Not burnt out yet! Festival goers revel in the Nevada desert on day six of Burning Man

Tons of free spirits braved the extreme heat to take part in day six of Burning Man Friday following the festival’s two-year hiatus, despite the hot temperatures in the scorching Nevada desert. 

The weeklong festival, held in Black Rock Desert since the early 1990s, has long been a tradition, frequented by scantily-clad individuals looking to let loose and soak in the event’s characteristically psychedelic atmosphere. 

Halted in 2020 due to concerns about COVID, the festival returned in full force late last month, with nearly 80,000 flocking to the makeshift venue late last month to celebrate the event’s triumphant return, as everyone waits for the giant ‘man’ structure to be lit up at the party’s end.

Erecting a temporary desert metropolis rife with art and self-expression, festivalgoers were photographed Friday parading their flashy cars and bikes under the hot Nevada sun – with colorful installations that encouraged people to stare into the sky as it turned dark. 

Once again, the attendees at to brave oppressive heat, as the National Weather Service predicted daytime highs in Gerlach, the closest town to the event, between 100 and 105 degrees, according to SF Gate.

Organizers, meanwhile, have been seen handing revelers free coffee, following a surprising announcement that the costs of the beverages would be waived as Americans battle unprecedented inflation and looming economic uncertainty. 

Revelers subsequently flocked in droves to venue’s longtime coffee shop, the Center Camp Café, to get their fill – at an event festivalgoers commonly upcharge each other necessities like water, in an isolated area where other drinking options are limited. 

Celebrities like Paris Hilton and Cara Delevigne were seen among the usual crowd at the festival earlier this week.  

The theme of this year’s event — dubbed a ‘temporary metropolis dedicated to community, art, self-expression and self-reliance’ — is ‘Waking Dreams,’ organizers said – a topic that does well to capture the festival’s otherworldly essence.

According to the organizers: ‘After a long hazy blur of pandemic insomnia, adrift between sleeping and waking, it’s time to start imagining the future again.’ 

The week-long festivities, which began Sunday morning at a seven square mile makeshift encampment housing the festival, where free-spirited individuals — who spent the $575 fee to attend — can enjoy a multitude of activities, ranging from the mundane to the extreme. 

On the itinerary for revelers was a slew of scheduled parties where so-called Burners had the chance to socialize, enjoy some tunes and, of course, indulge in alcohol, as well as enjoy performances of a wide range of music, including, Latin, jazz, 80s pop, and disco.

For those seeking something a little calmer, more meditative amenities were also offered, including a hammock forest, a hypnotherapy session, and communal peppermint bomb breathwork exercises.

And for those who want to expand their mind, Burning Man will also offer several educational sessions on topics like the intersection of artificial intelligence and astronomy, as well as the use of psychedelics in surgeries.

Also new this year is a camp on The Playa called Consensual Abduction, where guests can climb through a ‘wormhole’ slide to arrive at a dance floor for all-night raves. 

Consent is a major theme of this year’s event, the Gate reports — a crucial component given that so many of the experiences on this year’s schedule involve sex, from after-hour orgies and flogging to black-light bondage. 

The event is set to wrap up on Sunday with the burning of an effigy, known as the burning man, which has served as the traditional way to close the event since its inaugural festival in 1989.