San Francisco native Jeff Taisch said he\u2019s been a burner since 1996, when a buddy of his from high school told him about some rave in the desert.<\/p>\n
Taisch said they piled into his friend\u2019s mom\u2019s Volvo and made the trek out to Black Rock Desert in Nevada with no clue what to expect.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was like zero infrastructure,\u201d he said of the event\u2019s seventh year in the desert. \u201cI don’t know if we had tickets. I don’t know if they required tickets.\u201d<\/p>\n
Between getting caught in a sandstorm, cramming into a single tent with 15 people, and meeting a naked guy carrying around a baby Redwood tree who would become a lifelong friend, Taisch would be forever changed by the experience.<\/p>\n
He would go on to perform DJ sets for thousands of people, with his vinyl records melting in the heat; host a flash-mob pizza party with the musician Diplo; and eat sushi flown in by helicopter that day, among other things.<\/p>\n
In the past 30 years, he said, he\u2019s only missed Burning Man a few times, for various reasons. This year, he\u2019s missing out again due to \u201cparental duties.\u201d<\/p>\n
But as the notorious desert party turns 40, he reflected on how much things have changed about it over the decades, how much has stayed the same, and how it might change in the future.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot only do you have influencers and content producers out there, but you have their support crews running around with reflectors and various extra elements to make their productions,\u201d he said. \u201cThat exists. The costs have increased, and that’s real. But there’s still something there for people whose inner child is not yet dead.\u201d<\/p>\n
Burning Man was created 40 years ago in San Francisco when a group gathered on Baker Beach, and founders Larry Harvey and Jerry James built and burned a giant wooden sculpture of a man.<\/p>\n
The event (attendees dislike the term festival) has taken place in the Black Rock Desert since 1990, expanding into a temporary city covering nearly six square miles. It\u2019s known for art installations, music and all things creative \u2014 all while fostering human connection.<\/p>\n
Taisch said that despite the location, it\u2019s still a San Francisco event through and through. That much is noticeable every year as The City empties out during the week it takes place.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe burners have left the building,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s theme is \u201cAxis Mundi,\u201d referring to a center point of existence or \u201ca celestial column connecting us to powers greater than ourselves,\u201d according to an informational flyer created by organizers. Other topics highlighted this year include sustainability, global impact and looking ahead to the next generation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe connection, creativity, and leadership opportunities that Burning Man offers are a timely remedy for next-generation leaders,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n
When asked about the milestone, organizers told The Examiner on Friday in a statement that the ethos of Burning Man is very much intact, and that as “a creative culture at its core, Burning Man has always changed and evolved.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery generation of participants brings new ideas, new challenges, and new ways of expressing creativity, community, and ways to participate,\u201d they said. \u201cIn Black Rock City alone, about a third of participants every year are new.”<\/p>\n
While the chaotic weeklong event has seen accidents and worse over the decades, Burning Man still claims the devotion of longtime attendees and inspires fascination in newcomers every year. This year, as the event officially becomes middle-aged, more than 75,000 people are expected to descend upon the desert.<\/p>\n
Joana Ayala said she\u2019s one of the thousands going, and this year is her first time.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just been a matter of time,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Ayala said she\u2019s been living in intentional communities, groups who choose to live together, for the past eight years, so she has long felt that her lifestyle is \u201cBurning Man-adjacent.\u201d But despite having received invitations to go in the past, it hadn\u2019t been the right time \u2014 until now.<\/p>\n
She said that after speaking with other friends who\u2019ve attended, she found that\u2019s a common sentiment.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey say when it\u2019s your time to go, you\u2019ll know,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Ayala said that while she\u2019s excited about the music and the art, she\u2019s most looking forward to experiencing the type of human connection that Burning Man fosters among attendees. She said she\u2019s joining a camping group with a work connection, but otherwise doesn\u2019t know most of the people she\u2019ll be living with.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
A rift is growing as powerful women line up in dueling camps, choosing sides in the Chan-versus-Wiener contest for The City\u2019s seat in the House of Representatives<\/p>\n
\n
\n <\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6a8e55b3c3b4d.image.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6a91c10fedb70.image.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6a88c068dcf3d.image.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6a8e3ecb631d8.image.jpg\")
<\/p>\n