“Like the deserts miss the rain”…

I attended Burning Man 2023. As you may have heard, it rained. Many news sources scared the world with tales of abandoned infrastructure, dangerous health conditions and exhausted supplies. Meanwhile, those who attended keep using the phrase “Best Year Ever” on social media. So, what happened?

I witnessed the Burning Man Organization deliver a grounded, safe and well-communicated response to the rainy conditions. The gate closed for about 48 hours and the radio stations advised everyone to conserve resources and avoid driving. About 7,000 attendees decided to go against recommendations and brave the muddy road in their vehicles.

I was one of about 63,000 people who stayed. We hunkered down and provided mutual support to anyone in need. This response was so successful that it didn’t look to me like anyone was lacking. Instead, after a nap or two, taking proper stock of remaining provisions, we continued to celebrate.

We did so in an even more positive way than what is typical. The heat was gone and we were refreshed. We tromped around the mud. We continued to have our minds blown by the surrounding art. We used our own infrastructures for bathroom needs (for example, my wife and I brought a composting toilet). We danced at 16-hour parties and our cultural practice of gifting was strongly amplified. Stone-oven pizza, open bars, fresh-baked cookies, coffee, etc. were served, for free, to everyone, by the theme camps who chose to gift in these ways. It was truly a beautiful experience.

The social structure of Burning Man is based on well-organized community. Theme camps are the backbone of this community and a camp gift is a requisite for each one.

The Burning Man Project has 10 principles that guide it: Radical-Inclusion, Gifting, De-commodification, Radical Self-Reliance, Radical Self-Expression, Communal Effort, Civic Responsibility, Leaving No Trace, Participation and Immediacy. In addition to being the best party on earth, we strive to be a template for a new society.

These practices are in extreme contrast to “Fyre Fest” comparisons or the self-inflicted “humanitarian crisis” that the 2023 event was depicted as in the news. There was no Ebola, no overflowing potties, no starvation. Roughly 24 cars total got stuck and were soon towed out. By Monday morning, the usual end of the event, the roads were dry and clear.

The Bureau of Land Management stated last week that the event is on track to achieve its leave no trace requirement by the end of September as it does every year.

“Factitious Disorder” imposed on another, is a mental illness where one falsifies the conditions of another to gather attention for themselves. Another word for that is lying. Not every article I read on this year’s burn was so vicious, but a strong majority told a story that was far from my heartwarming experience at the event.

Why is that? Would any other group be shamed after enduring natural conditions (hardly a disaster)?

In any case, it’s important to get your information from as primary a source as you can and to have your BS meter out and working. In this case, ask a burner! We’re happy to help.

Kevin WildHeart, who appears in the photo accompanying this commentary with his wife, Gabrielle WildHeart, at Burning Man 2023, is a four-year resident of Vashon and a former theme camp lead who just attended his 18th burn.