Burning Man has wild copycat festivals all over the world - here's what they're like

Rebecca Aydin

Aug 29, 2019, 23:33 IST

Burning Man has wild copycat festivals all over the world - here's what they're like

Gali Tibbon/Getty Images

The Burning Man offshoot "Midburn" in Israel in 2015.

Burning Man, the nine-day event that lures more than 70,000 people to Black Rock City, Nevada, officially began on Sunday.
But all year long, international offshoots of Burning Man take place around the globe.
Two of the most well-known Burning Man-inspired events take place in Israel (Midburn) and South Africa (AfrikaBurn).
There are also also events across Europe (France, Spain, UK, Greece, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden), Oceania (Australia, New Zealand), Asia (Japan, China), and South America (Brazil, Argentina).
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The Burners in Black Rock City, Nevada, don't get to have all the fun - there are Burning Man copycats all around the world.

Burning Man is an annual, nine-day art festival (or, as the festival organizers call it, a "social experiment for the ages") that gathers 70,000 folks in the middle of the Nevada desert for performances, art installations, music, and spiritual journeying. Attendees are called "Burners," and they include celebrities, tech moguls, and everyone in between.

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Burning Man has a vast network across the globe, with regional contacts hosting Burning Man-inspired events in six continents. These events are often outdoors and bring together large-scale art installations, just like the real Burning Man.

"Not everybody has the opportunity to get to Black Rock City. But with the Regional Network growing steadily year after year, more and more people around the world will have the opportunity to experience Burning Man culture. And, perhaps, it will change their lives too," the Burning Man website reads.

Check out some of the international Burning Man events that take place across Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America.

Israel's version is called Midburn.

The South Africa version of Burning Man is called AfrikaBurn.

France has a version called Crème Brûlée.

The May 2019 Crème Brûlée brought 550 Burners to a spot by a river in Creuse, at the center of France, for five days of music, art, workshops, yoga, and "the magic and the cuddles."

"For 2019 we promise to put more eggs in it, to double the sugar and to roll you up in the cream," the Facebook event description reads. "The cream must burn ... It's its destiny and our karma!"

Spain has an event called Nowhere.

"It's not a playa, it's a field of dirt," reads the website description for Nowhere, the annual Spanish Burning Man event that takes place "surrounded by rocky mountains in the scorched Spanish wilderness." Attendees are encouraged to construct "an art project, performance project, innovation project, workshop, event, art-car, barrio."

Australia's is known as Burning Seed.

The Burning Seed equivalent of Black Rock City is "Red Earth City." The 2018 event took place in the Matong State Forest of New South Wales, according to the event guide.

New Zealand has Kiwiburn.

Kiwiburn calls itself a "participatory festival" and "collective experience." The 2020 Kiwiburn will take place in January and the theme is "Eclectic Decade." Tickets cost $195, and the event is in Hunterville, about 120 miles from Wellington.

The United Kingdom's version of Burning Man is known as Burning Nest.

Burning Nest calls itself a "community arts & education festival." The 2019 festival took place in a secret location in Devon, England, in May. The location was a private landholding with two lakes as well as "sheltered glades, sculpted gardens, and forested walking trails."

From the beginning, Burning Nest has been a place that welcomes everyone, regardless of income or situation. For more information on Accessible and Low Income Memberships, see our website: https://t.co/xQ2TiOLPW2 pic.twitter.com/9XBJseK6Ox

— Burning Nest (@BurningNest) February 15, 2018

Greece has Pyraegea.

Greece moves Burning Man from the desert to the sea. The 2019 Pyraegea will set sail from the Lefkas Marina into the Aegean Sea in September. The event doesn't operate vessels itself; attendees charter boats themselves or bring their own yachts, and then everyone sails as a fleet.

Denmark has a Burning Man-like event called Borderland.

Borderland — "a collaborative community where we co-create events and gatherings as prototypes for our dreams" — took place most recently in Hedeland, Denmark, in July. The event's website asks: "What is it that separates dream from reality?" and "Can you define the thin line that separates the two?"

Germany has Burning Burg.

The 2019 Burning Burg took place in June. The first regional Burning Man event in Germany in 2008 was set at a rented-out hostel.

In the Netherlands, Burners can attend Where The Sheep Sleep.

Where The Sheep Sleep calls itself a "a massive, immersive, interactive playground that we all build and live in." The four-day event has art installations and performances. The 2019 event began in June and had some delightfully wacky theme camp names, including: Barbie Death Camp, Circus of Life, Pebbles & BamBam, and What Could Possibly Go Wrong.

In Sweden, there's Urban Burn.

Urban Burn calls itself "the very bare bones version of a participatory festival." The 2019 event was at an indoor venue in Stockholm, which attendees were asked to transform into a "mythical landscape" through art.

Japan's version is called Burning Japan.

Burning Japan 2019 takes place this October at Tsumagoi. The theme is "Hidden World."

China's is called Dragon Burn.

The first Dragon Burn took place in 2014. Historically the event lasts four days and is set in the bamboo forests of Anji in Zhejiang. The 2019 event theme was "The Great Offline."