Burning Man proceeding as planned—for now

by: Robyn Dexter Mar 25, 2020

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COVID-19 continues to spread and wreck havoc around the world, leading music events like Ultra Music Festival, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, and countless others to either cancel or postpone their 2020 dates. One renowned festival has yet to budge—and doesn’t plan to for the time being.

Burning Man‘s 2020 iteration is set for Aug. 30 to Sept. 7, and festival officials have made an announcement that the festival will continue as planned for now, noting that things could change in the future.

In a lengthy post on the Burning Man Journal, organizers wrote the following:

One of the biggest questions is whether we’ll be able to build and experience Black Rock City 2020. In the current climate of uncertainty it is simply too soon to tell. There are some indications that the virus may peak in the next couple of months and then begin to subside, while others believe the pandemic could have a much longer timeline. Some large-scale events are being rescheduled from spring until fall. Black Rock City is still five months away, and a lot can happen between now and then. So much is beyond our powers to predict or control.

We believe the responsible course is to proceed with caution and not make a premature decision one way or the other. For now, we are going to continue to thoughtfully and mindfully prepare for Black Rock City 2020. We have reached out to our government partners and have been working with state agencies in Nevada. We recently announced our Black Rock City 2020 Honoraria recipients and released our callout for designs for civic plazas near the Man Base. We will continue to consider the facts and make thoughtful, informed decisions about next steps.

The post goes on to mention that while the Burning Man tickets are non-refundable “for any reason,” the organizers realize that these circumstances are unusual. They note that issuing refunds would be “challenging” for the nonprofit organization, but they’re examining “all possible scenarios” as the situation evolves.

Read the Burning Man Journal entry in full here.

Photo credit: Andy Barron / AP