The iconic festival that is Burning Man has been cancelled in spite of assurances two and a half weeks ago that it wouldn't be. But not all hope is lost as the event is now going to be hosted digitally.
Burning Man has been hosted in Black Rock City, Nevada, USA, since 1986. It was originally set to be held this year for August 30th to September 7th.
The non profit organisation behind it, known to its fans as the Borg, confirmed the new structure of the event through an announcement titled "The Burning Man Multiverse in 2020."
It is offering refunds to early ticket buyers, and re-focussing on an online-only version of Black Rock City this coming August due to current circumstances.
Burners and the public alike are invited to check out this year’s Multiverse-themed festival installations.
The virtual version of the “Playa”, VBRC, will be available to access for a fee.
Participants still need to reserve tickets.
Burning Man organisers estimate that they’ll see attendance around 100,000 this year in the new format.
Funnily enough, the festival typically revolves around a theme and the 2020 one, announced earlier this year, is "the Multiverse."
“After much listening, discussion, and careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision not to build Black Rock City in 2020,” organizers said in a statement.
"Yes, we are heartbroken. We know you are too. In 2020 we need human connection and immediacy more than ever. But public health and the well-being of our participants, staff, and neighbors in Nevada are our highest priorities."
They continued: "We look forward to welcoming you to Virtual Black Rock City 2020. We’re not sure how it’s going to come out; it will likely be messy and awkward with mistakes. It will also likely be engaging, connective, and fun."
