During the week right before Labor Day, Burning Man essentially becomes the 10th most-populated municipality in the state, according to the Reno Gazette-Journal. But the vibrant, dusty and temporary burg known as Black Rock City isn’t just the 70,000 attendees demonstrating radical expression and self-reliance—it’s also their theme camps, art installations and mutant vehicles. While many of those projects hail from nearby metropolises, some of them have been birthed in Nevada’s biggest urban center. Among the creations representing Las Vegas’ burner constituency:
Jedi Dog Temple Local BM regional contact Cory Mervis already has a Star Trek-themed shuttlecraft mutant vehicle and Tin Foil Hat theme camp (where one can literally make a hat in the name of conspiracy theories) to manage. Her 5-year-old son Sagan—along with lead builder Jimmy Ray West, Jr.—is actually the visionary behind this kid-friendly temple, already the recipient of a BM honorarium grant.
Beats Boutique For its fourth burn, the daytime sound/theme camp will boast a 24-foot long, 7-foot-tall subwoofer, which BB lead and Epyk Entertainment co-founder Steve MacWithey claims will be the world’s biggest. The encampment will also give away playa gear at its boutique.
Rootist Temple Newly appointed BM regional Mike Pierce dreamed up this camp, which will include innovative yoga/energy work, sound-vibrational therapy with live music and hug healing, and is influenced by the all-inclusive rootist spiritual philosophy.
Intergalactic Sasquatch Village This camp boasts a full entertainment schedule, including a Bloody Nose Brunch, which somehow celebrates two BM staples: Bloody Marys and bloody noses.
Mutant Vehicles Local playa rovers include Soul Train (proprietor: Mister Christopher), Sebastian (Jason Tang) and the Armadillo (Dave Alfaro). Artist/designer Henry Chang of Playaworks will be sending up his custom-framed Mister Fusion, Valyrian Steel and—making its BM debut—Flux Capacitor. And Mike Cee is behind both the third iteration of his Xuza art car and its support theme camp, Zerzura.
For camp location information, visit burnermap.com/map.
