The beautiful man stood 60 ft tall in the middle of it all.
The playa is full of art installations…but you have to find them. The images below are some of the beautiful pieces I discovered. This years theme was about mirrors and masks, mazes and merger. It will be a kind of magic show that takes the form of an old-fashioned carnival. This Carnival of Mirrors asks three essential questions: within our media-saturated world, where products and people, consumption and communion morph into an endlessly diverting spectacle, who is the trickster, who is being tricked, and how might we discover who we really are?
In order by image 1. Brainchild by Michael Christian 2. Giant Kaleidoscope by David Abraham & David Fradkin 3. Mars Molecule by Mario Martinez 4. R-Evolution by Marco Cochrane 5. Axayacoatl by Capra J‘neva, Firebulb 6. Penny the Goose by Mr and Mrs Ferguson 7. Bismuth Bivouac by Jonathan Leung 8. Totem of Confessions by Michael Garlington 9. LOVE by Alexandr Milov 10. “DREAM“ by Laura Kimpton and Jeff Schomberg
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While Burning Man embodies many great things, from a celebration of temporary community among humans, an exhibition of amazing and innovative grand-scale art… some of the best parties also happen to take place here. I was able to catch Skrillex playing for Robot Heart one morning. I also happened to be a member of the Disco Knights camp which had a stellar line up of DJs that included Dyed Soundorom, Seth Troxler, Jamie Jones, & more playing every morning. Pink Mammoth, Distrikt & Celtic Chaos were my favorite daytime party destinations. I partied less this year due to the cold weather & dust storms but I was able to catch a few amazing sets.
Im not sure If I will return to Burning Man next year just because I want to travel more, but Im glad I was able to experience a full week on the playa with both old and new friends. The weather stopped me from exploring more but even so I still got to see & experience so many beautiful things, and that alone made it all worth it.
© 2026 Wander with Jill