Editing Burning Man (section)

== History ==

=== 1980s ===
[[File:Burning Man 1987 poster.jpg|thumb|Poster for Burning Man 1987, showing the 1986 effigy]]
[[File:Two-burning-man-founders.png|thumb|Two of the founders of Burning Man: John Law (left) and Michael Mikel (right)]]

Burning Man began as a bonfire ritual on the summer [[solstice]]. Sculptor Mary Grauberger, a friend of Larry Harvey's girlfriend, Janet Lohr, held solstice bonfire gatherings on [[Baker Beach]] for several years before 1986, some of which Harvey attended. When Grauberger stopped organizing it, Harvey "picked up the torch", with Grauberger's permission, and ran with it.<ref name="Doherty 2006 28" /> He and Jerry James built the first wooden effigy on June 21, 1986, cobbled together using scrap wood, to be torched that evening. On June 22, Harvey, James, and a few friends met on [[Baker Beach]] in San Francisco<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sacredtribesjournal.org/htdocs/images/Encyclopedia/Burning_Man_Festival.pdf |title=StJ's Encyclopedia of New Religious Movements |access-date=September 5, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222170040/http://www.sacredtribesjournal.org/htdocs/images/Encyclopedia/Burning_Man_Festival.pdf |archive-date=February 22, 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.academia.edu/366960 |title=Burning Man Festival in Alternative Interpretive Analysis |last=Morehead |first=John W. |journal=Sacred Tribes Journal |volume=4 |number=1 |year=2009 |pages=19–41 |issn=1941-8167 |access-date=October 25, 2018 |archive-date=January 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220127122356/https://www.academia.edu/366960 |url-status=live}}</ref> and burned an {{convert|8|ft|m|adj=mid|-tall}} wooden man and a smaller wooden dog. Harvey later described his inspiration for burning these effigies as a spontaneous act of "radical self-expression".<ref name="Doherty 2006 28">({{cite book |last=Doherty |first=Brian |title=This Is Burning Man |publisher=[[Benbella Books]] |date=July 2006 |page=28 |isbn=978-1-932100-86-0}})</ref> In 1987, the Man grew to {{convert|15|ft|m|sigfig=1}} tall, and by 1988, it had grown to {{convert|30|ft|m|sigfig=1}}.<ref name="burn.life">{{cite web |url=http://www.burn.life/1986--1990-the-early-days.html |title=Burning Man 1986–1990 – The Early Years |access-date=May 24, 2016 |archive-date=June 17, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160617093926/http://www.burn.life/1986--1990-the-early-days.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":1" />

By 1988, Harvey formally named the summer solstice ritual "Burning Man" by titling flyers for the happening as such. This was done to ward off references to "[[wicker man]]", the reputed [[Celtic paganism|Celtic pagan]] practice of burning live sacrifices in human-shaped wicker cages. Harvey has said that he had not seen the 1973 [[cult film]]'' [[The Wicker Man (1973 film)|The Wicker Man]]'' until many years after and that it did not inspire the action.<ref name="burn.life" /><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=799JDtofMpEC&q=wicker |title=This Is Burning Man |first=Brian |last=Doherty |date=September 3, 2007 |publisher=Little, Brown |via=Google Books |isbn=978-0-316-02892-9 |access-date=November 9, 2020 |archive-date=October 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231010011753/https://books.google.com/books?id=799JDtofMpEC&q=wicker#v=snippet&q=wicker&f=false |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== 1990 to 1996 ===
[[File:Burning Man 1995.webm|thumb|right|thumbtime=07:07|start=02:31|[[8mm film]] footage of Burning Man in 1995 by Ammon Haggerty|202x202px]]
In 1990, a separate event was planned by Kevin Evans and [[John Law (American artist)|John Law]] on the remote and largely unknown [[dry lake|''playa'']], known as the [[Black Rock Desert]], about {{convert|110|miles}} north of [[Reno]], Nevada.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://laughingsquid.com/bad-day-at-black-rock-cacophony-society-zone-trip-4/ |title=Bad Day at Black Rock (Cacophony Society Zone Trip #4) |publisher=Laughingsquid.com |date=January 18, 2007 |access-date=March 31, 2012 |archive-date=September 14, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090914103909/http://laughingsquid.com/bad-day-at-black-rock-cacophony-society-zone-trip-4/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Evans conceived it as a [[dadaist]] [[temporary autonomous zone]] with sculptures to be burned and [[Situationist International|situationist]] performance art. He asked John Law, who also had experience on the dry lake and was a defining founder of the [[Cacophony Society]], to take on central organizing functions of the events. In the Cacophony Society's newsletter, it was announced as Zone Trip No. 4, A Bad Day at Black Rock (inspired by the 1955 [[Bad Day at Black Rock|film of the same name]]).

Meanwhile, the solstice burn at Baker Beach was interrupted by the park police for not having a permit. After striking a deal to raise the Man but not to burn it, event organizers disassembled it and returned it to the vacant lot where it had been built. Shortly thereafter, the legs and torso of the Man were chain-sawed, and the pieces were removed when the space was unexpectedly leased as a parking lot. The Man was reconstructed, led by Dan Miller, Harvey's then-housemate of many years, just in time to take it to Zone Trip No. 4.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.burningman.com/whatisburningman/1986_1996/ |title=What is Burning Man?: Early Years |publisher=Burning Man |access-date=March 31, 2012 |archive-date=October 14, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081014070209/http://www.burningman.com/whatisburningman/1986_1996/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

Michael Mikel, another active Cacophonist, realized that participants unfamiliar with the environment of the dry lake would benefit from knowledgeable persons helping to ensure they did not get lost in the deep dry lake and risk dehydration and death. He took the name Danger Ranger and created the Black Rock Rangers to assist them. Thus, Black Rock City began as a fellowship organized by Law and Mikel, based on Evans's and Grauberger's ideas and Harvey's and James's symbolic man. Drawing on experience in the sign business and with light sculpture, Law prepared custom neon tubes for the Man starting in 1991 so it could be seen as a beacon to aid navigation at night long before there were any planned roads.

In its early years, the community grew by word of mouth alone, and all were considered (and generally not invited until they could be expected to be) participants in their contribution to the cacophonous situationist vibe. There were no paid or scheduled performers or artists, no separation between art and life nor art space and living space, no rules other than "Don't interfere with anyone else's immediate experience" and "no guns in central camp".

1991 marked the first year that the event had a legal permit through the BLM (the [[Bureau of Land Management]]).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nv.blm.gov/news_releases/Press_Releases/fy06_releases/nr_wfo_33.htm |date=June 8, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060923001623/http://www.nv.blm.gov/news_releases/Press_Releases/fy06_releases/nr_wfo_33.htm |archive-date=September 23, 2006 |title=BURNING MAN RECEIVES FIVE-YEAR PERMIT |work=BLM News |publisher=United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management}}</ref> It was also the year that art model and fire dancer (and later Burning Man's first art director) ''Crimson Rose'' attended the event.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.everfest.com/magazine/meet-the-woman-who-brought-fire-dancing-to-burning-man |title=Meet the Woman Who Brought Fire Dancing to Burning Man |work=Everfest |access-date=March 9, 2018 |archive-date=March 9, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180309182756/https://www.everfest.com/magazine/meet-the-woman-who-brought-fire-dancing-to-burning-man |url-status=live}}</ref> 1992 saw the birth of a smaller, intensive, nearby event named "Desert Siteworks", conceived and directed by William Binzen and co-produced (in 1993 and '94) with Judy West.<ref>({{cite book |last=Doherty |first=Brian |title=This Is Burning Man |publisher=[[Benbella Books]] |date=July 2006 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=799JDtofMpEC&q=desert+siteworks+trego&pg=PT54 |access-date=June 13, 2014 |isbn=978-1-932100-86-0 |archive-date=October 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231010011754/https://books.google.com/books?id=799JDtofMpEC&q=desert+siteworks+trego&pg=PT54#v=snippet&q=desert%20siteworks%20trego&f=false |url-status=live}})</ref> There were about 20 participants the first year, and approximately 100 in the second and third year. The annual, several weeks-long event, was held over summer Solstice at various fertile hot springs surrounding the desert. Participants built art and participated in self-directed performances.<ref name="Olivier">{{cite web |last=Olivier |first=Bonin |title=Dust & Illusions. Documentary on 30 Years of Burning Man history |url=http://dustandillusions.com |date=March 2009 |quote=William Binzen was extensively interviewed for the film, with cross-references from Burning Man organizations' co-founders. |access-date=July 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170531032449/http://dustandillusions.com/ |archive-date=May 31, 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Some key organizers of Burning Man were also part of [[Desert Siteworks]] (Law, Mikel) and Binzen was a friend of Harvey. Hence, the two events saw much cross-pollination of ideas and participants.<ref name="Olivier" /> The Desert Siteworks project ran for three years (1992–1994). 1996 was the first year a formal partnership was created to own the name "Burning Man" and was also the last year the event was held in the middle of the Black Rock Desert with no fence around it.

Before the event opened to the public in 1996, a worker named Michael Furey was killed in a motorcycle crash<ref name="Doherty2006">{{cite book |last=Doherty |first=Brian |title=This Is Burning Man |publisher=[[Benbella Books]] |date=July 2006 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=799JDtofMpEC&q=Furey&pg=PT65 |access-date=October 21, 2018 |isbn=978-1-932100-86-0 |archive-date=October 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231010011755/https://books.google.com/books?id=799JDtofMpEC&q=Furey&pg=PT65#v=snippet&q=Furey&f=false |url-status=live}}</ref> while riding from [[Gerlach, Nevada]], to the Burning Man camp in the Black Rock Desert. Harvey insisted that the death had not occurred at Burning Man, since the gates were not yet open. Another couple were run over in their tent by an art car driving to the "rave camp", which was at that time distant from the main camp. After the 1996 event, Law [[John Law (American artist)#Founders' conflict|broke with Burning Man]] and publicly said the event should not continue.

=== 1997 to 2013 ===
[[File:Neonman2.jpg|thumb|The neon-tubed Man at the 1999 event|269x269px]]

1997 marked another major pivotal year for the event. It had to be moved because the permit for Black Rock was denied for the 1997 event. A team conducting land speed trials had a conflicting permit that took precedence. Fly Ranch, with the smaller adjoining Hualapai dry lakebed, just west of the Black Rock desert, was chosen as the alternate location. This moved Burning Man from Pershing County/federal BLM land into the jurisdiction of [[Washoe County, Nevada|Washoe County]], which brought a protracted list of permit requirements.<ref>({{cite book |last=Doherty |first=Brian |title=This Is Burning Man |publisher=[[BenBella Books]] |date=July 2006 |page=124 |isbn=978-1-932100-86-0}})</ref>

In 1999 to comply with the new requirements and manage the increased liability load, Harvey and five organizers formed Black Rock City LLC with the assistance of "Biz Babe" [[Dana Harrison]]. The LLC founders consisted of Larry Harvey (chief philosophy officer), Harley K. DuBois (chief transition officer), Marian Goodell (CEO), Crimson Rose (art transition officer), Will Roger Peterson (Nevada relations director), and Michael Mikel (historian and archivist).<ref>{{Cite book |last=White |first=Carolyn L. |title=The archaeology of Burning Man: the rise and fall of Black Rock City |date=2020 |publisher=University of New Mexico Press |isbn=978-0-8263-6134-9 |series=Archaeologies of landscape in the Americas series |location=Albuquerque |pages=6}}</ref>

Will Roger Peterson and Flynn Mauthe created the Black Rock City Department of Public Works (DPW) to build the "city" grid layout (a requirement so that emergency vehicles could be directed to an "address"), designed by Rod Garrett, an architect. Garrett continued as the city designer until his death in 2011, at age 76. He is also credited with the design of all of the Man bases from 2001 through 2012, the center camp café and first camp.<ref>{{cite web |author=Andrew Dalton |url=http://sfist.com/2011/08/29/black_rock_city_architect_rod_garre.php |title=Burning Man Architect Rod Garrett Dies at Age 76 |publisher=SFist |date=August 29, 2011 |access-date=March 31, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140715021506/http://sfist.com/2011/08/29/black_rock_city_architect_rod_garre.php |archive-date=July 15, 2014}}</ref> 1998 saw a return to the Black Rock desert, although not to the deep playa, along with a temporary perimeter fence. The event has remained there since.

As the population of Black Rock City grew, the BLM added more restrictions, and changes were made in how people were invited to the event, notably the addition of publicized online ticket sales to all comers; further rules were established concerning its survival. Some critics of the later phase of the event cite these rules as impinging on the original freedoms and principles, diminishing the scope of the experience unacceptably, while many newer attendees find the increased level of activity more than balances out the changes:
* A grid street structure.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.burningman.com/preparation/maps/07_maps/index.html |title=Preparation – 2007 BRC MAP |publisher=Burning Man |access-date=March 31, 2012 |archive-date=January 16, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080116024454/http://www.burningman.com/preparation/maps/07_maps/index.html |url-status=live}}</ref>
* A speed limit of {{cvt|5|mph|0}}.<ref name=dmv>{{cite web |url=http://www.burningman.com/on_the_playa/playa_vehicles/dmv.html |title=On The Playa: Playa Vehicles: DMV |publisher=Burning Man |access-date=March 31, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 3, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070903204511/http://www.burningman.com/on_the_playa/playa_vehicles/dmv.html}}</ref>
* A ban on driving, except for approved "mutant vehicles" and service vehicles.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.burningman.com/on_the_playa/playa_vehicles/ |title=On The Playa |publisher=Burning Man |access-date=March 31, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 29, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070729055128/http://www.burningman.com/on_the_playa/playa_vehicles/}}</ref>
* Safety standards on mutant vehicles.<ref name=dmv />
* Burning of any art must be done on an approved burn platform.<ref name="burningman.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.burningman.com/installations/burn_scar_prevention.html |title=Playa Protection and Burn Scar Prevention |publisher=Burning Man |access-date=March 31, 2012 |archive-date=January 3, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080103113248/http://www.burningman.com/installations/burn_scar_prevention.html |url-status=live}}</ref>
* A ban on fireworks.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.burningman.com/preparation/event_survival/law_enforcement.html#illegal |title=Preparation: Law Enforcement at |publisher=Burning Man |access-date=March 31, 2012 |archive-date=December 21, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071221190628/http://www.burningman.com/preparation/event_survival/law_enforcement.html#illegal |url-status=live}}</ref>
* A ban on animals.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.burningman.com/preparation/event_survival/pets.html |title=The Pet Unfriendly |publisher=Burning Man |access-date=June 22, 2012 |archive-date=November 15, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071115211708/http://www.burningman.com/preparation/event_survival/pets.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

Another notable restriction to attendees is the 9.2-mile- (14.8&nbsp;km) long<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://journal.burningman.org/2017afterburn/ |title=2017 AfterBurn |work=Burning Man Journal |access-date=July 9, 2018 |archive-date=July 9, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180709035248/https://journal.burningman.org/2017afterburn/ |url-status=live}}</ref> temporary plastic fence that surrounds the event and defines the pentagon of land used by the event on the southern edge of the Black Rock dry lake.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://journal.burningman.org/2016/05/black-rock-city/leaving-no-trace/the-origin-story-of-the-brc-trash-fence/ |title=The Origin Story of the BRC Trash Fence |work=Burning Man Journal |access-date=July 9, 2018 |archive-date=July 9, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180709035300/https://journal.burningman.org/2016/05/black-rock-city/leaving-no-trace/the-origin-story-of-the-brc-trash-fence/ |url-status=live}}</ref> This 4-foot- (1.2-meter) high barrier is known as the "trash fence" because its initial use was to catch wind-blown debris that might escape from campsites during the event. Since 2002, the area beyond this fence has not been accessible to Burning Man participants during the event.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2002-07-19/html/02-17975.htm |title=Federal Register Volume 67, Number 139 (Friday, July 19, 2002) |publisher=Gpo.gov |access-date=March 31, 2012 |archive-date=August 12, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140812132939/http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2002-07-19/html/02-17975.htm |url-status=live}}</ref>

One visitor who was accidentally burned at the 2005 event unsuccessfully sued Black Rock City LLC in [[San Francisco County Superior Court]]. On June 30, 2009, the [[California courts of appeal|California Court of Appeal for the First District]] upheld the trial court's grant of [[summary judgment]] to Black Rock City LLC on the basis that people who deliberately walk toward The Man after it is ignited [[assumption of risk|assume the risk]] of getting burned by such a hazardous object.<ref>''Beninati v. Black Rock City, LLC'', [http://online.ceb.com/CalCases/CA4/175CA4t650.htm 175 Cal. App. 4th 650] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017065614/http://online.ceb.com/CalCases/CA4/175CA4t650.htm |date=October 17, 2015 }} (2009).</ref>

=== 2013 to 2019 ===

In December 2013, following negotiations between founders,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Steven |first=Jones |date=April 5, 2011 |title=Man on the Move |url=https://sfbgarchive.48hills.org/sfbgarchive/2011/04/05/man-move/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727090414/https://sfbgarchive.48hills.org/sfbgarchive/2011/04/05/man-move/ |archive-date=July 27, 2020 |access-date=May 25, 2020 |website=San Francisco Bay Guardian}}</ref> Black Rock City LLC was made a subsidiary of a new nonprofit entity known as the [[Burning Man Project]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Burning Man Transitions to Non-Profit Organization |url=https://journal.burningman.org/2014/03/news/global-news/burning-man-transitions-to-non-profit-organization/ |website=Burning Man Journal |date=March 3, 2014 |access-date=May 25, 2020 |archive-date=August 11, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200811192726/https://journal.burningman.org/2014/03/news/global-news/burning-man-transitions-to-non-profit-organization/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Redmond |first=Tim |date=2015-02-16 |title=The secrets of Burning Man's money |url=https://48hills.org/2015/02/secrets-burning-mans-money/ |access-date=2024-10-03 |website=48 hills |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Wood |first=Robert W. |title=Burning Man Founders Can Torch Their Tax Bills Too |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/robertwood/2015/03/25/burning-man-founders-can-torch-their-tax-bills-too/ |access-date=2024-10-03 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref>

On September 3, 2017,<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/burning-man-fest-one-dead-another-in-critical-condition-w501178 |title=Burning Man Festival: One Man Dead, Another in Critical Condition |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=March 1, 2018 |archive-date=March 1, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180301164538/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/burning-man-fest-one-dead-another-in-critical-condition-w501178 |url-status=live}}</ref> a 41-year-old man, Aaron Joel Mitchell, fought his way past a safety cordon of volunteers and firefighters and threw himself into the flames of the Man. Mitchell died the next day due to cardiac arrest, bodily shock, and third-degree burns to 97% of his body. His death was ruled a suicide.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.rgj.com/story/life/arts/burning-man/2018/02/09/burning-man-death-details-emerge-family-friends-still-wonder-why/312798002/ |title=Burning Man death details emerge; family, friends still wonder why |work=Reno Gazette Journal |access-date=March 1, 2018 |archive-date=October 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231010012257/https://www.rgj.com/story/life/arts/burning-man/2018/02/09/burning-man-death-details-emerge-family-friends-still-wonder-why/312798002/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/music/music-festivals/anguish-of-burning-man-victims-mother-over-inexplicable-act/news-story/63ed4c75db512288e7da153bf6096e9f |title=Burning Man victim was 'in high spirits', grieving mum says |work=NewsComAu |access-date=March 1, 2018 |archive-date=March 1, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180301232143/http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/music/music-festivals/anguish-of-burning-man-victims-mother-over-inexplicable-act/news-story/63ed4c75db512288e7da153bf6096e9f |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/programs/hack/burning-man-eyewitness-describes-horrific-festival-death/8870960 |title=Burning Man eyewitness describes horrific festival death |last=Purtill |first=James |date=September 4, 2017 |work=triple j |access-date=March 1, 2018 |archive-date=March 12, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180312182211/http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/programs/hack/burning-man-eyewitness-describes-horrific-festival-death/8870960 |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== 2020 to 2021 ===
On April 10, 2020, the Burning Man Project announced that Burning Man was canceled for 2020<ref>{{cite web |title=The Burning Man Multiverse in 2020 |website=Burning Man Journal |date=April 10, 2020 |url=https://journal.burningman.org/2020/04/news/official-announcements/brc-2020-update/ |access-date=November 10, 2020 |archive-date=April 14, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200414095304/https://journal.burningman.org/2020/04/news/official-announcements/brc-2020-update/ |url-status=live}}</ref> due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic in the United States|COVID-19 pandemic]], making 2020 the first year Burning Man did not happen since its inception. They then decided to offer ticket refunds despite the tickets being sold explicitly as non-refundable.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Are my 2020 Black Rock City tickets refundable? |url=http://help.burningman.org/hc/en-us/articles/360042334152 |website=Burning Man |access-date=May 25, 2020 |archive-date=July 27, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727204340/https://help.burningman.org/hc/en-us/articles/360042334152 |url-status=live}}</ref>

On September 7, 2020, an estimated 1,000 Burners celebrated on San Francisco's [[Ocean Beach, San Francisco|Ocean Beach]]. San Francisco Mayor [[London Breed]] tweeted about the event, "This was reckless and selfish. You aren't celebrating, but are putting people's lives and our progress at risk. No one is immune from spreading the virus."<ref>Holcombe, Madeline (September 7, 2020) [https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/07/us/burning-man-celebration-labor-day/index.html "A 1,000-person gathering to celebrate Burning Man culture put people's lives at risk, San Francisco mayor says."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200908194014/https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/07/us/burning-man-celebration-labor-day/index.html |date=September 8, 2020 }} CNN</ref> Several thousand also showed up in the Black Rock desert for an unofficial event and some described it as a return to the "old days".<ref name="Forbes2020">{{Cite web |date=August 27, 2020 |title=Burning Man Goes Rogue As 20,000 Devotees Still Plan To Gather in the Black Rock Desert |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/jimdobson/2021/08/27/burning-man-goes-rogue-as-20000-devotees-still-plan-to-gather-in-black-rock-city-nevada/ |website=[[Forbes]] |access-date=September 9, 2021 |archive-date=September 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210909202954/https://www.forbes.com/sites/jimdobson/2021/08/27/burning-man-goes-rogue-as-20000-devotees-still-plan-to-gather-in-black-rock-city-nevada/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="RGJ2020a">{{Cite web |date=September 5, 2020 |title=Not Burning Man 2020: Burners at scaled-down gathering say It feels like the old days |url=https://www.rgj.com/story/life/arts/burning-man/2020/09/05/burning-man-2020-burners-black-rock-coronavirus-nevada/5722159002/ |access-date=September 9, 2021 |archive-date=October 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231010012259/https://www.rgj.com/story/life/arts/burning-man/2020/09/05/burning-man-2020-burners-black-rock-coronavirus-nevada/5722159002/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

The 2021 event was canceled on April 27, 2021, due to the continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite progress on vaccination, organizers said that "uncertainties that need to be resolved are impossible to resolve in the time we have".<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 28, 2021 |title=Burning Man's 2021 festival canceled due to COVID-19 |url=https://djmag.com/news/burning-mans-2021-festival-cancelled-due-covid-19 |access-date=April 29, 2021 |website=DJ Mag |archive-date=April 29, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210429045336/https://djmag.com/news/burning-mans-2021-festival-cancelled-due-covid-19 |url-status=live}}</ref> On May 14, 2021, the Burning Man Project released tickets on their website for online events slated between August 22 and September 7, 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |title=After another canceled year in the desert, Burning Man plans for a virtual event |url=https://techcrunch.com/2021/05/13/after-another-canceled-year-in-the-desert-burning-man-plans-for-a-virtual-event/ |access-date=May 14, 2021 |website=TechCrunch |date=May 13, 2021 |archive-date=September 3, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240903190649/https://techcrunch.com/2021/05/13/after-another-canceled-year-in-the-desert-burning-man-plans-for-a-virtual-event/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

The unofficial event was more extensive than in 2020, with an estimated 20,000 attending. Various groups loosely coordinated it, including Black Rock Plan B and Rogue Burn. The [[Bureau of Land Management]] implemented restrictions including no structures other than shade structures and no fires other than campfires. There was a massive illuminated [[drone display]] outlining the Man instead of the burning of a Man effigy.<ref name="RGJ2021a">{{Cite web |date=September 9, 2021 |title=To many Renegade Burn brought a week of good times in a hellish year |url=https://www.rgj.com/story/life/2021/09/09/unofficial-burning-man-2021-renegade-burn-nevada-reno-covid-19-black-rock-desert-pandemic/5754195001/ |access-date=September 9, 2021 |archive-date=October 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231010012301/https://www.rgj.com/story/life/2021/09/09/unofficial-burning-man-2021-renegade-burn-nevada-reno-covid-19-black-rock-desert-pandemic/5754195001/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== 2023 ===
{{Main|Burning Man 2023}}
The 2023 Burning Man had rains and subsequent flooding on Labor Day weekend, with a lockdown preventing vehicle movement throughout the site.<ref>{{Cite news |date=September 2, 2023 |title=Burning Man festival-goers told to conserve food and water |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-66697806 |access-date=September 3, 2023 |archive-date=September 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230903113802/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-66697806 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Miranda |first=Shauneen |date=September 3, 2023 |title=What we know about the flooding at Burning Man |work=Axios |url=https://www.axios.com/2023/09/03/burning-man-festival-flooding-weather |access-date=September 3, 2023 |archive-date=September 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230903170153/https://www.axios.com/2023/09/03/burning-man-festival-flooding-weather |url-status=live}}</ref> Organizers arranged for some cellular service and shared a 2023 Wet Playa Survival Guide: "no driving is permitted until the playa surface dries up, with the exception of emergency services… Participants are encouraged to conserve food, water, and fuel, and shelter in a warm, safe space" and told attendees about Burning Man Information Radio (BMIR) 94.5 FM and Gate Information Radio Station (GARS) 95.1.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2023 Wet Playa Survival Guide |url=https://burningman.org/event/wetplaya2023/ |access-date=September 3, 2023 |website=Burning Man |language=en-US |archive-date=September 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230903170154/https://burningman.org/event/wetplaya2023/ |url-status=live}}</ref> One person died following the flooding, with thousands more stranded.<ref>{{cite news |title=Live updates: Thousands stranded at Burning Man as death under investigation |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/burning-man-2023-nevada-trapped-b2404066.html |access-date=September 3, 2023 |work=The Independent |date=September 3, 2023 |language=en |archive-date=September 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230903171249/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/burning-man-2023-nevada-trapped-b2404066.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== 2024 ===
On August 25, 2024, the first day of the 2024 Burning Man festival, a female participant died.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/death-female-participant-burning-man-2024-investigation-rcna168169 |title=Death of female participant at Burning Man 2024 under investigation |first=Marlene |last=Lenthang |publisher=NBC News |date=August 26, 2024 |accessdate=August 26, 2024 |archive-date=August 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240826125254/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/death-female-participant-burning-man-2024-investigation-rcna168169 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/burning-man-death-investigation-2024/ |title=Woman dies on first day of Burning Man festival, prompting police investigation |first=Emily Mae |last=Czachor |publisher=CBS News |date=August 26, 2024 |accessdate=August 26, 2024 |archive-date=August 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240826165403/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/burning-man-death-investigation-2024/ |url-status=live}}</ref> On August 26, it was reported that tickets remained unsold for the festival for the first time since 2011.<ref name=notsoldout>{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/videos/entertainment/2024/08/26/burning-man-tickets-remain-unsold-first-time-13-years/74873139007/ |title=Burning Man tickets remain unsold for the first time in 13 years |work=USA Today |date=August 26, 2024 |accessdate=August 31, 2024}}</ref>

An epic dust storm was reported on the final day of the event, snarling departure traffic and causing lines to last more than four hours.

The Burning Man Project is currently engaged in a fundraising campaign that began in October 2024. The campaign aims to collect $20 million. On December 19, 2024, CEO Marian Goodell emailed supporters that the project still requires $14 million to meet its financial goal for the 2025 festival.<ref>{{cite magazine | last=Bain | first=Katie | title=Burning Man's Budget Shortfall: $14 Million Still Needed to Bridge the Gap Ahead of 2025 | magazine=Billboard | date=2024-12-19 | url=https://www.billboard.com/pro/burning-man-fundraiser-14-million-budget-gap-marian-goodell/ | access-date=2024-12-21}}</ref>