Event organisers cancel 2021 edition of Burning Man, postponing iconic event until 2022.
For the second time in history, Burning Man will miss another year due to the worldwide COVID pandemic.
Each year thousands travel from all corners of the globe and descend upon Black Rock City; a temporary city located in the Black Rock Desert, 120 miles north of Reno, Nevada. Burning Man is an annual week-long experiment in temporary community. Dedicated to anti-consumerism and self-expression, the Burning Man art festival, which attracted more than 35,000 participants in 2005, traditionally culminates with the burning of a large wooden sculpture of a man.
A statement made in the Burning Man Journal (source) said,
“The past 14 months have been a turbulent journey of evolution and change for every human on this planet. We have had to adapt to the twists and turns of a global crisis, complex public health information, and the growing hope that we can start rebuilding our lives together soon.”
The festival hopes to return to Black Rock City in 2022. While a recent announcement from the festival saw organizers considering mandatory vaccines for those who wished to attend, their most recent statement explains there were several factors in their decision not to host the festival this year.
“Humanity is experiencing collective trauma that is unprecedented in recent times, and while for some returning to Black Rock City may feel like ‘the answer,’ there is very real rebuilding and healing that needs to be done before returning full force to the desert. The physical, psychic, and emotional impacts of this pandemic are real and the recovery from this experience will happen at different rates of speed. This is the time to gather with our friends, crews, families, and communities.”
The message encouraged festival-goers to remember that while they will be unable to return to Black Rock City in 2021, Burning Man is wherever they are. Burning Man plans to return in 2022 bigger and better than ever.
