By — Larisa Epatko Larisa Epatko Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/photos-biking-dos-donts-burning-man Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Photos: Biking do’s and don’ts at the Burning Man festival Nation Sep 3, 2015 9:10 AM EDT Revelers at the annual Burning Man arts festival taking place this week in the Black Rock Desert in northern Nevada have two main modes to get around – by foot or by bike. If “burners,” as attendees are known, want to see everything at the sprawling party, they definitely need a bike. But… “Do NOT bring a ‘good’ bike to the event,” because the dusty desert basin will reduce it to a “rust bucket,” the event website cautions. Do affix a light to your bicycle to avoid collisions with “unsuspecting playa peregrinators.” Dress up your bike to make it unique so people won’t accidentally take it. (Just don’t use glitter or sequins.) And at the end of the week, after the blazing effigy and wooden temple turn to ash, don’t forget to take your bike with you. About 70,000 burners are expected this year, and leaving no traces after decamping is a must. Bikes are a popular mode of transportation at the week-long summertime Burning Man festival in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada. Photo by Jim Urquhart/Reuters Burning Man started in San Francisco’s Baker Beach in 1986 and then transitioned to Black Rock Desert in 1990. It’s an art and music mishmash that encourages self-expression. Photo by Jim Urquhart/Reuters A man rides by an art installation at the Burning Man 2015 “Carnival of Mirrors” festival on Aug. 31. The event’s first legal permit came from the Bureau of Land Management in 1991. Photo by Jim Urquhart/Reuters The Burning Man festival started when Larry Harvey, Jerry James and their friends met to light a bonfire on the summer solstice. It’s grown throughout the years, and is expected to draw about 70,000 participants in 2015. Photo by Jim Urquhart/Reuters Wilf Griese interacts with the art installation Compound Eye during the desert fest on Sept. 1. Photo by Jim Urquhart/Reuters The “Totem of Confessions” is one of the interactive art installations at Burning Man, where visitors can unburden themselves of their secrets. Like other structures in the Nevada desert, it will be burned at the end of the festival. Photo by Jim Urquhart/Reuters The USS Nevada is one of the Mutant Vehicles cruising through the arts and music festival on Aug. 31. No vehicles are allowed on the desert except the approved “mutant” and service vehicles. Photo by Jim Urquhart/Reuters Another Mutant Vehicle crosses the dusty desert at Burning Man, where the vehicles serve as roaming art installations. Photo by Jim Urquhart/Reuters Adorable, her Playa name, swings during the carnival-like Burning Man festival. Playa, the Spanish word for beach, also describes the dry lake beds in the American west. Photo by Jim Urquhart/Reuters Light reflects off the Temple of Promise, one of the temporary art structures at Burning Man. The price of admission has gone up over the years from no fee to $390 in 2015. Photo by Jim Urquhart/Reuters The moon rises behind the effigy that will be lit ablaze at the culmination of the Burning Man festival, which celebrates music, art and community. Photo by Jim Urquhart/Reuters Follow @NewsHourWorld By — Larisa Epatko Larisa Epatko Larisa Epatko produced multimedia web features and broadcast reports with a focus on foreign affairs for the PBS NewsHour. She has reported in places such as Jordan, Pakistan, Iraq, Haiti, Sudan, Western Sahara, Guantanamo Bay, China, Vietnam, South Korea, Turkey, Germany and Ireland. @NewsHourWorld
Revelers at the annual Burning Man arts festival taking place this week in the Black Rock Desert in northern Nevada have two main modes to get around – by foot or by bike. If “burners,” as attendees are known, want to see everything at the sprawling party, they definitely need a bike. But… “Do NOT bring a ‘good’ bike to the event,” because the dusty desert basin will reduce it to a “rust bucket,” the event website cautions. Do affix a light to your bicycle to avoid collisions with “unsuspecting playa peregrinators.” Dress up your bike to make it unique so people won’t accidentally take it. (Just don’t use glitter or sequins.) And at the end of the week, after the blazing effigy and wooden temple turn to ash, don’t forget to take your bike with you. About 70,000 burners are expected this year, and leaving no traces after decamping is a must. Bikes are a popular mode of transportation at the week-long summertime Burning Man festival in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada. Photo by Jim Urquhart/Reuters Burning Man started in San Francisco’s Baker Beach in 1986 and then transitioned to Black Rock Desert in 1990. It’s an art and music mishmash that encourages self-expression. Photo by Jim Urquhart/Reuters A man rides by an art installation at the Burning Man 2015 “Carnival of Mirrors” festival on Aug. 31. The event’s first legal permit came from the Bureau of Land Management in 1991. Photo by Jim Urquhart/Reuters The Burning Man festival started when Larry Harvey, Jerry James and their friends met to light a bonfire on the summer solstice. It’s grown throughout the years, and is expected to draw about 70,000 participants in 2015. Photo by Jim Urquhart/Reuters Wilf Griese interacts with the art installation Compound Eye during the desert fest on Sept. 1. Photo by Jim Urquhart/Reuters The “Totem of Confessions” is one of the interactive art installations at Burning Man, where visitors can unburden themselves of their secrets. Like other structures in the Nevada desert, it will be burned at the end of the festival. Photo by Jim Urquhart/Reuters The USS Nevada is one of the Mutant Vehicles cruising through the arts and music festival on Aug. 31. No vehicles are allowed on the desert except the approved “mutant” and service vehicles. Photo by Jim Urquhart/Reuters Another Mutant Vehicle crosses the dusty desert at Burning Man, where the vehicles serve as roaming art installations. Photo by Jim Urquhart/Reuters Adorable, her Playa name, swings during the carnival-like Burning Man festival. Playa, the Spanish word for beach, also describes the dry lake beds in the American west. Photo by Jim Urquhart/Reuters Light reflects off the Temple of Promise, one of the temporary art structures at Burning Man. The price of admission has gone up over the years from no fee to $390 in 2015. Photo by Jim Urquhart/Reuters The moon rises behind the effigy that will be lit ablaze at the culmination of the Burning Man festival, which celebrates music, art and community. Photo by Jim Urquhart/Reuters Follow @NewsHourWorld