Burning Man 2018 closed with the burning of the Temple Galaxia, a 65-foot wooden structure that symbolizes how the fabric of the universe connects all living beings. For the burning of the temple, people created memorials for deceased loved ones and past relationships, according to the Reno Gazette Journal. With Burning Man 2019 starting on August 25, Business Insider has compiled answers to some of your most burning questions about Burning Man. Burning Man is an annual, nine-day gathering in the desert that includes artistic performances, installations, and music — but don’t call it a festival. “Burning Man is not a festival. Burning Man is a community. A temporary city. A global cultural movement based on 10 practical principles,” the official website reads. A few of these principles include radical inclusion (“Anyone may be a part of Burning Man”), gifting, decommodification (no money passes hands at the festival), radical self-reliance and self-expression, leaving no trace (“ We are committed to leaving no physical trace of our activities wherever we gather”), and participation.

Burning Man is organized by a non profit