Burning Man Top Tips For First Timers

Once a year, tens of thousands of people gather in the beautiful, remote, and inhospitable Black Rock Desert in Nevada to co-create Black Rock City – a temporary metropolis dedicated to community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance.

It’s a pop-up art festival with a difference. There is no corporate sponsorship and no booked acts or entertainment. Rather, what happens over the week depends on the 70,000 ‘Burners’ who attend.

It’s a harsh environment, though, with no running water, high temperatures, and massive dust storms, so it’s not for the faint-hearted.

If you’re interested in attending your first Burning Man festival, there are a few tips that will ensure that it is memorable and enjoyable.

Participants have to bring absolutely everything they need with them – almost nothing is available for purchase in Black Rock City (with the exception of ice and coffee). In fact, the sale of products and services by participants is strictly prohibited.

This means you’ll need to bring all supplies, food, water, lighting, and tools needed for survival in an extremely harsh environment. The event organisers have put together a handy “Survival Checklist” for participants to help you prepare.

If you forget something vital, your best bet is to make friends with your neighbours. Gifting is highly encouraged in the Burning Man community – in fact, it makes up one of the event’s core principals.

Other than the burning of the central man-shaped statue and temple at the end of the event, there is no main event at Burning Man, as you would find with other festivals.

Instead, the “main event” is considered to be the active participation of every citizen – and participants are encouraged to contribute interactive, creative, incredible experiences to share with everyone. The ways to participate are as unlimited as your imagination. People make sculptures, drive mutant vehicles (or art cars), and offer yoga classes or back rubs.

Participation doesn’t necessarily need to be artistic, as volunteering is considered a form of participation, gifting, and civic responsibility. Interactive theme camps that offer a service, entertainment, or other interactive experience are also highly popular.

The Black Rock Desert is set in the heart of the Black Rock Desert-High Rock Canyon Emigrant Trails National Conservation Area, and Burning Man has a short window of time to restore the area to its original condition in order to comply with the terms of its permit.

In light of this, Burning Man is the largest Leave No Trace (LNT) event in the world. There is no garbage collection service, and every participant shares the responsibility for properly removing all trash, which is something you need to be prepared to do if you attend.

Everything you bring along might become trash or Matter Out of Place (MOOP): tent stakes, bottle caps, ashes, wood debris, orange peels, cigarette butts, pistachio shells, rope fibres, sequins, vehicle oil leaks, and wastewater spills.

Some items, such as glitter and feathers, are banned because it’s too difficult to ensure they’re completely removed.

Various airlines offer daily flights from London to Reno, the closest city to the Burning Man festival. The cheapest tickets are available approximately 27 days before departure, with evening flights from Gatwick Airport offering the best prices on the route.

For a hassle-free trip to Nevada, remember to pre-book a hoppa airport transfer to get you to your overnight accommodation in Reno. Hoppa is the world’s top specialist in smooth, reliable transfers, and every one of our partners stands by our promises – to be there when we say we will, to give you a safe driving experience, and to clearly confirm your pick up details.

If you’re interested in the Burning Man festival and want a better idea of what it’s like, please take a look at the video below.