Burning of Carillon by Steven Brummond of Oakland, Calif., at Burning Man 2022 in the Black Rock Desert of Gerlach, Nev.
Jane Hu
Matthew Reyes (aka Motorbikematt) has run the webcast since 2013 but will be stepping down this year. In an email to SFGATE, Reyes said he contracted COVID-19 at Burning Man 2022, which, when combined with the festival’s notorious dust, made for a difficult recovery. (Coincidentally, Reyes wrote about the controversial decision to cancel Burning Man due to the pandemic in a 2021 SFGATE op-ed.) Reyes added that while he won’t be at the helm, a “scaled-back” webcast will still be available.
Andrew Ganzon, left, and Matthew Reyes take a moment to appreciate the hard work of the Man Burn video production on Sept. 4, 2021.
Matthew Reyes
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Veteran Burner Kirsten Weisenburger (aka kbot) will be in charge of this year’s webcam, according to Reyes, along with fellow festival regular “Sinatra,” who has previously supported Reyes on Burning Man video production. In a post on the Camp Envy Facebook group, Weisenburger said she’s been making the pilgrimage to Black Rock City since 2004, and describes Burning Man culture as “a magical sandbox that gives people permission to play and learn in ways that are not available to us elsewhere.”
The livestream is scheduled to begin at sunrise (approximately 6:23 a.m.) on Friday, Sept. 1, and end at sunrise (approximately 6:25 a.m.) on Monday, Sept. 4. Once live, the webcam will stream on Burning Man’s website. Participants are encouraged to search #BMWebcast on social media to find the festival’s best moments.
To protect identities, all other livestreams are banned at the playa, so any Burners-from-home should bookmark the official webcast to catch the action of the final weekend.