Despite the return of other festivals this year, Burning Man has made the decision to not return for another year due to the novel coronavirus. The annual festival takes place in Black Rock Desert, Nev.

 In a blog post released by the Burning Man Project on April 27, they stated that despite things looking up in the United States in 2021, there’s still a pandemic going on and therefore made the decision to return in 2022.

“I have always been interested in Burning Man and possibly attending the future, and although the decision of not returning in 2021 is sad, I am happy to see the project taking all precautions necessary for a safe event next year, said Senior Jenny Quintero.

According to NPR, the Washoe District Health Officer, Kevin Dick, said that Burning Man made the right decision in order to stop the further spread of the coronavirus. Especially, since Burning Man attracts thousands of people from around the globe where there are variants of the coronavirus and lower rates vaccination.

Burning Man also stated that despite some believing that the trauma caused by the pandemic could be healed by returning to the Black Rock Desert, “The physical, psychic, and emotional impacts of this pandemic are real and the recovery from this experience will happen at different rates of speed. This is the time to gather with our friends, crews, families and communities.”

Locally, residents of the neighboring areas are glad that the event has been postponed another year. The main highway that leads into the Black Rock Desert and where Black Rock City sets up camp every year. 

Janet Davis, the Chairwomen of the Pyramid Lake Pauite Tribe said it’s a “sigh of relief” that Burning Man isn’t happening another year. Instead, this recognizes that there’s still a pandemic going on. In an email for NPR, Davis stated that, “We don’t know who’s vaccinated and who’s not. We’ve been trying to keep our reservation safe and that happening was too soon for us to open.”

Despite the loss in $63 million in revenue brought in by the festival annually, not only is the tribe happy, so are others in the surrounding communities.  The Reno Gazette journal Kervin Jervis is happy that rogue burners who showed up despite the event being moved online last year and said “represented the festival’s freewheeling roots” and that, “I’ve had friends that have been going since ‘94 and they said it was a lot more like it used to be. We didn’t have to go by regulations,” he said.

“Since the project is at a halt this year, it will bring even more excitement and most likely a better organized event for the future,” said Senior Catherine Crain. 

The criticism stems from Burning Man becoming much more expensive with tickets prices at around $400. This has been viewed as a contradiction against their principle of radical inclusion that states that “Anyone may be a part of Burning Man.” There’s also criticism of those who pay others to create the works of art seen rather than doing it themselves, defeating the principle of radical self-reliance and radical self-expression. 

Despite the event not returning this year, like last year there’s going to be a virtual Burning Man, starting Aug. 21 to Sept. 4. They also acknowledge those who will be going to the Black Rock Desert despite there not being an event and encouraging them to support local businesses and Leave No Trace. Overall, they emphasize the importance of community.