet reported.

“We are not keeping counts of people like we would for events operated under a special recreation permit,” said Heather O’ Hanlon, a BLM spokeswoman.

No social distancing or mask rules are in effect, although officials are encouraging visitors to follow the protocols.

Burning Man usually attracts more than 80,000 attendees to the playa, located two hours north of Reno. Those braving the journey are assembling where the official Black Rock City usually would be, using navigation apps to find it. Admission to the playa is free, unlike the “official” Burning Man, which requires a ticket.

Burning Man 2020 would have taken place in the Black Rock Desert of northern Nevada from Aug. 30 to Sept. 7. The organization has an online project planned.

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