It all began in 1986 on Baker Beach near San Francisco, when Harvey and Jerry James set fire to an eight-foot-tall wooden model of a man with approximately 20 bystanders. The growing festival moved from the beach to the desert in 1990. Now, nearly 70,000 people gather for Burning Man each year, inhabitants of a city that pops up and disappears in a matter of weeks.
這一切始於1986年舊金山附近的貝克海灘，當時Harvey和Jerry James放火燒了一個八英尺高的人型木質模型，旁觀者約有20人。到了1990年，這一漸漸發展起來了的節日從海灘上搬到了沙漠裡。現在，每年約有7萬人齊聚火人節，這個城市的居民們突然出現，而後大約不過一周之內便會驟然消失。
At Burning Man, attendees, who have purchased the required $425 tickets, stay in tents or RVs and rely mostly on bikes as transportation – and money is not used, as anything you need can be bartered for or gifted. During the day, burners can view art, watch movies, explore the playa, or participate in a variety of other activities, and at the end watching a giant wooden figure burn to the ground.
火人節上，參與者們需要購買425美元的門票，住在帳篷或是房車裡，交通主要依靠自行車。這裡不使用金錢，你想要任何的東西都可以通過交換或是贈與獲得。白天，參與者們可以參觀藝術、看電影、探索中心場所，或是參加其他各種活動，節日最後則會觀看一個巨大的木質雕像燃為灰燼。