Black Rock City. The most unusual town on Earth.

Welcome to Black Rock City, and before we begin, here's a history lesson for you. Burning Man originated in Baker Beach in San Francisco in 1986. It's here where the first two and a half meter, roughly eight foot wooden man statue was burnt. The idea of Burning Man was the brainchild of Larry Harvey and Jerry James. By the 1990s, there were so many willing participants that San Francisco authorities banned the festival. Burners had to look for a new spot, and the Nevada desert became the festival's new location. An event that began as some friends around a campfire, now, 30 years later, will amass 70,000 people from all over the world. Now, Black Rock Desert is home to Burning Man. Thousands of years ago, a body of water stood in the very spot that is now a dried up lake bed. It is one of the flattest surfaces on earth, and in 1987, the world speed record was set here. 1228 kilometers per hour, that's 763 miles per hour. This place is renowned for its dust storms that cover absolutely everything. Interestingly enough, it's not sands, but alkali that form the bottom of the lake. Spanning kilometers in all directions, there is no life, no water, and extreme temperature changes. Thanks to the hard work of thousands of people, once a year, this place becomes a city in the desert that exists for just one week. A place called Black Rock City. It is here where Burning Man comes into being. Burners are faced with a mammoth task, to adapt to the desert and build housing and infrastructure, then secure it all from wind and dust, fill everything with lights, all while maintaining an authentic look. The main challenge lies in the lack of electricity in the desert, and everything has to run off generators, from the smallest to the largest industrial ones. Fuel for the generators, of course, must be brought in as well. Solar panels are also a thing here. There are AEZ areas in Black Rock City, where 100% of electricity is derived from alternative sources. People bring a crazy amount of furniture, and construction materials, with the sole aim of building a city in the heart of nowhere. And two days into it, the city starts to shape up. It's a phenomenal sight to behold, such an organized place, raised in the middle of a desert. Not many cities in the world can boast the unique characteristics of Black Rock City. Everything is thoroughly thought out. Just like with any typical city, there are main and secondary streets, central, and more quiet residential areas. All streets are exactly 12.2 meters, or roughly 40 feet wide, marked long before the first burners begin to arrive. Black Rock City forms a semicircle, and just like with any watch, all the streets are named in time. 345, 215, 230, and so on. It makes it really easy to navigate around, providing a good understanding of where you are. A massive field in the middle of this semicircle is called Playa, serving as the epicenter to all the roads in the city. Right in the middle of Playa, there's a human statue, called The Man. It is the central and the main structure in town. Although Black Rock City looks small from overhead, it's extremely vast in reality, and getting from one end of Black Rock City to another can take over an hour on a bicycle. Keep in mind that it's a city that houses a population of 70,000 people. Black Rock City has a well-defined boundary, a so-called trash fence, that is meant to stop trash being blown out of the city. The trash fence runs as a border of the city, and is only half a meter tall, or about one and a half feet tall, making it easy to climb over. Still, it's virtually impossible to sneak in, and local police are constantly on the lookout. Black Rock City must adhere to the laws of Nevada and the U.S., being patrolled by federal police, and local rangers who are mainly pro-burners. The local speed limit is 8 kilometers an hour, or 5 miles per hour. And just like any other normal city, Black Rock City has an airport, a local newspaper, post office, and even has its own zip code, 89412. There's a landline. It works. There are 430 fire extinguishers scattered across the city, and each has its own QR code. There's a hospital, municipality, and even traffic jams, just like in your typical city. However, Black Rock City is not a typical city. It's a dusty fantasy of how a post-apocalyptic world would look. It's like a Fallout game and Mad Max put together. Here, you constantly have to pinch yourself, because it's hard to believe that you're not dreaming. You find yourself surrounded by steampunk installs, people in futuristic attire, and art-slash-mutant cars that impress me the most. There are hundreds of them here, all in true Mad Max style. The way these cars look is limited only by the owner's imagination. You come across submarines that plow through the vastness of the desert, horse carts with strippers on top, fish, scorpions, and other strange, futuristic, and questionable vehicles. There are so many of these here that even a week is not enough to see them all. You just don't have time. As per the Burning Man rules, you can go on any art car out here, and that's why they undergo rigorous inspections, getting a numbered plate that allows it to enter playa. Most art cars are equipped with propane. You'll see why later. And sound systems. Almost all of them are mobile dance floors that you can climb into to join the party, or just hop around the city. Still, bikes are the main form of transportation at Burning Man. That's mine, and my neighbor Artem's e-bike. Given the size of this place, it's hard to survive here without a bike, and parking it is similar to something you'd see in Amsterdam. The only difference is, you'll never see bikes like this anywhere else. Everyone goes all out to customize their bike, and not just to stand out, but to make it easier to find your own bike amongst the chaos. You also need a bike to travel around playa, the biggest part of the city. Playa is an outdoor museum, a place where hundreds of artists from across the world put up their work. It's not just paintings, it's full-fledged art installations. Playa houses over 300 structures, and we'll take a closer look at them later, but for now, hopefully you get the idea of how massive this place is. Which brings us to local laws, which is an extremely interesting subject. Black Rock City is a utopia, a place that doesn't exist anywhere else. But here, albeit not for long, it does exist. Once you create a city of your dreams, it naturally follows to have the laws of your dreams, that would never work in real life. Nevertheless, here, they do. The first law refers to money, and money can only buy you coffee and ice. As for all the rest, there is a 100% discount. Everything is free of charge here. Free bars, free food, activities are free as well. For example, beer in the fridge, you just come and help yourself. Most things are free here, and if you are in need of something, you just need to ask for it. Burning Man is a utopian take on human relationship, something that may just theoretically exist. This relationship model set out between people is close to ideal. Everyone does something for the benefit of everyone else. Burning Man is a take on ideal society, in the middle of a Nevada desert. Some repair bikes, as bikes are extremely useful and have a tendency to break. Some repair shoes, where you leave your torn sandals and pick them up repaired the next day. Free of course. Some open clothing stores, where you just take what you need. Some spray water over you, which believe me, is very handy. Some give out fruits, make candy, or pour your beer, just because someone has to do it. So I'm in the middle of Playa now, it's so hot here, and these guys pull up in an art car, and they're like, dude, do you want some iced tea? And I'm like, yes, please. Everyone shares here. It's so incredible. Whenever you have some free time, you can also eat for free throughout the whole week. What are we waiting for? Hot dogs. They're giving them out for free, every day at 3.30. Hence the line. A line like this takes about 20 minutes to get through. But hey, at the end of the day, it's free food. Thank you. You're welcome. Same goes for breakfast and dinners. Free food is everywhere you see a line. I guess there are around 1,000 bars in Black Rock City, and alcohol can be found on every corner. You can even find craft beer bars, with a selection of over 15 types of lager. Don't forget guys, this is a desert. The procedure is simple. You bring a glass, and that's it. They get the hint. Surprisingly, those who invite you to their bars actually insist that you come in and drink. Like, really insist. They stop you on the streets and push you into their bar. U.S. laws allow alcohol consumption once you turn 21, which is why you may be asked to show your ID. So many burners will just print a scan of it on their glasses. I forgot to mention, everyone carries their own glasses, since plastic tableware is pretty much non-existent here. All due to the next law that asks to leave no trace. The law requires that it looks like no one was ever even here. There are no garbage cans here, and you must take all your trash with you. You can dispose of it at the exit for $10 to $15 per bag. Same goes for water. Where will you dump this water? We put it in buckets and bring it out with us when we leave. You can't dump it here? No, you can dump clean water, like melted ice for example, but even then you have to spread it out across a perimeter and not in one spot. But if you have a lot of it, it has to be carried out. Brands are forbidden in Black Rock City. You won't see any here. And I had to tape everything up back at home. Burning Man allows you to do and express yourself in whichever way you like, as long as it doesn't harm others. Want to go all nude? They'll allow it, and many people take them up on the offer. Though most people do wear clothes, making costumes a strong form of self-expression. Burners start prepping their costumes long before the event, and some actually tailor them out. Your attire must include a belt, where you can hang things you need, shades, comfy shoes, although looks are more important, and a dust mask. The more extravagantly dressed up you are, the better it is. So people dressed like me stand out the most. Those who are dressed alternatively represent the real burners. We change into multiple costumes throughout the week, and since it's hot here, most of the costumes are minimal. Still, everyone looks bright, extravagant, and asks to be photographed. As for general living, tents are the most inexpensive option, but since it's really hot, some people opt for special thermo tents. Some live in trailers, while the 1%ers come in luxury RVs. Everyone strives to add some coziness to their living quarters, and some manage to hit the sweet spot, given the fact that we're in a desert. We decided not to put in a whole lot of effort, and constructed a simple layout. Most importantly, our fridge was packed with goodies, and the freezer was overloaded with food that the guys I lived with crammed in. There was in fact so much of it, that half of it went back home. Just so you can fully appreciate how prepped we were, we even brought a no-rinse shampoo. Water, being the most valuable resource, must be brought in tanks, and you will need plenty of it. Still, there is not enough of it to shower, so this is what bathing looked like. Yep, a whole week of this. I know, it looks terrible, but it's actually not that bad. Dishes are washed in the same manner. Burning Man is like a training course on how to utilize wet wipes to their utmost potential. Wet wipes are extremely important here, as Black Rock Desert is renowned for its sandstorms. People do try to protect against it, but it still ends up everywhere, since it consists of tiny particles. When the storm hits, it looks like the movie The Mist, with visibility decreasing to around 5 meters, about 16 feet. These storms are pretty spotty, meaning that it may be fine now, but in just a few minutes, you can't see a thing. You get used to it. This is what you'll look like after a small storm. As for my camera, this Burning Man became its last. Same goes for my clothes, and my Converse are now an art piece at my studio. Didn't even bother with cleaning them. There's something primal in everything that happens at Playa. In our normal, everyday lives, we avoid living in filth, but here, for these 7 days, you actually start to enjoy living and being in the dirt. Since there's no cell reception in the desert, the only way to get in touch with a friend and arrange a meetup is to write a letter and leave it in a designated area. And you'll only hang out if your buddy happens to come across it. It's not an easy living, I tell you. Some people I met here, I struggled to find later on, and I didn't think to leave a message. Probably the most amazing phenomenon at Burning Man are the art installations. These installations are made specifically for Burning Man by independent artists across the world. I can't even comprehend how much effort each installation required. Not only to build it, but also on the logistics and service of it. I didn't manage to see them all, but here are the ones I did manage to capture during my week at Burning Man. Each installation carries its own meaning, looking absolutely surreal, like a real mirage in the desert. There are some substantial preparations that lead up to nightfall. As of 1993, it has become a tradition to turn on kerosene lamps to light up the street that leads to The Man. There are special people for that, called lamplighters. They repeat this procedure on a daily basis. At dusk, everyone tries to climb up as high as possible to take in the sunset that settles upon Black Rock City. It's during these hours that the desert dresses up in unreal colors. It only lasts for 30 minutes, but this is when the landscape becomes otherworldly. Getting ready for the night means costumes. As the sun goes down, the temperature decreases, and furs become a needed part of your attire. The night also means light. There are no central lights in Black Rock City, so the more visible you are, the less of a chance there is for you to get run over. That is why all the bikes become Christmas trees, with dozens of flickering lights, and each bike becomes a mini light show of sorts. Same goes for the housing. Burning Man is 24 hours of non-stop events, and there is something happening here every minute. Night, though, is the most active part of the day. I wouldn't be wrong saying that there are Because by night, everything changes completely. Black Rock City starts to look like Las Vegas, and the amount of light is insane. Everything is lit up, resembling an amusement park, and the nighttime traffic also gets crazy. Everything is moving, everything makes sound, even the most lazy people in Black Rock City pull up to playa. There is, of course, a good reason for it, because the installations are unbelievable. You really can become overwhelmed here at night, because it's so hard to take everything in, especially when you see something like this. This is crazy. You're just cycling around, and then you see a Boeing plane with people dancing on top of it. It's nuts, guys. It really is. Yeah, a real Boeing 747, turned dance floor, got pulled onto playa a bunch of times. Still, the main night art car is the Mayan Warrior. This moving dance floor reaches the furthest parts of Black Rock City, followed by hundreds of bikes. It's one of the most expensive art cars here, and according to some sources, it costs anywhere from 3 to 8 million dollars. It boasts 24 subwoofers and roughly 70 kilowatts of sound, capable of reaching any part of Black Rock City. Couple that with a sublime laser system visible from any part of the city, fire setup, and one of the best DJ lineups at Burning Man. Burning Man always attracts top DJs from the electronic scene, with the likes of Carl Cox, Jamie Jones, Martinez Brothers, Guy Gerber, and many more. If these names mean nothing to you, just know that these guys are as good as it gets. Given that all art cars are practically dance floors, and there are so many of them here, most of them are actually empty. Nevertheless, they're all on another level. So much so that any city in the world would be glad to have even just one of them. Obviously, electronic music is not the only thing that can consume you. Burning Man by night is like an amusement park, where everyone can find something interesting to do. Attractions include, but are not limited to, rides, skate parks, and even a circus. This place was one of the most popular. The goal is to push your opponent down to the mats. Or how about a self-portrait carved out of a block of wood with a chainsaw? Not too shabby. There are a lot of bands, and this funk band got me hooked. Now to the fire. I bet the expectations are high, thanks to the name of the event. And there is really lots of it. It's everywhere. On DJ booths, signs, and even costumes. These horns are made out of metal, and are connected to gas tanks on this guy's belt. It's the most hardcore attire I saw here. Fire at Burning Man accompanies music, and can even be carried in your hands. In this game, you have to send a fireball into a hole. The Octopus is the most fire-intensive car at Burning Man. It's a highly technological structure, where everything moves. And it can also do this. Still, the best fire-related thing I saw was the fire tornado. That anyone can try making. You're given a burner, and a row of fans point against each other. And if everything clicks, this is what you end up with. Yep. There is a lot of fire here. I don't want to leave you with the impression that Black Rock City by night is just a party. It's a separate and diverse world, where everyone will find something to their liking. Just as I promised you earlier, here are the art installs by night. I still haven't told you about one other important structure in Black Rock City. The temple. This year, it was called the Temple of Direction, resembling Uzuminari Temple in Kyoto, featured in my Japan video. The temple is a place of spiritual cleansing, where you can attempt to bring closure with loved ones. Many people leave pictures here of those who passed away, their belongings in notes. It's always quiet in here, unlike much of the Burning Man vibe. Together with all of the other structures on Playa, the temple, with everything that is left inside, will be burned at some point during the week. The burning will start mid-week, and the smoke can be seen from any point of the city. The burn is always grandiose, with smiling faces all around. The temple, on the other hand, is different, burned in complete silence. As for other art structures, the burn becomes a show in and of itself. It's here where I first saw a fire hurricane formed, due to an extreme change of temperature. Houses are burned in less than 10 minutes. The heat is intense, really hot, and I'm pretty sure it's gonna burn all the hair on my legs off. Burn continues throughout the week, and Saturday becomes the day, when the whole city comes together. The whole 70,000 person community. And I don't know what to think about the night. It's cold in the darkness, and we don't know where we're gonna go. No, no, no, no, no, no. It's time to let go. Burning Man is a game, and there are so many people who play it. And their belief in it is so strong, that even if it's not for long, it becomes a reality. There won't be a summary in this episode, as the only way to genuinely understand Burning Man, is by fully immersing in it. And that is what Utopia is all about.