The unofficial Burning Man festival kicked off this weekend in style with neon raves and huge fantastical floats and art cars at Nevada's Black Rock Desert - even after organizers cancelled the official event over COVID-19 fears.
Around 30,000 are expected to descend on the unticketed festival, known as 'Renegade Man,' over the next week, even as skies above them remain hazy from the nearby Caldor wildfire.
The last official ticketed Burning Man, which took place in 2019, drew nearly 80,000 Burners to the desert.
Some renegades decided to take matters into their own hands after the event got canceled in April by setting up the 'Plan B' event. Alas, Renegade Man was born.
As the Burning Man festival got canceled in April, festivalgoers created this own 'Plan B' festival dubbed 'Renegade Man'
Thousands of partygoers have gathered into the Playa part of the Black Rock Desert, with an estimate of up to 30,000 piling in the desert this weekend, according to Forbes
Festivalgoers might be dancing the night away, but will not be offered food, water, or a sanitary place to use the restroom or wash up
With the COVID-19 delta variant in full effect in the Reno, California, area - which is 100 miles outside the desert - unmasked festivalgoers will not only battle unsanitary conditions but wide-spread of the virus
On an Eventbrite ticket description, one wrote: 'Welcome to the non-event, event that is happening in place of that. One event that is trademarked and we can't mention its name. This is your official / unofficial place to procure your ticket which is absolutely required to be not required to attend!!'
Thousands of festivalgoers have already begun to descend on Nevada's Black Rock Desert - dubbed 'the Playa' - including Michael Goetzman, 38, of Wisconsin, who flew first class to the event on a semi-private jet.
'It's amazing, it feels like the 90s,' Goetzman, who works in cyber security, said of the renegade event, where he's camped out at the Bureau Of Misinformation site with 'lots of highly intelligent successful friends from the Bay Area,' including 'notable celebrities and executives,' although he would not disclose who was on the star-studded campsite.
'Out here, this is the real America, the freedom. It's public land. This is the real Silicon Valley of inspiration and emerging ideas. Bonds upon friends that spark innovations.'
He also said there were 'lots of six-figure FAANG (Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, Google) workers' in attendance, who could afford luxuries such as Porta Potties and private performances during a year where the official Burning Man organization wasn't providing food, water, toilets and a weekend full of live music like they usually do.
The event will be held the Black Rock Desert, located in northern Nevada. The Bureau of Land Management looks after the desert and has already put restrictions in place until late-October to stop 'festivals.'
Restrictions include not allowing lasers, ignitions of fires, and building or burning any structures in the desert, according to We Rave You.
Even though the unofficial festival is taking place, it will be nowhere close to the original. free-spirited event. Without the razzle-dazzle and even no bathrooms,
The organizers warn of the reality of the desert, writing: 'Bring everything you need for Radical Self Reliance. The desert is real.'
Daring fire shows and bright lights shine throughout the makeshift festival that organizers is dubbed as a 'ultimate camping trip for Radical Self Reliance'
Despite the ban of lasers in the desert until late-October by The Bureau of Land Management, florescent lights burn throughout the festival
Among lasers, the Bureau, which looks after the Black Rock Desert, banned igniting fires and building or burning structures in the desert
Thousands of unmasked partygoers are threatened by the coronavirus. People are expected to pile into the desert from the Reno-Tahoe Airport, as well as catching connecting flights from the Las Vegas airport. Both cities are in red, high transmission zones for COVID-19
This includes no restrooms available or no ice coffee stations - a staple as festivals, like Coachella and Burning Man. It's the 'ultimate camping trip for Radical Self Reliance.'
Festivalgoers will not only be going au natural for the festival, but will also be battling the effects of the Caldor wildfires, a historic heatwave, and the COVID-19 delta variant.
SFist warned the event could turn into 'Woodstock '99 on COVID.'
The Reno-Tahoe Airport, where a lot of partygoers are expected to go through as people from all over the country pile into the desert this weekend, is in a red, high transmission zone according to SFist. Those with connecting flights in Las Vegas can expect similar COVID-19 dangers as it, too, is in a red zone.
A Hawaiian official, who recently traveled to Vegas himself, said anyone traveling to the city will 'definitely catch COVID.'
The recent COVID-19 numbers for Reno, located a 100 miles outside of the Black Rock Desert, are rising in the last week, with 349 new cases being diagnosed yesterday.
Vegas, who has recently seen a decline in COVID-19 numbers, still has over 700 new cases on September 3.
With thousands of unmasked visitors without any sanitary options around, COVID-19 poses a threat for festivalgoers.
Festivalgoers will be dealing with a historical heatwave with temperatures reaching in the 90s
As the sunrise brightens up the skies for partygoers, the hazy skies are filled with smoke from the Caldor wildfires
As thousands of people pack into the desert, there won't be the usual food and iced coffee stands around and partygoers should expecting camping conditions
People are expected to get rid of their own waste, not leave trash behind, and are not allowed to be structures in the desert
Despite the unsanitary conditions, the unofficial event has seen plenty of people ready to party and enjoy the holiday weekend
With plenty of lit-up bikes, RVs, and the 'free-spirited' people wander around, people gear up the holiday weekend
The Playa is available to the public year-round with a 14-day limit on recreational and camping use. But the land management has already issued temporary restrictions effective August 18 to October 31, 2021, including bans on igniting fires other than campfires, the burning of structures, aircraft landings, possession of alcohol and use of lasers.
It also warned people that 'there are no medical and emergency resources close to the playa and multiple emergencies may result in extended response times'.
The statement means that this year's event will look much different than past iterations of the festival, which are known for its incredible series of performances that showcase flaming structures and lasers alongside popular DJs.
Burning Man also usually has an airstrip for luxe on-site arrivals.
However, the restrictions - including the threat of historic heat strokes and smoke from the California wildfires - are not stopping die-hard Burner fans and groups such as Black Rock Plan B, Playa Poop Protocol, Unity 2021 Free Burn, RenegadeBurn, Renegade Man, and Rogue Burn from trekking into the desert anyways.
At the Bureau Of
