This year’s Burning Man festival has already started on August 28. And it will continue till September 5 to celebrate the annual event focused on community care. The strange name of the festival might make you curious to know what is Burning Man festival is. Thousands of people gather for the event in Black Rock City in northwestern Nevada to spend some days living and working together in their desert homes. The festival acquires the strange name Burning Man because of the last day’s event on Saturday evening ahead of Labor Day. The event ends by burning the effigy of a man, hence the name. The event’s venue is a temporary city erected in the desert and driven by ten principles of community living – gifting, radical inclusion, communal effort, radical self-expression, radical self-reliance, participation, immediacy, leaving no trace, and civic responsibility.
Burning Man Festival – Reunion after a Long Pause
Caring for each other and yourself is the philosophy behind the festival that has been taking place since 1991 at the Black Rock City, created in the desert of Nevada. With the Covid19 pandemic disrupting the festival in the previous years, many participants are still trying to figure out how to be social on such a large scale. The most heartening news is that the festival will be completely free from the shadows of the Covid days. The festival will take you back to the pre-pandemic days because for entering the festival, you will neither require proof of vaccination nor a negative test. There will be no Covid19 or health-related requirements to enter Black Rock City in 2022.
Guidelines for a Better Experience at the Festival
The organizers have arranged to ensure that the Burning Man 2022 Black Rock Desert festival helps everyone enjoy a better experience this year. Here are some guidelines for the participants.
Stay prepared for such large-scale social after spending the past two years with minimal opportunity for physical interactions with larger groups. Such large-scale mixing allows for practicing compassion, kindness, patience, and strong communication. Before arriving at the venue, make your plan about how you intend to navigate the safety, health, and social aspects of your stay at Black Rock City.
Ensure that you engage safely with the community by doing whatever is necessary. Although not mandatory, some people might prefer getting vaccines before arrival or getting tested before arriving at the city. For some others maintaining social distance or wearing a mask might seem appropriate.
Seek consent whenever you want to get cozy with people, and it nor only about sex. Even if touching someone or offering a hug, seek permission first. Respect others who might want more space than usual this year, as the comfort zones could be different in 2022.
When you are with fellow burners, express your comfort and discomfort level to ensure everyone maintains the desired boundary.
The Burning Man festival of 2022 is to set new cultural parameters as we enter the phase of a new normal.
