Inside the bizarre world of Burning Man 2017

Black Rock City, a gathering of approximately 70,000 people that is created annually for the Burning Man arts and music festival dedicated to community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance, is seen in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada. This temporary city emerges every year and is dismantled after the festival, leaving behind no trace of its existence. (Jim Bourg / REUTERS)
Black Rock City, a gathering of approximately 70,000 people that is created annually for the Burning Man arts and music festival dedicated to community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance, is seen in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada. This temporary city emerges every year and is dismantled after the festival, leaving behind no trace of its existence.
The effigy of ‘The Man’, the icon of the festival is set alight at the culmination of every Burning Man festival.  The festival began as a summer solstice bonfire ritual in 1986 when Larry Harvey, Jerry James, and friends met on Baker Beach in San Francisco and burned a 9-foot wooden man. (Jim Bourg / REUTERS)
The effigy of ‘The Man’, the icon of the festival is set alight at the culmination of every Burning Man festival. The festival began as a summer solstice bonfire ritual in 1986 when Larry Harvey, Jerry James, and friends met on Baker Beach in San Francisco and burned a 9-foot wooden man.
Participants compete in blindfolded oiled wrestling during the 2017 Burning Man arts and music festival in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada, United States. (Jim Urquhart / REUTERS)
Participants compete in blindfolded oiled wrestling during the 2017 Burning Man arts and music festival in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada, United States.
Burning Man participants from the ‘Revolutionary Motion’ fire conclave spin fire during a performance in front of the effigy of ‘The Man’ just before the effigy is burned. Held with a specific theme in mind every year, Burning Man 2017 invited participants to create interactive rites, ritual processions, images, shrines, icons and temples around the ‘Radical Ritual’ theme. (Jim Bourg / REUTERS)
Burning Man participants from the ‘Revolutionary Motion’ fire conclave spin fire during a performance in front of the effigy of ‘The Man’ just before the effigy is burned. Held with a specific theme in mind every year, Burning Man 2017 invited participants to create interactive rites, ritual processions, images, shrines, icons and temples around the ‘Radical Ritual’ theme.
Attendees push the art piece ‘The Jack’ along Black Rock City. The festival operates on a ten principle philosophy that all revellers are expected to adhere to as members of Burning Man festivities. These include radical inclusion, gifting, decommodification, radical self-reliance, radical self-expression, communal effort, civic responsibility, leaving no trace, participation and immediacy. (Jim Urquhart / REUTERS)
Attendees push the art piece ‘The Jack’ along Black Rock City. The festival operates on a ten principle philosophy that all revellers are expected to adhere to as members of Burning Man festivities. These include radical inclusion, gifting, decommodification, radical self-reliance, radical self-expression, communal effort, civic responsibility, leaving no trace, participation and immediacy.
The sun sets over Black Rock City, also known as ‘the playa’ on September 1, 2017. The festival space is littered with art installations, shrines and special retreats that represent the diversity of their origins and promote inclusiveness among festival goers. (Jim Urquhart / REUTERS)
The sun sets over Black Rock City, also known as ‘the playa’ on September 1, 2017. The festival space is littered with art installations, shrines and special retreats that represent the diversity of their origins and promote inclusiveness among festival goers.
With no real dress codes, Burning Man is perhaps the largest opportunity for adults to step out in outlandish costumes and dressing styles outside of Halloween. Coordinated group outfits, facepaint, bodysuits and over the top accessories --Burning Man welcomes all. (Jim Urquhart / REUTERS)
With no real dress codes, Burning Man is perhaps the largest opportunity for adults to step out in outlandish costumes and dressing styles outside of Halloween. Coordinated group outfits, facepaint, bodysuits and over the top accessories –Burning Man welcomes all.
A participant fills out emotional baggage tickets at Big Imagination's 747 installation, a gutted Boeing 747 airliner which served as a performance venue, an incubator for art and discussions at the festival venue. (Jim Urquhart / REUTERS)
A participant fills out emotional baggage tickets at Big Imagination’s 747 installation, a gutted Boeing 747 airliner which served as a performance venue, an incubator for art and discussions at the festival venue.
(Jim Bourg / REUTERS)
Burning Man participants from the Northern Fire Dynamic fire conclave out of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa breath fire simultaneously during their fire dance performance in front of the effigy of ‘The Man’.
Participants pose climbing a downed aircraft, propped in the middle of the desert as an art installation at the 2017 Burning Man arts and music festival in the Black Rock Desert. (Jim Urquhart / REUTERS)
Participants pose climbing a downed aircraft, propped in the middle of the desert as an art installation at the 2017 Burning Man arts and music festival in the Black Rock Desert.
Derek Schoonmaker walks on the playa with his helmet made of android phones as an experimental project. (Jim Urquhart / REUTERS)
Derek Schoonmaker walks on the playa with his helmet made of android phones as an experimental project.
A sign at a theme camp lends words of wisdom for posterity to burners taking part in the 2017 Burning Man celebrations. (Jim Urquhart / REUTERS)
A sign at a theme camp lends words of wisdom for posterity to burners taking part in the 2017 Burning Man celebrations.
(Jim Urquhart / REUTERS)
The Man is engulfed in flames with revellers surrounding it during the signature ceremony marking the end of the annual Burning Man arts and music festival in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada.
A Burning Man participant (L) evades a chasing firefighter and falls into the flames of the ‘Man Burn’ after evading the attempted tackles of multiple rangers and law enforcement personnel at the 2017 Burning Man festival. Injuries from the burns left the man dead several hours later. (Jim Bourg / REUTERS)
A Burning Man participant (L) evades a chasing firefighter and falls into the flames of the ‘Man Burn’ after evading the attempted tackles of multiple rangers and law enforcement personnel at the 2017 Burning Man festival. Injuries from the burns left the man dead several hours later.

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