Real-Life Photos From Burning Man Festival That Are Almost Supernatural

Polka-dotted hair, hippies riding unicycles, and a giant human body made of wood that gets set ablaze in front of thousands of eager spectators. Where can a person find all three of these plus so much more colorful and creative insanity? Two words: Burning Man. People flock from all over the world to have a mind-bending — and sometimes life-changing — experience, and when you see just how wild the festival gets, you’ll have the urge to book a trip as well.

Welcome to Burning Man

Have you ever been to an outdoor festival so unique that it overwhelmed all of your senses and left you in a state of ethereal bliss? Probably not if you've never been to Burning Man — the festival to end all other festivals. The other-worldly event takes place in the barren Nevada desert. Not to be outdone when it comes to curfew, the never-ending party is a week-long celebration of freedom. And that freedom is expressed in hundreds of truly mesmerizing ways.

Celebration of life

This vibrant cornucopia of art, expression, and epic bonfires was started in 1986 by a man named Larry Harvey and a small group of his friends. They would gather once a year to let go of all their inhibitions and celebrate life. And with the vast desert landscape as their playground, they'd picked just the spot. 

Let your freak flag fly

As you might expect, interest in a place where people could escape reality for a week of care-free hedonism didn't take long to spread beyond just Harvey and his friends — because really, who wouldn't want to let loose in a secluded spot where anything goes? And sure enough, over the years, more and more people jumped on board with the idea of retreating to the depths of the desert. Now, tens of thousands flock from all over the globe to let their freak flags fly.

Black Rock City

Just look at what happens to this section of barren desert! An entire town literally pops up out of nowhere and thrives for seven whole days. The "city" is named Black Rock City, and bizarre stuff happens all week long — but how bizarre are we talking?