Burning Man has been cancelled but that’s great news for Asia

For the very first time since its inception more than three decades ago, Burning Man is going virtual. The surprising (or not so surprising) news was announced just after its 2020 physical edition was cancelled as a result of the "the painful reality of COVID-19".

"I am not here to tell you we are cancelling Burning Man", Burning Man Project's chief executive Marian Goodwell said in a video statement. "I am going to tell you that we look forward to inviting you to come to the virtual Burning Man."

Originally scheduled from August 30 to September 7 in Nevada's Black Rock Desert, for many, the festival has been too far, too expensive and too extreme to attend. It's also notoriously hard to get tickets with more than 75,000 tickets selling out in less than 30 minutes. Most of us watch from home as the Internet lights up with surreal pictures of the radical festival every September. It hurt the hardcore Burners when the event announced that it would be cancelled, but if there's a silver lining to the cancellation it's that, finally, all the people have never been able to attend the festival have a better shot at experiencing the magic since the event will now go online. It is without saying that this year's theme is greatly helping the organisers to set this new format up: "the multiverse" was meant to explore different worlds, and is now forcing Burning Man's staff to explore a digital one.

Even though the organisers see this unusual arrangement as a "challenge", the latter will clearly open new doors for a more diverse audience. Gone are the overpriced tickets and the geographical borders, people from all over the world will finally be able to experience the Black Rock City's event, and that's great news for Asia.

The festival organizers say they are willing to welcome over 100,000 participants online. While they are still working on the details, they have announced that they will create "some kinds of tickets" and are already welcoming donations.

"We're not sure how it's going to come out. It will likely be messy and awkward with mistakes," the organisers said. "It will also likely be engaging, connective, and fun."

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