The Global Network
THE GLOBAL NETWORK
The Burning Man Global Network
Burners around the world know what to do when calamity strikes. Be it a dust storm, a personal setback, or pandemic, we rely on our hard-won capacity for resilience to come together, build community, and reach out to those who need support.
From virtual events to drive-by art parades, emergent communities to inventive social experiments, Burners from Vermont to Bucharest never stopped co-creating magic during a year when the community needed it more than ever.
Meet the Global Burning Man Community in 2020
- 280 Regional Contacts
- 37 countries
- 44 US states
Legend For Every Official Burning Man Regional Event in 2020
Whether you burned virtually, or were lucky enough to participate in one of the few in-person Regional Events in 2020, we learned one thing this year: Burners are resilient, inventive, and passionate about our culture, community, and shared principles.
In-person Regional Events in 2020
KiwiBurn, New Zealand (January 22-27)
Borealis, New Hampshire (January 24-27)
LoveBurn, Florida (February 6-9)
Frostburn, West Virginia (February 13-17)
Fuego Austral, Argentina (February 21-26)
Melting Man, North Dakota (February 29)
Burnal Equinox, Upstate New York (February 29)
RoBurn, Romania (July 31-August 3)
Ogonek, Russia (August 20-23)
Amber Burn, Lithuania (August 28-30)
Magic Forest, Ukraine (September 3-6)
In-person Official Regional Events That Went Online
Blazing Swan Virtual Perception, Australia (April 10-12)
HomeBurn, normally AfrikaBurn, South Africa (May 2-3)
Virtual Del Fuego, Normally Playa Del Fuego, Pennsylvania (May 21)
Lakes in Place, Normally Lakes of Fire, Michigan (June 15-21)
Leave a Positive Trace Weekend, normally SF Precompression (June 19)
Modifyre, New South Wales, Australia (July 4)
E-compression, produced by AfrikaBurn organizers, South Africa (July 4)
Burning Seed, Australia (September 25-27)
V-Com: Virtual Decompression, London Decompression, UK (Nov. 28-29)
Annual Virtual Regional Events
BURN2 Virtual Burnal Equinox (May 1-3)
Burn2: Multiverse (October 9-18)
Virtually Reimagining the European Leadership Summit
The Regional Network pivoted this April to host our seventh European Leadership Summit (ELS) online. Europe’s community leaders initially planned to gather in Tallinn, Estonia, at an event co-produced by Estonian Burners. Instead, we convened virtually across continents to explore the relevance of the summit theme “Human Being:Being Human” during these uncertain times. Despite the limitations of geography, ELS participants found creative ways to connect — such as attending lightning talks on temporary and permanent temple projects, and of course, joining pre- and post-event socials.
With Peculiar Turnout, Romanian Burners Launch a Regional Event
We witnessed with delight the emergence of RoBurn, a small, vibrant Regional community based in Romania. This summer, RoBurn was able to safely launch Peculiar Turnout — Romania’s first Regional Burning Man Event. Featuring five official theme camps, a Temple, and an effigy, Peculiar Turnout gathered Romanian Burners to make art, perform — and of course, celebrate life and imagination as only Burners can.
Art Parades and Drive-through Adventures
Burners in Texas, Vermont, and California concocted COVID-safe drive by or drive thru experiences that let anyone Radically Self-express at a distance.
Austin’s Burning Flipside community organized a Burner Art Map that encouraged participants to add their outdoor works of art to a digital map.
In Vermont, Burners followed a parade route to take in the spectacle of fireworks, safely ignited from front yards and gardens.
More than 900 cars participated in the Sacramento Valley Summer Spark Drive Thru, which invited one and all to experience art and performances via a COVID-safe drive-through experience.
A New Home for AfrikaBurn in Quaggafontein
The cancellation of AfrikaBurn 2020, South Africa’s Regional Event, was a heavy blow to the community. It came at a junction for the event organizers, who were on the lookout for a new location for the event.
Enter Quaggafontein, 24,700 acres of desert wilderness, just 15 miles south of the previous event site in South Africa’s interior. A local nonprofit has gifted AfrikaBurn usage of the land for 100 years. Access to Quaggafontein provides the community with a long-term location to host events, an opportunity to develop renewable power infrastructure, and a responsibility to reverentially care for the land.
“I’d love to say that while so much of our tangible experiential interactions have fallen away, we’ve come to realize something essential: we’re still connected and it’s gold. We are sympatico and able to inspire, encourage and support each other, by our example, actions and words.”
– Bradley Baard Cape Town, South Africa Regional Contact
- 280 Regional Contacts
- 37 countries
- 44 US states
- 21 Official Regional Events (down from 108 in 2019)
- 2 virtual Regionals
- 9 previously in-person Official Regional Events went online
- 11 in-person Official Regional Events ( 7 before COVID-19 /4 since COVID-19 )
Every Official Burning Man Regional Event in 2020
Whether you burned virtually, or were lucky enough to participate in one of the few in-person Regional Events in 2020, we learned one this year: Burners are resilient, inventive, and passionate about our culture, community, and shared principles.
In-person Regional Events in 2020
- KiwiBurn, New Zealand (January 22-27)
- Borealis, New Hampshire (January 24-27)
- LoveBurn, Florida (February 6-9)
- Frostburn, West Virginia (February 13-17)
- Fuego Austral, Argentina (February 21-26)
- Melting Man, North Dakota (February 29)
- Burnal Equinox, Upstate New York (February 29)
- RoBurn, Romania (July 31-August 3)
- Ogonek, Russia (August 20-23)
- Amber Burn, Lithuania (August 28-30, 2020)
- Magic Forest, Ukraine (September 3-6)
Previously in-person Official Regional Events that went online
- Blazing Swan Virtual Perception, Australia (April 10-12)
- HomeBurn, normally AfrikaBurn, South Africa (May 2-3)
- Virtual Del Fuego, Normally Playa Del Fuego, Pennsylvania (May 21)
- Lakes in Place, Normally Lakes of Fire, Michigan (June 15-21)
- Leave a Positive Trace Weekend, normally San Francisco Precompression (June 19)
- Modifyre, New South Wales, Australia (July 4)
- E-compression, produced by AfrikaBurn organizers, South Africa (July 4)
- Burning Seed, Australia (September 25-27)
- V-Com: Virtual Decompression, normally London Decompression, United Kingdom (November 28-29)
Annual Virtual Regional Events
- BURN2 Virtual Burnal Equinox (May 1-3)
- Burn2: Multiverse (October 9-18)
