To try to define the Burning Man festival would be to miss out on parts of its vital and enchanting essence. Like the old cliché goes, this festival’s experience is about gaining something by giving it away. Of course, no one’s going to pull you up if you don’t free up a little bit of your soul for the collective - however there’s a good chance you’ll just be the one feeling left out. Whether that’s giving away cups of herbal chai to weary wanderers or putting on the most outrageous display of body paint and dancing is up to the individual.

There are no rules or regulations to the party space within the Burning Man festival, but everyone is expected to act in a positive manner, giving something of themselves to help create the theme.

This week long event held at the end of August in Nevada is without question the jewel in the US festival circuit’s summer calendar. Definitely one for the bold, the hip, the outrageous and those seeking to find answers that are truly more than words to today’s deeper questions. What we can tell you about this now legendary event is that it manages to caress the ancient Celtic slash Pagan traditions of the Sun King into a modern day format, cleverly entwining the themes, feelings and motifs of tribal culture with the latest in modern day music, performance art and general out there behaviour. Burning Man is apparently like an acid trip – if you’ve never taken one then it’s impossible to describe.

Tribal body paint burning man