BLACK ROCK CITY, Nevada — The gates are open, the dust is swirling and art is erupting from the desert floor: Burning Man is officially underway.
Thousands of people began flooding through the entrance gates at midnight for the annual event in which participants create Black Rock City from scratch in the desert about 80 miles north of Reno.
Burning Man, a weeklong event focused on radical self-expression, participation, communal effort and civic responsibility, is expected to draw approximately 70,000 people this year. Attendees are responsible for managing their own food, water and shelter.
The weather forecast called for 80-degree temperatures for the first half of the week, with gusty winds Monday, Aug. 31 and Tuesday, Sept. 1.
On Saturday, Aug.
29, the air was abuzz with the sound of hammers and impact drivers as early arrivals erected their shade structures, with ever-present dance music thumping in the background. In the center of the playa area, artists and construction crews installed a metal octopi and a shattered Eiffel Tower, while others put the finishing touches on the towering Man and Temple structures.
Standing at the base of the "Above and Below" art installation — a whimsical post-post-apocalyptic treehouse atop a winding metal vine — builder Stephanie Shipman, 44, said she was excited for arriving Burners to see the art surprises awaiting them.
"It’s all about seeing how people light up when they see what you’ve built — it reminds me of being a kid," said Shipman, the carpentry lead for the project. "And it’s fun to build things with your friends."
This year's Burning Man theme is "Axis Mundi," celebrating interconnectedness.
"If Burning Man can be said to have meaning in this fractured world, it is to remind us through our collective actions that we are not alone, that we are part of something larger," Burning Man organizers said in welcoming attendees. "For some, the simple act of living outdoors for a few days, immersed in the majesty and occasional perils of nature, is the path to reconnection with the natural world of which we are all a part."
Commerce is virtually nonexistent during the event — sales of ice and RV pump outs being the two primary exceptions — and attendees are expected to adhere to the organization's 10 principles, which include radical self-expression, participation, communal effort and civic responsibility.
Tickets for the event are still available.
Burning Man officials recommended that people headed to Black Rock City check the organization's data dashboard for information about weather, traffic and other notices.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Burning Man 2026 opens with thousands pouring into the Nevada desert
