- Many headlines from Burning Man 2023 focused on celebrities fleeing after a storm hit.
- While stars left, a strong community rallied together to clean the playa.
- These are the lesser-known stories from Burning Man 2023 that deserve attention.
As our RV drove away from Black Rock City, just as the playa was waking up to another sunrise, my phone came back to life.
After almost nine full days without service at Burning Man 2023, I watched as dozens of “Are you alive?” texts came flooding in. That’s when I realized how bad the headlines must have been.
Burning Man has been in the news for years, especially after celebrities, CEOs, and influencers began joining the 70,000-plus people who flock to Black Rock City for over a week of art, music, fashion, and the indescribable playa magic every August.
Although the event is built on principles of “radical self-reliance” and community, many people only know it as a playground for models and billionaires.
So it wasn’t surprising that when a storm and shelter-in-place order hit Burning Man this year, most outlets focused on how the celebrities handled it. Stories of Diplo and Chris Rock’s escape, or Victoria’s Secret model Kelly Gale and actor Joel Kinnaman walking through the mud, were all everyone knew about this year’s event.
Headlines of the stars’ departure from Black Rock City were dramatic, but inaccurate.
I was one of thousands who stayed through the storm and helped clean
This year was my first Burning Man, and my experience couldn’t have been more different from what the media portrayed.
While many painted Burning Man 2023 as a disaster, most of us stayed and worked hard to keep the community spirit alive and clean up the playa.
Once the sun rose and the mud dried, my camp spent hours cleaning up trash and digging up buried items.
We all stayed to watch the Man burn that night, and the playa was still full of Burners who had chosen to ride out their experience. The resilient Burner spirit was stronger than ever.
There are many stories from Burning Man 2023 that deserve attention
While Diplo’s “great escape” got all the press, the DJ story I loved hearing was by Rinzen.
The Los Angeles-based DJ played an impromptu three-hour set at Fluffy Cloud on the Saturday after the storm, creating an emotional experience for the crowd.
Music kept spirits high at camps throughout the weekend. Nightly dance parties in our dome showcased the incredible skills of my campmates.
The most ridiculous rumor to come out of Burning Man 2023 was claims of cannibalism, which appeared to start with Chris Rock.
But the truth was Burners supported each other during the storm, sharing food and resources. One Burner on the bus made over 100 quesadillas for everyone.
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