Burning Man confirms two people died during 2026 festival
Two men, one in their 50s and the other in his 60s, are confirmed to have died while attending last week's festival in Black Rock Desert, Nevada
Two people are confirmed to have died during this year's Burning Man, the festival team has confirmed.
Burning Man returned to the Black Rock Desert, Nevada, for its 40th edition on August 30 and is reported to have welcomed over 70,000 attendees to the site across its run, which officially concluded on September 7.
On Friday (September 4), the Burning Man Project - which is the official communication team for the festival - confirmed that an attendee in his mid-50s had suffered a "medical emergency", and despite the best efforts of the festival's emergency care centre, he later passed away. "The participant’s name will not be released until his family has been notified," the statement adds.
A day later, on Saturday (September 5), the Burning Man Project confirmed that a second attendee, 60-year-old Craigh Mann, had been found dead "by campmates in his camp" at approximately 3:PM. "Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the participant’s family, friends, campmates, and all those affected by this loss," the Burning Man Project wrote.
As reported by SF Gate, another attendee was injured after falling from a 55-foot-tall "nest" structure at the Square One camp at around 6:PM on Tuesday (September 1); witnesses report seeing the man fall from "near the top" of the structure and land on a "metal crossbar, appearing to hit his head, ribs and hip."
The publication reports that the rescue "proved challenging" for workers, who had to climb the structure in order to provide medical treatment, later requiring a construction vehicle with an aerial platform to enter the site and take him for further assistance on a gurney.
Megan Townsend is Mixmag's Deputy Editor, get in touch with her here.
