The weirdest Burning Man activities of 2023

The yearly event held in the Black Rock Desert prefers not to be called a festival, but for nine days, there may be no more festive place on Earth than the “playa,” as the grounds are affectionately known. Grown from humble beginnings on Baker Beach in 1986, now approximately 80,000 people attend the event annually, building a fully functioning (and completely absurd) city in one of the most inhospitable environments on Earth. But unlike most normal cities, this pop-up feat of do-it-yourself engineering in Nevada features amenities like an orgy tent, trampoline sports arena and giant Lite-Brite installations.

Burning Man operates along 10 fundamental principles, which range from radical self-expression to decommodification to gifting. But perhaps paramount to all is communal effort, with attendees organized into camps that collaborate on projects ranging from simple offerings like coffee service to more existential pursuits like the Costco Soulmate Trading Outlet. To give a sense of the incredible scope of the event, according to Burning Man, there are typically more than 1,000 of these camps.

Every year, Burning Man compiles the camps’ offerings into a master schedule of activities that reads like a mix of a summer camp, music festival and self-help book, all studded with some very NSFW search terms. 

Of course, there’s just about every type of music you can imagine, often in combinations you’d never expect (as in the case of “Rave-ioli,” it’s paired with pasta). But beyond the modular synthesizer jams, screenings of Pink Floyd concert films and so much EDM reverberating from DJ booths perched atop art cars, you can also learn to play air harp, or indulge in dueling Lana Del Rey and Taylor Swiftaggedon meetups. Those looking for a little more participation can sign up for Disney Drag Queeraoke at the Rainbow OASIS camp.

Since this is Burning Man after all, there’s no shortage of new age happenings and self-help opportunities. Attendees can participate in a dream swap, keep the Giants Workshop camp updated on the status of any impending nervous breakdowns, or say you’re sorry for said nervous breakdown with a greeting card delivered across the playa. And of course there are more tarot card readings than you can shake a Queen of Cups at. 

The sheer amount of art installations may be most characteristic of the festival’s ethos, but what most sets it apart from any other festival in terms of activities is just how many sexually charged offerings are on the menu. Start your week with a quiz to discover your kinks, then spin a wheel of wonders to name your genitalia, and get scared monogamous with some stories of polyamorous trainwrecks. The Little Free Porn shop is open all week for your adult reading material needs. You can join several varieties of orgy, or just draw one from the sidelines. It’s best not to ask too many questions about the bestiality fantasy camp (no single men are allowed in order to discourage, well, single men). However, we do have some questions about energy sex.

Although it’s probably too late for a first-timer to join the fun in terms of logistics, experienced burners feeling a bit of FOMO — and who have the ability to fall off the grid for a week — will be happy to know that there is an unprecedented amount of tickets still available.