Is Burning Man Burning Out? The Burning Man festival, once a beacon of countercultural rebellion and free spirited creativity, has become a cautionary tale about the perils of unchecked growth and commercialization.
Its attendance figures reveal a midlife crisis of sorts, as it struggles to reconcile its anarchic roots with the desires of its increasingly affluent clientele.
Burning Man's transformation from a small gathering on a San Francisco beach in 1986 to a global phenomenon has not been without cost.