Did you know that Burning Man originated in the year 1986 with only 20 participants? The annual festival was originally held at Baker Beach in San Francisco in honor of the Summer Solstice. Larry Harvey developed the event concept and constructed the wooden man figure along with Jerry James. The size of the crowd at the inaugural edition doubled as the figure was ignited.
The following year, the festival attracted 80 participants and the man more than doubled in size from eight to 20 feet. In 1990, the police stepped in and banned burning the man on the beach, which led to the move of the festival to its present day location in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada. By this time, the size of the event grew to several hundred participants.
Today, the festival draws over 60,000 guests and continues to grow every year. The following photos courtesy of the Huffington Post provide a glimpse into some of the earlier years of the Burn, and are featured in the upcoming documentary “Spark: A Burning Man Story” about Burning Man’s evolution over the last 27 years.
Baker Beach arrival, 1989.
Raising the Man, 1989.
Assembling the Man, 1989.
Loading Seven Sections on Seven Pickups, 1989.
Drummer, Black Rock Pre-Burn, 1990.
Black Rock Pioneer Burners, 1990.
Larry and Crimson, Pre-Burn, 1998.
Watch the trailer for "Spark: A Burning Man Story," which will be out in theaters this weekend:
Click here for the original Huffington Post article.
Header image courtesy of Reuters/Jim Urquhart