Burning Man is a week long festival in the desert in Nevada. The idea is radical self expression and self reliance. You can't buy anything there, so you have to bring everything you need with you, and there are no garbage cans or drain systems, so you have to pack everything out with you. The festival is entirely run by the participants. There are all different theme camps, running everything from workshops and lectures, to theatrical performances, to bondage parties, and at night it's a giant rave with 6 sound stages. There is art everywhere, and art cars rolling around. There is a lot of fire, and art exhibits are burnt through out the week. There is a giant structure of an effegy of a man, and on the second last night this is burnt in a giant party. There is a big structure called the temple, and this is burnt on the last night. The entire city is deconstructed at the end of the week, and the philosophy is leave no trace. The entire city runs by gift economy. Things are freely given, not sold or traded, and each person is expected to bring some kind of contribution to share. It is very diverse, and there is something for everyone. You pretty much ride around on a bike for a week checking things out, dancing, and watching things burn. There are 60,000 people. If you like festivals, I highly recommend it. I'm also going to Coachella this year, which is a little smaller, and more of a commercial music festival, but also a lot of fun. I've done both festivals sober, and it's still been great.