Who goes to Burning Man? All typesreally. The following portraits showcase a cross-section of people who attended the festival.
Photograph by Sam Wolson for CREDIT: Slate.
Leah Johns
A second-year Burner, Johns said that Burning Man is the only place she’s ever found so many unique people who have similar ideas to hers. Like many Burners, she tries to express herself by getting creative with every area of her body—including her hands.
Sam Wolson for CREDIT: Slate.
Tom and Billy Birr
These 13-year-old identical twins from Brighton, Australia, came to Burning Man with their mother during a tour across America. Billy (right) seemed more sold on the festival and said that his favorite part was the lights and cars. Tom declared that his favorite part was the magic-carpet car.
Related: See photos of lights, cars and other Burning Man wonders in this gallery.
Photograph by Sam Wolson for CREDIT: Slate.
Dr. Mogamboo O'Boogie
Many people take Burning Man names while at the festival. The name is supposed to emerge organically while on the “playa,” the beachy desert where the festival takes place, although there are camps where experienced Burners help people find their names. The Doctor says was given his name by festival founder Larry Harvey back in the day and has stuck with it ever since. He calls his group "a Tribe for Modern Primitives Who Wear Septum Tusks or Bones in their Noses."
Photograph by Sam Wolson for CREDIT: Slate.
Nicole Schooss, aka, Nikki Beach
A fourth-year burner, Schooss got her burner name because she always wears a swimsuit on the playa. She said that being seven months pregnant limited her ability to party this year, but that she still enjoyed meeting the artistic people at Burning Man.
Photograph by Sam Wolson for CREDIT: Slate.
Flamboyant Burner
During her first year at Burning Man, a photographer gave her this title during a shoot and it stuck. A third-year Burner, she’s from Paris.
Photograph by Sam Wolson for CREDIT: Slate.
Creature
This fourth-year Burner earned his name on a date with a woman who said his moves on the dance floor looked like “a creature.” Later in the evening, he locked in his new moniker by making a creature-like-sounds during sex, he says.
Photograph by Sam Wolson for CREDIT: Slate.
Pixie
This first-year burner got her name from a friend who met an alternate version of her with the name Pixie when visiting an alternate universe. This meeting occurred while the friend was on mushrooms, naturally. Pixie kept the name.
Photograph by Sam Wolson for CREDIT: Slate.
David
A 10th-year burner, David is a lawyer from California. He said that he gave up trying to find a Burning Man name after a few years because he thinks they create distance between people.
