If you really enjoy the spirit, energy, and camaraderie of Burning Man, but don’t love the burning alkali dust, hot winds, Porta-Potties or travel expenses associated with shipping your handmade penny-farthing, 2020 might be your year after all. Joining basically every large group event in the foreseeable future, Burning Man, held annually in Nevada at a temporary village called Black Rock City, has been canceled due to the global coronavirus outbreak. The art festival was scheduled to run from August 30 to September 7.
“After much listening, discussion, and careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision not to build Black Rock City in 2020,†the festival’s organizers wrote on the event’s blog Friday. “Given the painful reality of COVID-19, one of the greatest global challenges of our lifetimes, we believe this is the right thing to do. Yes, we are heartbroken. We know you are too. In 2020 we need human connection and immediacy more than ever. But public health and the well-being of our participants, staff, and neighbors in Nevada are our highest priorities.â€
However, festival organizers promise Burning Man will still take place in digital form, and are currently organizing a virtual festival in its stead. “In the Multiverse, Black Rock City exists online, a virtual metropolis waiting for us to come Home,†the event’s site explains. “We can still built it together, and be together, and Burn together, only digitally instead of in the dust. On the virtual playa, there are no limits to who can join. So let’s do this thing together.â€