Burning Man 2026
I skipped last year and finally made it back.. It even felt kind of foreign again. 2025 was quite fascinating to see the burn from the outside, and at some points led me to think “Hm it looks kind of childish from here..” as I watched (judged?) all the posts and stories. My boy had just been born earlier in the summer, and it was the right call to stay home and help hold down the fort.
It has been fascinating that it has become quite en vogue to hate on Burning Man these last few years. At first it saddened me a bit, but I realized it’s all part of the natural cycle of trends and new things that get discovered. What’s also fascinating is the specific aspect of the event that people make fun of. “It’s for rich tech bros to get high and pretend to be hippies in the desert”. This idea is kind of insane and has taught me once again how misguided people can be about things they’ve never experienced.
The rich tech people have always been there. Since the beginning. They’ve been there since before I heard of Burning Man. And maybe some of them are a bit touristy and could be encouraged to participate more, but the tech people I know are straight up funding entire camps and art projects that help push the culture forward.
It shouldn’t even take pointing out that the reason Burning Man can look so lame from the outside, is because of the wave of people who have been coming in a very influencer-like fashion. To constantly obsess about your own image and showing the world that you are having fun, rather than actually having the experience, will make anything look absolutely lame.
I believe that with how popular Burning Man became, the culture and vibe of the place has still remained relatively intact. The influencer types who make it look cringe from the outside, really only make up a small portion of the population there, and it makes for funny people watching (judging?) when you see it in person. I get it, that they are loud and it’s easily 99% of what you end up seeing about the event from the outside, but they aren’t as pervasive as you’d imagine they would be when you’re going about your experience out there.
Anyway, enough bashing. I had a blast, and will keep going as long as I can. It felt weird now that I’m a father and priorities have shifted a bit. Little did I realize that upon immersing myself this time around, I’d look around and excitedly express with a smile on my face “This looks amazingly childish!” I guess that’s a lesson on different perspectives. Damn it felt good to chill and let loose for a week.
Take a look. Welcome home..
