The candle of Burning Man’s 2021 edition has officially flickered out.
Burning Man organizers have announced that the fabled Nevada music and arts festival has been moved to 2022, citing the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A new blog post published on the Burning Man Journal paints a picture of a jaded organization fraught with complex challenges to overcome. “All of us at Burning Man Project have been busy projecting all the possible scenarios that would allow us to bring our desert city back to life in 2021,” the post reads. “The variables are many, and our capacity to overcome challenges is high. It’s what we do.”
“But, although here in the United States we may be feeling the weight lifting and the light at the end of the tunnel brightening, we are still in the pandemic, and the uncertainties that need to be resolved are impossible to resolve in the time we have,” the post continues. “We have decided to set our sights on Black Rock City 2022.”
In a video announcement, Burning Man Project CEO Marian Goodell expounded on the decision to postpone her flagship festival. “It’s too important to do half-assed,” she said. “So we’re doubling down on next year.”
Burning Man had been under an intense microscope in recent weeks as organizers scrambled to the finish line. Last week, after falsely claiming that the state of Nevada requires proof of vaccination at large-scale events, Goodell and her team were forced to backpedal and address concerns from the festival’s diehard community.
Burning Man was also the subject of widespread backlash after the announcement of its “Invitation to the Future” program, which offered the chance to buy tickets in exchange for a $2,500 reservation fee. The initiative was lambasted by many in the events industry, with one outlet writing that it was akin to a “descent into utter bougie elitism.”
Burning Man Project took to Facebook to share an additional statement, noting that “uncertainties that need to be resolved” were “impossible” to sort out in time for the festival’s planned dates. Read the full post below.
The past 14 months have been a turbulent journey of evolution and change for every human on this planet. We have had to adapt to the twists and turns of a global crisis, complex public health information, and the growing hope that we can start rebuilding our lives together soon. Although here in the United States we may be feeling the weight lifting and the light at the end of the tunnel brightening, we are still in the pandemic, and the uncertainties that need to be resolved are impossible to do so in the time we have.
We have decided to set our sights on Black Rock City 2022. We have the time now to imagine what we can bring to BRC 2022 that will really make a difference. What would it look like if Burning Man culture shaped the future? How do you want to bring the best of what you have to give to the next gathering in the desert? How can you get involved around the world RIGHT NOW? Watch our CEO Marian Goodell’s livestream from this morning, and read the accompanying Journal piece, to learn more.
FOLLOW BURNING MAN PROJECT:
Website: burningman.org
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Twitter: twitter.com/burningman
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