Burning Man festival: 60-foot 'Man' burns to the ground
The 60-foot "Man" of the Burning Man festival was burned up on Saturday night, while 70,000 spectators bade their temporary camp in the Nevada desert farewell.
The crowd's cheers echoed across the mostly quiet lifeless land as the Burning Man's "Man" was engulfed in flames with fireworks and explosion. The burning of the 60-foot artwork was just one of the culmination activities for the annual week-long festival in Black Rock City, according to USA Today.
The elaborately and colorfully dressed attendees embraced the final night of the Burning Man as they participated in the tradition of torching all the erected artworks, the Daily Mail reports.
After the Man burned to the ground, attendees held a ceremony where fire dancers entertained the crowd. The Burning Man festival ended on Sunday with the final ritual of firing up the Temple of Remembrance. More than just an artwork, the Temple represents a wide range of spiritual practices that add color to the community.
The art installations at the Burning Man festival are placed atop large platforms to prevent them from burning directly on the sandy ground when they are torched. The festival has a "leave no trace" policy, which says all elements of the event should be cleaned up before the Burning Man ends.
Celebrities have been spotted attending the week-long festivities at the Nevada Desert. Katy Perry and Susan Sarandon are among the Hollywood stars spotted at the Burning Man, the report relays.
Meanwhile, thousands of attendees have already begun exiting the temporary city to return to their normal lives, in which showers and smartphones are part of the norm. The attendees will be shuttled from the Nevada desert to either Reno or San Francisco. People are expected to continue their exodus until Monday morning.
The height of the Burning Man statue has not been the same every time. The first Man was 8-feet tall and last year's statue stood 105 feet. This year's 60-foot Man is 45 feet shorter than 2014's main statue, the report details.
The Burning Man festival, which is now on its 29th year, was first held in 1986 on a beach in San Francisco. In 1990, the festival was moved to the Nevada desert.
