Wiekes Weetjes: 10 leuke en verrassende feitjes over het festival Burning Man
For years I have been going to Lowlands and I have a great time there, but there is one festival that I am very curious about: Burning Man. And maybe this is just me, but I see this festival increasingly appearing on social media over the years. What started as a gathering against capitalism and focused on sharing and being together has now turned into a fashion show with bizarre parties. At least, that's how it looked to me this year on social media. Time to dive into this festival: ten fun facts about Burning Man.
1. The first Burning Man was held on June 22, 1986
Yes, the festival is already that old. Burning Man was an initiative by Larry Harvey, who called his friend Jerry James with the message: ‘Let’s… Let’s burn a man, Jerry.’ Well, said and done: on June 22, 1986, they set a statue of a man on fire at Baker Beach, San Francisco. This statue was only about 240 centimeters tall at the time. The tallest was in 2014 and 2017; both were about 32 meters.
2. Burning Man lasts nine days and more than 70,000 people attend
A big difference from the first edition, which had about 30 people attending.
3. Burning Man has no line-up
This would make me very restless, because the control freak in me wants to know a bit about what to expect. But well, that's not the case at Burning Man. There is no fixed line-up, but sometimes DJs let their social media channels know that they will be there. This year, for example, Carl Cox and Charlotte de Witte were among them. In 2019 (the editions in between were canceled due to corona), there were quite a few DJs: from Adam Beyer to Flume and The Bloody Beetroots. But Goldfish, Luciano, and Diplo were also part of the event.
4. Your money is worthless at Burning Man
Initially, the goal of Burning Man was to trade among each other to get by and work together. Nowadays, it mainly means stocking up as much as possible at the supermarkets beforehand for you and the group you are with, because there is no bar or supermarket to be found in the vicinity.
5. No handshakes or three kisses: a hug is the way to say hello at Burning Man.
6. You can get married at Burning Man in their official chapel
Nahh, isn't that just really nice? All you have to do is get a ‘marriage license’ in advance at the nearby office of the Pershing County Clerk and voilà: you can say 'I do' at Burning Man.
7. Your own name goes overboard at Burning Man
At Burning Man, you often get a ‘playa name’. Not as in ‘player’; the area of Burning Man is called ‘playa’. This is not a name you can give yourself; you have to receive it from someone else.
8. A lot of, eh... love happens at Burning Man
With acquaintances, but especially with strangers. These little adventures are called ‘Tent Trysts’, ‘Playa Sex’, ‘Dust Love’, or ‘Burner Affairs’.
9. Burning Man claims to be drug-free
Eh, whut? This is — it seems to me — purely for the outside world. However, it is true: Burning Man has a no drugs policy. Even drugs that are legal in Nevada (the state where Burning Man takes place) are not allowed at the festival. Don't hold me to it, but I have a suspicion that there are ways to arrange things at Burning Man if you want to use drugs.
10. A lot of love happens at Burning Man
Yep, they love sex at Burning Man; there are often swinger parties and nudist camps. They apparently also hold competitions: which man can get an erection the fastest without using his hands while everyone watches. Kinky.
Image: @jaimievaes
