Burning Man: Photos show what it was like as burners returned to the Nevada desert

Burning Man returned to Nevada’s Black Rock Desert last week as tens of thousands of burners made their way back home to the temporary metropolis for the first time in two years due to the pandemic.

The weeklong gathering is a celebration of self-reliance and the community is encouraged to explore various forms of creative expression. This year’s theme was “Waking Dreams” and featured a variety of imaginative and interactive art installations like the colorful “Petaled Portal” by David Oliver, the massive, climbable piece known as “The Paradisium” by Dave Keane and the abstract “The Scum Thundercloud” by Bjarke Ingles.

Participants design and build all the attractions that together form this pop-up city, as well as organize all activities and events. However, it wasn’t all smooth sailing, with soaring temperatures and a dust storm that nearly canceled what many consider the main attraction, which is the burning of the wooden man effigy. A dust storm kicked up late Friday evening, significantly decreasing visibility and it blew into the late afternoon on Saturday. Eventually it cleared and the burning went on as scheduled.

Attendee Aaron Glassman of Las Vegas, Nev. said he’s been to Burning Man 11 times and has never seen such an intense combination of excessive heat and frequent white out dust storms.

“It made it one of the more challenging experiences I’ve had in all my years going,” he said. His camp, dubbed Pranksters in the Pines, all worked together to hold their area together as the dust blew. “It was a quality reminder of how we depend on each other out here.”

Glassman said he felt sympathy for anyone out there for their first burn.

“This was a harsh rite of passage for any virgin burner based on the weather,” he added.

That didn’t seem to bother first timer Justin Bishop of Laguna Hills.

“Experiencing the burn with thousands of people was the coolest thing I’ve ever experienced,” the 25-year-old said. “You can’t experience anything like that unless you’re there in person.”

For many, the “Waking Dreams” theme was spot on with how it felt to be able to return to Burning Man.

“Living back the reality of Burning Man and not the default world, it’s a dream to be back here,” said veteran photographer Danee Hazama. He was born in Pasadena, but has lived in Tahiti, French Polynesia for over two decades and has been photographing Burning Man for seven years. “For me (living in Tahiti), it’s turquoise lagoons and coconut trees and all green … paradise. But sometimes we all need change.”