ORGIES, naked walks and lots of drugs are just some of the things that have led Burning Man to be dubbed the 'wildest festival in the world'.

In the sweltering heat of the Nevada desert, revellers enjoy art, counterculture and free expression during the eccentric nine-day extravaganza in Black Rock on a dusty lake bed known as the "playa".

But for the second year in a row the event has been cancelled because of coronavirus and a virtual one is being held in its place.

Temperatures often soar to 43C and sandstorms strike regularly. Nothing can be bought on site except for ice, as attendees are expected to take enough water, food and anything else they need to survive.

The festival – which started in 1986 – is famed for its giant wooden structures, wacky art pieces, outlandish costumes, and sexual and drug experimentation and it proves to be a life-changing experience for many.  

Despite the official event being cancelled, some 10,000 people are still making a pilgrimage this week for an unofficial ‘Renegade Burn’ event – in a normal year nearly 80,000 people attend. 

So even though celebrations can't go ahead in their usual form this year, former ‘Burners’ pay tribute by sharing their fondest and craziest memories of the festival.

‘One man broke his penis & others shower naked then danced in groups’

Sammy, 29, a journalist from Washington state, has been to Burning Man before and is heading out to film Renegade Burn this year.

She said: “Burning Man is awesome but it is also a lot. I dressed up as a nun with a few of my campmates and we biked around going to whack-a** parties.

There were giant raves and The Thunderdome, which had a Mad Max theme, where two people were suspended on ropes and got to fight each other.

One camp brought a 747 plane, which was insane and the camp near mine was Barbie Death Camp. They had set up a bunch of Barbies walking into an oven and had awesome drinks and a piano to pound on. 

I met a gentleman who had been at the Orgy Dome – the only camp with air conditioning, where you go and have sex. 

He was having sex with the seventh guy that day and broke his penis. 

He had to go to the nearest town and get stitches and was back at the playa the next day.

Also, Dr. Bronner's [soap company] has their own tent there and you basically take a shower with 50 people. 

You walk into this clear container and everyone’s naked, people spray you with Dr. Bronner’s soap and then hose you down with water. 

Then you just hang and dance nude with a bunch of squeaky clean happy people. It’s a vibe.

Of course, lots of people are taking drugs – if you want to try something, someone somewhere has it.

But because Burning Man is an entire week, people, usually, don’t take a large amount.”

‘I prefer Burning Man to the default world’  

Randolf Jorberg, 40, from Germany, owns the craft beer chain Beerhouse. He went to Burning Man in 2007 and has been to the spin-off festival AfrikaBurn twice since. 

He said: “I like the idea of radical self-expression… and most people need a safe space like Burning Man to find it. 

I probably prefer that world to the ‘default world’, as they call it.

People go there and take little bits of the different things they have learnt and apply it to their everyday lives. 

In terms of sexual liberation, people are free to express something they usually would hide… obviously, people don’t put that kind of thing up on their LinkedIn bio. 

I’m involved in swinging circles but I don’t think what happens at Burning Man is extreme, it’s just that people are more open there.

You all just experiment. I love seeing people and I love connecting with people, so for me, it’s all about the people.”

'You can have 100 different experiences… it blew my mind!'

Mollie Bylett, 27, from Newquay, Cornwall, who runs the travel blog Where’s Mollie?, attended Burning Man in 2017 and 2019.

She said: “It absolutely blew my mind, I’ve travelled a lot in my career over seven years and it’s definitely one of my top three experiences. 

You are so intensely connected to other people because you remove technology and all the things that separate us from the Matrix of the world – even before you have a drink, you’re euphoric. 

I remember my first night out on the playa, I saw a guy wheel out a mini kitchen in the middle of the desert, he was doing peanut butter and jelly toasties.

He told us, ‘If you want one you have to sing a nursery rhyme.’ I just thought, where am I? What is life? I don’t even remember what I sang!

Another guy had a full pick and mix outfit and was carrying around bags of sweets to hand out. 

One of the most memorable art things was the temple, which is where people go to pay their respect and sometimes write notes to those they have loved or lost.

When you cycle up, the whole energy hits you. It’s a grieving area with sound healing. Many people are in silence apart from those who are crying, hugging and holding each other.

There are of course orgy domes and all of those things too, if you want to find it you will – I personally have never seen it. 

Everything you could imagine is there but there is also a wellbeing side too with breathing work, meditation and different parts.

You can go and have 100 different experiences – it's not just about partying." 

‘You can take a class in bondage’

Johnny Diggz, 50, from Orlando, Florida, works at a tech start-up and first went to Burning Man in 2012. Since then, he’s attended seven more, the last time was in 2019.

He said: “I’m a musician and in 2013 brought a real baby grand piano to Burning Man. We put it on a surplus military aircraft cargo loader and called it the Playa Piano Bar.

It's unlike any other art gathering in the world…and a good many of the installations are built and intended to only exist for one week.

After that, it's literally burned! It's an incredible reminder of the impermanence of life and art and civilization.

Sexuality is part of the Burning Man culture that many embrace and seek out.

The concepts of active consent between participants is very much a part of the ethos.

There are areas where people explore all aspects of sexuality, from BDSM to polyamory, to erotic clothing, dance and art.

There are classes you can take if you want to learn about bondage or fulfilling partner desires. It can be a lot of fun.

Most of what happens, happens behind closed doors or tent flaps – it's not a wild sex free-for-all. People choose to participate on the level they are comfortable with.

Some people partake in recreational drugs like mushrooms or marijuana. You typically don't see very hard drugs out there.

I love the people, I've met the most amazing people from all over the world who are from all walks of life.

There is nowhere else where you can meet a surgeon, a hippy, an internationally acclaimed musician, an entomologist and a belly dancer all in the space of 5 minutes. It's a wonderful experience.”

'If you want drugs, you will find drugs. If you want sex, you'll find sex'

Deah, 46, a school librarian from Texas, went to Burning Man in 2018 and 2019. 

She said: “I could talk about Burning Man forever! It's just such a unique experience.

I love looking at the clothing, the art, the mutant vehicles etc, there’s truly something for everyone and you never know what you’re going to find out there. 

My camp has a costume closet to borrow from, so it’s always fun to grab an item from there and throw it on.

It does get surprisingly cold at night so if you’re busting a lot of skin at night, you better plan on dancing a lot to stay warm

It's not uncommon to see nudity but to actually see a sexual act happening, you'd have to go looking for it. 

There are always camps to go visit that offer something like a shot of alcohol in exchange for something.

Whatever preconceived notions you have – good or bad- you just can't imagine the totality of it unless you go. And it's what you make of it. 

If you want drugs, you will find drugs. If you want sex, you'll find sex. If you want in-depth conversations about politics, art, music, or the world, you'll find that too.”

‘Whatever you hear is probably true’

Will, from Manchester, also attended Burning Man.

He said: “Burning man is huge and has every kind of themed camp you could imagine. 

It has an orgy tent so whatever you hear about sex at Burning Man is probably true. 

If you’re thinking of going then join a theme camp as this will make things easier for you as you can’t buy anything once you're there."

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