You are invited to attend for free, but donations are appreciated.
Virtual Burning Man
The Wall Street Journal reports that the iconic desert festival Burning Man is now entirely online. This is due to COVID concerns.
This is not the first year that the festival has gone online. As the pandemic was just beginning, it took record time to create a VR experience. According to the WSJ an estimated half a billion people participated in the virtual event, which was five times as many as the Burning Man in person.
This year's event is free to attend, but donations are welcome. A virtual tour of the space is available right from your browser.
This is a big shift for many Burners, who normally travel great distances to attend the event in Nevada desert. To get their Burning Man fix, they'll just need to wear a VR headset.
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The Great Unknown
Virtual Burn is this year's theme and focuses on decommodification, freedom of expression, self-reliance, and self-reliance.
The event theme will be The Great Unknown, perhaps as a reference to our uncertain future amid a global pandemic. It will also include traditional Burning Man (a giant wooden effigy) The WSJ reports that a real effigy will be lit in the desert. However, it will also be streamed live over VR.
COVID doesn't keep all physical Burners away. According to Billboard, Renegade Burn is an unofficial event that will be held in Nevada's desert. It is expected to attract around 10,000 people.
Similar to last year, a large number of people attended a Not-Burning Man unofficially.
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The organizers will do their best to make virtual Burners feel as if they are there in person. They created a rainstorm in desert that caused hours of delays, just like it did back in 2013.
READ MORE: How can a burning man get sexier? When it's in your Living Room. [The Wall Street Journal]
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