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60-507: The Downtown Container Park was conceived by Tony Hsieh and his Downtown Project, a group dedicated to revitalizing downtown Las Vegas . The Container Park project was announced in May 2012, and would include shops, restaurants, and bars built into shipping containers . The idea to use shipping container architecture was inspired by other projects such as Boxpark in London. The Container Park

120-472: A Los Angeles company. The use of shipping containers was originally seen as a possible cost-saving way to construct the project. However, when the plans were expanded, the final construction costs were roughly equal with traditional building methods. The Container Park would serve as a place for startup businesses to open. Such businesses would be funded by the Downtown Project. The Container Park

180-546: A beacon to aid navigation at night long before there were any planned roads. In its early years, the community grew by word of mouth alone, all were considered (and generally not invited until they could be expected to be) participants under their contribution to the cacophonous situationist vibe. There were no paid or scheduled performers or artists, no separation between art and life nor art-space and living-space, no rules other than "Don't interfere with anyone else's immediate experience" and "no guns in central camp". 1991 marked

240-509: A bonfire ritual on the summer solstice . Sculptor Mary Grauberger, a friend of Larry Harvey's girlfriend, Janet Lohr, held solstice bonfire gatherings on Baker Beach for several years before 1986, some of which Harvey attended. When Grauberger stopped organizing it, Harvey "picked up the torch", with Grauberger's permission, and ran with it. He and Jerry James built the first wooden effigy on June 21, 1986, cobbled together using scrap wood, to be torched that evening. On June 22, Harvey, James, and

300-677: A children's playground, although there were concerns about having such an attraction in a project that would also serve alcohol. There was also concern that local teenagers would try to procure alcohol from the Container Park. It was determined that the Motel 6 would have been too costly to repurpose, so it was demolished in October 2012. That month, the Las Vegas City Council approved the Container Park and exempted it from

360-596: A destination for social media influencers, celebrities and the Silicon Valley elite." Burning Man originated on June 22, 1986, on Baker Beach in San Francisco as a small function organized by Larry Harvey and Jerry James, the builders of the first Man. It has since been held annually, spanning the nine days leading up to and including Labor Day . Over the event's history, attendance has generally increased. In 2019, 78,850 people participated. Burning Man

420-493: A few friends met on Baker Beach in San Francisco and burned an 8-foot-tall (2.4 m) wooden man and a smaller wooden dog. Harvey later described his inspiration for burning these effigies as a spontaneous act of "radical self-expression". In 1987, the Man grew to 15 feet (5 m) tall, and by 1988, it had grown to 30 feet (9 m). By 1988, Harvey formally named the summer solstice ritual "Burning Man" by titling flyers for

480-472: A few months, and several businesses closed in April 2014. The Container Park's first full-service restaurant opened later that year. Five new tenants opened in April 2015. Las Vegas mayor Carolyn Goodman attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the occasion. Two months later, Goodman welcomed five more new tenants to the mall. At the end of 2015, some current and former tenants expressed their frustration with

540-459: A manner to keep the maximum population of the event from increasing more than 6% above the highest population recorded in a previous year." Fees were based on the daily population counts of Black Rock City at noon. This was the first year where fees were explicitly exempted for BRC staff. . In 2011, the fee structure changed to be based on adjusted gross income and was no longer tied to daily population counts. The 2012 SRP further defined who

600-479: A population of 78,850 for that year, an increase of about 8,600 people from the previous year, noting that "everyone" was now being counted in the maximum population count. This roughly correlates with the Burning Man Project's 2019 Form 990 disclosure which states it employs 986 people and has 10,000 volunteers. In 2022, an additional restriction on the total number of attendees for the entirety of

660-517: A railroad caboose was also retrofitted for the project, to house a barbershop. The Downtown Project avoided chain stores in favor of unique tenants. To further maintain a unique shopping experience, tenants were strategically chosen by the Downtown Project in order to avoid having two businesses that offer the same products. The entrance is marked by a giant metal sculpture, depicting a praying mantis that spews fire from its antennae. The mantis also plays music through seven speakers. An individual operates

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720-488: A requirement stating that 250 parking spaces needed to be added. This led to concerns about a lack of parking in the area. Construction was underway at the end of 2012, and it lasted a little more than a year. One of the Container Park's focal points is a geodesic dome that projects various landscapes on its interior walls. The dome was constructed in April 2013. Four months later, the city council approved an ordinance that would allow outdoor entertainment complexes, such as

780-541: A return to the Black Rock desert, although not to the deep playa, along with a temporary perimeter fence. The event has remained there since. As the population of Black Rock City grew, more restrictions were added by the BLM, and changes were made in how people were invited to the event, notably the addition of publicized online ticket sales to all comers, further rules were established concerning its survival. Some critics of

840-567: A temporary city erected in the Black Rock Desert about 100 miles (160 km) north-northeast of Reno . According to Burning Man co-founder Larry Harvey in 2004, the event is guided by ten stated principles: radical inclusion, gifting , decommodification , radical self-reliance, radical self-expression, communal effort, civic responsibility , leaving no trace , participation, and immediacy. Burning Man features no headliners or scheduled performers; instead, participants create all

900-447: A total of 38 tenant spaces, although some businesses occupy two spaces, causing a fluctuation in the number of tenants. Tenant spaces range from 170 to 800 square feet. Interior dining space is limited in each cube, necessitating the use of outdoor dining tables. The containers, stacked two and three high, were customized for the needs of each business, and were fitted with insulation and windows. In addition to cubes and shipping containers,

960-490: Is a week-long large-scale desert event focused on "community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance" held annually in the western United States . The event's name comes from its culminating ceremony: the symbolic burning of a large wooden effigy , referred to as the Man, that occurs on the penultimate night, the Saturday evening before Labor Day . Since 1990, the event has been at Black Rock City in northwestern Nevada ,

1020-488: Is immune from spreading the virus." Several thousand also showed up in the Black Rock desert for an unofficial event and some described it as a return to the "old days". The 2021 event was canceled on April 27, 2021, due to the continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite progress on vaccination, organizers said that "uncertainties that need to be resolved are impossible to resolve in the time we have". On May 14, 2021,

1080-535: Is organized by the Burning Man Project , a nonprofit organization that, in 2013, succeeded Black Rock City LLC, a for-profit limited liability company . Black Rock City LLC was formed in 1999 to represent the event's organizers and is now considered a subsidiary of the nonprofit organization. The Burning Man Project endorses multiple smaller regional events guided by the Burning Man principles, in

1140-553: The Black Rock Desert , about 110 miles (180 km) north of Reno , Nevada. Evans conceived it as a dadaist temporary autonomous zone with sculptures to be burned and situationist performance art. He asked John Law, who also had experience on the dry lake and was a defining founder of the Cacophony Society , to take on central organizing functions of the events. In the Cacophony Society's newsletter, it

1200-420: The Burning Man Project . On September 3, 2017, a 41-year-old man, Aaron Joel Mitchell, fought his way past a safety cordon of volunteers and firefighters and threw himself into the flames of the Man. Mitchell died the next day due to cardiac arrest, bodily shock, and third-degree burns to 97% of his body. His death was ruled a suicide. On April 10, 2020, the Burning Man Project announced that Burning Man

1260-547: The California Court of Appeal for the First District upheld the trial court's grant of summary judgment to Black Rock City LLC on the basis that people who deliberately walk toward The Man after it is ignited assume the risk of getting burned by such a hazardous object. In December 2013, following negotiations between founders, Black Rock City LLC was made a subsidiary of a new nonprofit entity known as

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1320-487: The Black Rock City Department of Public Works (DPW) to build the "city" grid layout (a requirement so that emergency vehicles could be directed to an "address"), designed by Rod Garrett, an architect. Garrett continued as the city designer until his death in 2011, at age 76. He is also credited with the design of all of the Man bases from 2001 through 2012, the center camp café and first camp. 1998 saw

1380-448: The Burning Man Project released tickets on their website for online events slated between August 22 and September 7, 2021. The unofficial event was larger than 2020 with an estimated 20,000 attending. It was loosely coordinated by a variety of groups including Black Rock Plan B and Rogue Burn. The Bureau of Land Management implemented restrictions including no structures other than shade structures and no fires other than campfires. There

1440-481: The Container Park has age restrictions to keep children out starting at 9:00 p.m., and children need to be accompanied by adults at all other times. Some customers complained of random bag searches by security guards before being allowed to enter. The searches were done to prevent outside alcohol from being brought onto the premises. The searches were largely discontinued a few weeks after the opening. Early revenue exceeded expectations. Within three months of its opening,

1500-527: The Container Park open by October 26, 2013, coinciding with the first Life Is Beautiful festival in downtown Las Vegas. Ahead of the project's opening, servers were trained to spot and prevent underage drinking on the premises. Downtown Container Park had a soft opening on November 25, 2013. A larger grand opening was held on December 5, 2013. The Container Park had 153 employees, and 34 tenants, including restaurants, bars, art shops, and clothing stores. The mall includes 43 shipping containers and 41 cubes, with

1560-453: The Container Park, saying that they received $ 75 fines from the Downtown Project for various offenses. The Downtown Project defended the fines and said they were in response to violations regarding the rules of operations. Such violations included tenants not being present to operate their businesses at all times. Earlier that year, the Container Park had considered letting tenants choose their own hours of operation, but ultimately decided against

1620-466: The Container Park, to serve alcohol despite the presence of children. Alcohol would not be allowed in the children's play area. The Container Park ultimately received a temporary tavern license, but only after agreeing not to include exterior signage for Pinches Tacos, one of the project's restaurants. In Spanish, " pinche " is sometimes considered a vulgar word, and its use as a restaurant name prompted criticism. The Downtown Project initially hoped to have

1680-453: The Man returned to 40 ft (12 m) in height. Mutant Vehicles: unknown Placed art: 317 Mutant Vehicles: 618 Placed art: 383 Mutant vehicles: 632 Placed art: 415 Burn week had highs between 80s and mid 90s, Lows in the 40s and high 50s. Max winds were 5 mph until Monday after the Burns concluded and it peaked at 45 mph. The population count is a stipulation of

1740-438: The Man were chain-sawed and the pieces removed when the space was unexpectedly leased as a parking lot. The Man was reconstructed, led by Dan Miller, Harvey's then-housemate of many years, just in time to take it to Zone Trip No. 4. Michael Mikel, another active Cacophonist, realized that participants unfamiliar with the environment of the dry lake would benefit from knowledgeable persons helping to ensure they did not get lost in

1800-622: The Special Recreation Permit (SRP) granted to the Burning Man Project, formerly Black Rock City, LLC (BRC), by the BLM, for the event each year. Originally used to calculate fees, it's now used to ensure that the event does not exceed the maximum authorized population as specified in the SRP. Not everyone at the event is included in the population count. Exempted from the count are government personnel and government contractors; however, this has changed over time. The population count

1860-605: The United States and internationally. The film Stalker by Tarkovsky heavily influenced the Cacophony Society , which began in 1986 in the San Francisco Bay Area and which organized "Zone Trips" for participants. The first burning of a wooden, symbolic man at Black Rock Desert , Nevada , occurred on "Zone Trip Number 4" in 1990. This occasion evolved into an enormous annual festival of arts, music, culture called Burning Man. Burning Man began as

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1920-536: The art, activities, and events. Artwork includes experimental and interactive sculptures, buildings, performances, and art cars , among other media. These contributions are inspired by a theme chosen annually by the Burning Man Project . The event has been called "countercultural revelry" and described by its organizers as an "excuse to party in the desert". However, NPR said of Burning Man in 2019, "Once considered an underground gathering for bohemians and free spirits of all stripes, Burning Man has since evolved into

1980-422: The death had not occurred at Burning Man, since the gates were not yet open. Another couple were run over in their tent by an art car driving to the "rave camp", which was at that time distant from the main camp. After the 1996 event, Law broke with Burning Man and publicly said the event should not continue. 1997 marked another major pivotal year for the event. It had to be moved because the permit for Black Rock

2040-512: The deep dry lake and risk dehydration and death. He took the name Danger Ranger and created the Black Rock Rangers to assist them. Thus, Black Rock City began as a fellowship, organized by Law and Mikel, based on Evans's and Grauberger's ideas, along with Harvey's and James's symbolic man. Drawing on experience in the sign business and with light sculpture, Law prepared custom neon tubes for the Man starting in 1991 so it could be seen as

2100-590: The end of 2018, the Container Park had 39 tenants and averaged 2,000 daily visitors. Up to that time, the mall had attracted five million total visitors. Container Park A container park is a type of outdoor shopping or dining park in which the businesses are typically housed in shipping containers . The first UK boxpark was created in Shoreditch , London, in 2011. Other cities have featured temporary container parks, including Sheffield , Manchester and York . Burning Man Burning Man

2160-594: The event on the southern edge of the Black Rock dry lake. This 4-foot- (1.2-meter) high barrier is known as the "trash fence" because its initial use was to catch wind-blown debris that might escape from campsites during the event. Since 2002, the area beyond this fence has not been accessible to Burning Man participants during the event. One visitor who was accidentally burned at the 2005 event unsuccessfully sued Black Rock City LLC in San Francisco County Superior Court . On June 30, 2009,

2220-504: The event was introduced. "The cumulative maximum authorized population for the 2022 event is 87,000 total attendees." The maximum number of attendees on the playa at any one time remained as it was in 2019 at 80,000. Because of the variety of goals fostered by participatory attendees, known as "Burners," Burning Man does not have a single focus. Features of the event are subject to the participants and include community , artwork , absurdity , decommodification and revelry . Participation

2280-440: The exception of emergency services… Participants are encouraged to conserve food, water, and fuel, and shelter in a warm, safe space" and told attendees about Burning Man Information Radio (BMIR) 94.5 FM and Gate Information Radio Station (GARS) 95.1. One person died following the flooding, with thousands more stranded. On August 25, 2024, the first day of the 2024 Burning Man festival, a female participant died. On August 26, it

2340-493: The first year that the event had a legal permit through the BLM (the Bureau of Land Management ). It was also the year that art model and fire dancer (and later Burning Man's first art director) Crimson Rose attended the event. 1992 saw the birth of a smaller, intensive, nearby event named "Desert Siteworks", conceived and directed by William Binzen and co-produced (in 1993 and '94) with Judy West. There were about 20 participants

2400-528: The first year, and approximately 100 in the second and third year. The annual, several weeks-long event, was held over summer Solstice at various fertile hot springs surrounding the desert. Participants built art and participated in self-directed performances. Some key organizers of Burning Man were also part of Desert Siteworks (Law, Mikel) and Binzen was a friend of Harvey. Hence, the two events saw much cross-pollination of ideas and participants. The Desert Siteworks project ran for three years (1992–1994). 1996

2460-500: The happening as such. This was apparently done to ward off references to " wicker man ", the reputed Celtic pagan practice of burning live sacrifices in human-shaped wicker cages. Harvey has said that he had not seen the 1973 cult film The Wicker Man until many years after and that it did not inspire the action. In 1990, a separate event was planned by Kevin Evans and John Law on the remote and largely unknown playa , known as

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2520-441: The idea, stating that consistent hours for all tenants would provide a better experience for shoppers. Tenants also complained about a lack of foot traffic on the third floor, in part because of an elevator that would allegedly break down after rain storms. Tenants also alleged that the Downtown Project failed to adequately market the third floor. At the time, the Container Park had 32 businesses; 14 of them were original tenants from

2580-424: The later phase of the event cite these rules as impinging on the original freedoms and principles, diminishing the scope of the experience unacceptably, while many newer attendees find the increased level of activity more than balances out the changes: Another notable restriction to attendees is the 9.2-mile- (14.8 km) long temporary plastic fence that surrounds the event and defines the pentagon of land used by

2640-437: The mall's opening two years earlier. A wedding chapel was added at the end of 2015. The Container Park's dome was originally rented out for private events such as cocktail parties, with capacity for 75 people. In April 2017, the dome began operating as a theater for short educational movies, as well as videos set to music by rock bands. The theater also offered an interactive laser tag video in which viewers shoot at asteroids. At

2700-659: The mantis from a small interior space. The sculpture was originally built for the annual Burning Man festival. Also located at the entrance is the Love Locket, a heart-shaped sculpture made of metal. Visitors are allowed to attach love locks to the sculpture, which was originally created for the first Life Is Beautiful festival. An outdoor stage is located on-site, and has hosted various musical performances. The playground area includes an artificial tree and treehouse made out of four shipping containers, with slides and interactive play panels. Because of concerns regarding alcohol,

2760-485: The new requirements and manage the increased liability load, Harvey and five organizers formed Black Rock City LLC with the assistance of "Biz Babe" Dana Harrison . The LLC founders consisted of Larry Harvey (chief philosophy officer), Harley K. DuBois (chief transition officer), Marian Goodell (CEO), Crimson Rose (art transition officer), Will Roger Peterson (Nevada relations director), and Michael Mikel (historian and archivist). Will Roger Peterson and Flynn Mauthe created

2820-413: The next three years, the height of the titular Man remained at 40 ft (12 m) between 1989 and 2013. During those years, changes in the size and form of the base on which the wooden Man stood accounted for the differing heights of the overall structures. In 2014 the construction of the Man changed to a 105 ft (32 m) tall figure standing directly on the ground with no base. From 2015 to 2019

2880-446: The population count and the population cap was further refined to now apply to "paid participants". In 2019, the definition of "population" changed again, this time to include BRC staff and volunteers, now collectively referred to as "attendees". This coincided with the necessity of a new Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the 2019–2028 SRP application which introduced this change in definition. The Burning Man Project reported

2940-402: The property had attracted 300,000 visitors. Among families, the playground area was particularly popular. In February 2014, the city council voted to allow minors to enter the playground unattended, as long as they could provide identification. The nearby Las Vegas Academy had requested the change, as students wanted to perform at the Container Park. Some tenant leases were written to last only

3000-400: Was a massive illuminated drone display outlining the Man instead of the burning of a Man effigy. The 2023 Burning Man had rains and subsequent flooding on Labor Day weekend, with a lockdown preventing vehicle movement throughout the site. Organizers arranged for some cellular service and shared a 2023 Wet Playa Survival Guide: "no driving is permitted until the playa surface dries up, with

3060-404: Was announced as Zone Trip No. 4, A Bad Day at Black Rock (inspired by the 1955 film of the same name ). Meanwhile, the solstice burn at Baker Beach was interrupted by the park police for not having a permit. After striking a deal to raise the Man but not to burn it, event organizers disassembled it and returned it to the vacant lot where it had been built. Shortly thereafter, the legs and torso of

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3120-564: Was canceled for 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic , making 2020 the first year Burning Man did not happen since its inception. They then decided to offer ticket refunds despite the tickets being sold explicitly as non-refundable. On September 7, 2020, an estimated 1,000 Burners celebrated on San Francisco's Ocean Beach . San Francisco Mayor London Breed tweeted about the event, "This was reckless and selfish. You aren't celebrating, but are putting people's lives and our progress at risk. No one

3180-432: Was denied for the 1997 event. A team conducting land speed trials had a conflicting permit that took precedence. Fly Ranch, with the smaller adjoining Hualapai dry lakebed, just west of the Black Rock desert, was chosen as the alternate location. This moved Burning Man from Pershing County/federal BLM land into the jurisdiction of Washoe County , which brought a protracted list of permit requirements. In 1999 to comply with

3240-521: Was originally planned for a vacant parcel located on Fremont Street , between 6th and 7th Street. However, the plans expanded and the project was relocated across the street to a 1.3-acre site, at the intersection of 7th Street. The site was previously occupied in the 1960s by the Orbit Inn motel, which later became a Motel 6 . Part of the site was also once occupied by a nightclub. Breslin Builders

3300-434: Was originally used to calculate fees owed to the BLM. It was not long until the BLM began considering putting a limit on the number of people that would be allowed to attend the event. This became a point of contention as early as 1998 when the BLM proposed a complicated usage formula, effectively limiting the size of the event to that of the previous year. Starting in 2006, the SRP stipulated that BRC manage "ticket sales in

3360-500: Was reported that tickets remained unsold for the festival for the first time since 2011. An epic dust storm was reported on the final day of event, snarling departure traffic with lines lasting more than four hours. The statistics below illustrate the growth in both the scale and scope of Burning Man in terms of location, height of the central Man sculpture, population, ticket price, and several registered camps and art. After starting at 8 ft (2.4 m) and growing taller each of

3420-502: Was the general contractor . Although the project was originally intended to consist only of shipping containers, the design plans were altered to include metal cubes. The cubes, created locally by Xtreme Manufacturing, were usually made for gas, mining and oil excavations. The Downtown Project decided to use cubes for the Container Park after learning of Xtreme Manufacturing, which was headquartered near downtown Las Vegas. The project's shipping containers were provided by ConGlobal Industries,

3480-484: Was the first year a formal partnership was created to own the name "Burning Man" and was also the last year that the event was held in the middle of the Black Rock Desert with no fence around it. Before the event opened to the public in 1996, a worker named Michael Furey was killed in a motorcycle crash while riding from Gerlach, Nevada , to the Burning Man camp in the Black Rock Desert. Harvey insisted that

3540-475: Was to be counted in population counts. The term "participant" was introduced, as defined in that year's Environmental Assessment (EA), to include "all attendees of the event, including paid participants and volunteers. The population does not include government personnel, Humboldt General Hospital emergency service providers, vendors and contractors." The maximum authorized population now applied to "participants". In 2014, volunteers were explicitly exempted from

3600-579: Was unanimously approved by the Planning Commission in August 2012. However, there were several concerns about the project, including its inward-facing design, which would limit exterior access. The nearby Neonopolis mall used a similar design, and was struggling financially as a result. Because of crime in the downtown area, the project would be largely surrounded by fencing for security, further restricting access. The Container Park would include

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