Despite many years on the Playa, I have to admit the heat is oppressive.

This is a different kind of heat. Every evening for the past two days tremendous thunderstorms have sporadically blasted over the festival site, sending lightning shooting across the sky and dousing everything in tepid rain. The result is a humid sweltering slickness that sticks to your skin. It makes me long for playa dust to dry things out.

I turn to Jana Polnischova, the young woman sitting next to me and ask what the temperature is.

“Oh, it’s 35 degrees at least, maybe as high as 38,” she says.

I do the mental calculation and figure that yeah, it’s well over 95 degrees Fahrenheit, maybe 102. So… it’s 1 pm on Saturday and it’s definitely hot.

Photo by Matt Nelson.

Up on the stage Burning Man LLC founding members Larry Harvey and Marian Goodell are both sitting in chairs smiling. They’ve got a couple of stand-up fans spinning three feet away trying to keep them cool, but even so it’s clear there’s no way either is really comfortable. Standing next to them is Michal Kaščák, our host, and he’s smiling out at the audience as he speaks rapid-fire Slovakian into his microphone. Read more »

If you’re into Burning Man culture and its place in the global community — and you live in the Bay Area — you’ll want to attend this great event on April 1st, including a thought-provoking talk by Larry Harvey on the future of Burning Man.

Free Talk by Larry Harvey
and
The Convectional Caucus

A Burning Man Regional Culture Mixer
WHEN: Friday, April 1st, 6PM-9PM
WHERE: Bently Reserve, 400 Sansome Street, SF

This is a free, private event.  If you wish to attend, you must RSVP to: caucus-rsvp here: caucus-rsvp (at) burningman.com

Join us for this very special event!  This social mixer is a rare opportunity to meet the visiting 150+ Regional Contacts and community leaders from all over the world! They will be in town to participate in the 5th Annual Regional Network Leadership Summit. Designed to strengthen and spread Burning Man’s culture, the Summit is an opportunity for the visiting Regionals to learn from one another and to be inspired by the Bay Area Burning Man community.

On display will be a cross-section of our cultural fabric from around the Bay Area. Community organizations, Burning Man departments, related non-profits, and art groups will be on hand to share their missions and goals for the future. They will be displaying materials expressive of their methodology for both Regionals and you to absorb and take home, inspiring growth in world-wide Burner culture and events.

At approximately 7:30PM, Larry Harvey will speak, addressing the future of Burning Man’s culture and community in this ever-changing world.

We hope you’ll join us on the 1st to learn and share what you know. Help us take a monumental step into the future of our global culture!

This is a free and private event.

Because there are ONLY 500 spots available, PLEASE RSVP!

Please RSVP to caucus-rsvp here: caucus-rsvp (at) burningman.com

Here’s a little fable about a favorite playa photo and thoughts about Kickstarter, a fundraising tool that is gaining popularity among Burners.

Love,

Halcyon )’(

**NOTE: I AM NOT AN OFFICIAL REPRESENTATIVE OF BURNING MAN. I am merely a 13-year Participant with a passion for the event, people, and principles of Burning Man. Half-baked ideas & views expressed aren’t necessarily those of the Burning Man organization.” **

If you’re into Burning Man culture and its place in the global community — and you live in the Bay Area — you’ll want to attend this great event on March 5th, including a thought-provoking talk by Larry Harvey.  Don’t worry if you can’t make it, plans are in the works to make the video of the speech available on the Burning Man website afterwards.

UPDATE: This event is now at capacity, and we’re no longer accepting RSVPs. Thank you!

Larry Harvey, photo by Scott London

Free Talk by Larry Harvey
and
The Convectional Caucus

This is a free, private event.  If you wish to attend, you must RSVP to: caucus-rsvp here: caucus-rsvp (at) burningman.com

Join us for this very special event!  This social mixer is a rare opportunity to meet the visiting 100+ Regional Contacts and community leaders from all over the world! They will be in town to participate in the 4th Annual Regional Leadership Summit. Designed to strengthen and spread Burning Man’s culture, the Summit is an opportunity for the visiting Regionals to learn from one another and to be inspired by the Bay Area Burning Man community.

On display will be a cross-section of our cultural fabric from around the Bay Area. Community organizations, Burning Man departments, related non-profits, and art groups will be on hand to share their missions and goals for the future. They will be displaying materials expressive of their methodology for both Regionals and you to absorb and take home, inspiring growth in world-wide Burner culture and events.

At approximately 6:30pm, Larry Harvey will speak, addressing these issues as well as the future of Burning Man’s culture and community in this ever-changing world.  This is his first talk in the Bay Area in several years and is not to be missed.

We hope you’ll join us on the 5th to learn and share what you know. Help us take a monumental step into the future of our global culture!

This is a free and private event.

In May 2008, Larry Harvey and Marian Goodell paid a visit to the Vancouver Burner community to celebrate the DVD release of the cult classic Juicy Danger Meets Burning Man.

Following the premiere, there was a Q&A session where Larry and Marian answered questions directly from the Vancouver community. Ever wonder about Larry’s thoughts on social change, or his vision of the future of Burning Man culture?

Now you can witness his and Marian’s responses to these questions and more here.