HBO’s Burning Man Documentary Omits the Festival’s Workers

It’s been a precarious decade for Burning Man. The legendary counterculture gathering was canceled two years in a row due to COVID-19 and has yet to recover its record pre-pandemic attendance numbers. In 2023, the indulgent spectacle was marred by sensational headlines about attendees being trapped by torrential downpours that snared vehicles in mud. Moreover, the past decade has seen a parade of negative headlines about Burning Man — including stories of horrific volunteer and a pattern of…