The Burning Man tally shows the majority of revelers are rich, white, male Democrats — and the median age is 37…while officials fine ravers for leaving cars, blankets and their own trash on a desert site
A census of Burning Man attendees found that most Burners are middle-aged white men who have become increasingly wealthy and democratic.
Held annually in the Nevada desert, the festival for nine days each summer attracts those who want to live in a cashless, carefree society – but the visitors are very wealthy and educated, with an average age of 37.
Held on a San Francisco beach in 1986, the annual gathering draws nearly 80,000 artists, musicians and activists for a mix of wilderness camping and avant-garde performances. The organizers of the festival analyzed data from the 2022 festival, which was attended by around 75,000 people.
About 16 percent of those present said they had a household income of at least US$300,000 per year. In 2013, only seven percent of the participants stated that they had such a high income.
Meanwhile, more than a third of revelers, 34 percent, said they had a college degree — up from 24 percent in 2013. As the San Francisco Chronicles notes, the national average is much less than 15 percent.
The giant sculpture — the centerpiece of the annual event — looms over the camp ahead of Monday’s fire
A survey of Burning Man attendees found that most Burning Man attendees are predominantly white males
With an average age of 37, participants have become increasingly wealthy and educated
And there shouldn’t be too much political wrangling at Burning Man since the audience is more than 50 percent Democrat. Only 4.2 percent of participants said they were Republicans.
The second largest political affiliation was “none or no affiliation” at 34 percent.
In 2013, the Democrats still held the majority, albeit a smaller one at 33.5 percent.
While the audience remains predominantly white at 80 percent, the number of visitors who identify as non-white has increased in recent years.
The proportion of Hispanics increased from 3 percent in 2013 to 9.6 percent in 2022; The proportion of Asians increased from 3.7 percent to 8 percent and that of African Americans from 0.9 percent to 2.2 percent.
The festival, which was canceled in 2020 and 2021, previously admitted it is mainly attended by white people and created an internal “anti-racism group”.
In addition to racial integration and “radical self-expression”, “leaving a mark” is one of the basic principles of the festival.
About 16 percent of those present said they had a household income of at least US$300,000 per year
The crowd is more than 50 percent Democrats. Only 4.2 percent of participants said they were Republicans
“Our community respects the environment. We are committed to leaving no physical trace of our activities, no matter where we gather. “We clean up after ourselves and, whenever possible, strive to leave such places in better condition than we found them,” says the festival’s website.
However, this year’s Burning Man didn’t go as smoothly as previous years.
The fallout from the chaotic 2023 rerun of Burning Man continued this week as the local sheriff slammed attendees for leaving trash in the Nevada desert after the washed-out festival.
“As is usual in the so-called ‘standard world’, people allow their emotions to override their reason and they smack each other as they leave the playa and try to get to their next destination,” he said Pershing County Sheriff Allen told the San Francisco Chronicle.
“This behavior definitely doesn’t fall under the 10 principles of Burning Man, but that’s not BMP’s fault either, it’s a societal issue.”
“People are starting to leave their mark,” said Jeffrey Longoria, 37, while cleaning his mud-stained boots outside a Walmart in Reno. “You’re forgetting the basic principles of combustion.”
The spirit of Burning Man is self-sufficiency, but many people seem to have ignored that and left their junk behind
Long lines of vehicles can be seen on Monday as festival-goers leave the annual event
Muddy boots are left on the side of the road on Monday
The erosion of those core principles may be due in part to the fact that many of the festival’s original attendees have aged, he said, and there’s a surge of newer attendees — “the kind that have a couple of hundred-thousand-dollar RVs and are careless with the.” environment.” .’
Tens of thousands of revelers attending the event in the Nevada desert were urged to stay put and conserve food and water on Saturday after a torrential rainstorm turned the site into a mud pit.
The dry alkaline plains posed a unique problem for festival-goers as the area was hit by week-long rains in a matter of days.
Drone footage from DailyMail.com showed snaking throngs of vehicles moving slowly across the sand towards exits on Monday afternoon.
The site that hosts the festival is temporarily built each year on alkaline plains, lava beds and the bottom of former Lake Lahontan on federally protected land in the town of Gerlach, Nevada.
Organizers said Monday that 64,000 revelers were still at the site and asked patience for those trying to leave the filthy camp.
Half an inch of rain fell on Friday, turning the site into a swamp. Visitors were ordered not to leave the site as the exit roads were impassable.
Some said the weather created a sense of community, but others admitted there was a slight panic at the thought of being stuck with scarce food and water. Social media users laughed at the “harrowing” stories about the escape from the compound.
The event started on August 27th and was due to end on Monday morning when attendees packed up and tidied up.
This week, many attendees descended on the airport in Reno, Nevada to book last-minute flights home. Vehicles caked with mud and loam were also turned away at times at car washes, according to KTVN-TV in Reno. Nearby grocery stores have posted signs prohibiting disposal of Burning Man waste and recycling in their trash cans.
Eleonora Segreti, who lives in central Italy and was visiting Burning Man for the second time this year, left the site early Tuesday.