What happens in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert each year?

Each year thousands of people make their way to Nevada, USA, to attend the biggest and most bizarre party in the world. Yes, we’re talking about the Burning Man Festival! It takes place in Nevada's Black Rock Desert every year - but how did it originate and what else do we know about it?

The Burning Man Festival was first held by Larry Harvey and his group of friends in 1986. They named the event ‘Burning Man’ because it began as a bonfire ritual on the summer solstice on Baker Beach in San Francisco. Since then, the gathering has become an annual event. It is now held in the Nevada Desert. It kicks off on the last Sunday of August and runs until the first Monday of September.

Attending the Burning Man is like landing on another planet: a vast desert with a culture all on its own. According to the festival website, the region is "a temporary metropolis dedicated to community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance". There are 8 intense days of spiritual experiences, renewal, discoveries, music, dance and lots of art. Yes, art is everywhere here. Festival goers show themselves and their personalities through various forms of artistic self-expression. There are numerous art installations to admire, yoga workshops, performance arts and sculpting classes. Each year organisers choose a theme, so every festival is different.

Attendees of the Burning Man call themselves ‘burners’. Over 70,000 burners attended this year’s festival. Wealthy tech titans like Elon Musk, Sergey Brin, and Mark Zuckerberg and celebrities like Katy Perry and Cara Delevingne were all there.

The Burning Man ends by living up to its title - with the burning of a giant wooden man. The ‘Man’ means different things to each burner. But the general view is that he represents corruption, dirty politics and everything that is holding our world back. When he explodes into flames, the crowd erupts into cheers and high-fives.