Imagine a setting worthy of Mad Max, but filled with high-tech art installations. This is what the landscape of Burning Man looks like, the American art and counterculture festival that every year builds—and immediately afterward destroys—an entire city in the middle of the Nevada desert to host the event. Now, however, Brazil is joining the lineup, hosting its own annual edition of the festival: Tropical Burn.
The festival is not designed for mere spectators, but rather for active participants who help shape the event through collective building. The temporary city blends art, theme camps, costumes, music, and performances. On the final day, everything is burned; the event famously leaves no trace.
The Brazilian festival will take place from June 20 to 24, 2019, on a beach in Rio Grande do Norte. The Tropical Burn Association, the organization behind the event, has not yet revealed the exact location, but has disclosed that it is 112 km from Natal (RN) and 111 km from João Pessoa (PB).
Beyond Nevada, Burning Man has regional events across every other continent. Argentina is the only other Latin American country to host the festival, holding its first edition in 2016 with around 300 participants—a stark contrast to the 70,000 who attended the latest edition of the main event.
"Divine Mother" Theme
This year's theme promises both inspiration and abstraction, centered around the premise of the "Divine Mother." "The female womb is the place where all existence is generated. It is where each of us had our beginning. Thus begins the journey of Tropical Burn, a new story in a New Age, where feminine energy pulses positively within Mother Earth and nourishes the entire Cosmos," the organizers stated.
Under this theme, there are three different ways to participate: as an artist, with a theme camp, or as a volunteer.
For the first option, the goal is to think outside the box and present an art project to the public—since attendees must select a project to support when purchasing their tickets. For the theme camps, the aim is to create sensory experiences through music, gastronomy, or entertainment. The final option grants access to all experiences but includes certain responsibilities related to the logistics of the festival itself.
Information regarding ticket prices, attractions, and scheduling will be released soon on the official website.
Via Haus
This article was written by Aléxia Saraiva. The translation is powered by AI.
