The week-long Burning Man festival officially began Sunday.

While most festival-goers are currently in traffic en route to the "playa," as the desert land is called, some are already there live-tweeting:

Here's the latest on Instagram:

There is also a Burning Man livestream:

Get the latest updates via the official Burning Man Twitter feed.

While the livestream is from fairly far away, here's a closer look at some of what past years have had to offer:

SEE ALSO: This year's Burning Man festival has a frightening theme

MORE: The Burning Man bugs are gone — here's why they probably disappeared

Join the conversation about this story »

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Susan Sarandon has spoken openly about her love of Burning Man and it appears the 68-year-old actress is back for another round of the festival this year.

"These boots were made for Burning Man," she captioned the above photo.

Sarandon has already survived a dust storm:

And tech writer Nellie Bowles even spotted the Oscar winner helping out on the playa during the first day of the week-long festival:

The actress first went to the festival two years ago. After the experience, she spoke to The Daily Beast about why she loved it:

It’s fabulous. I went all around on a Segway and a bicycle, which was great, and even though people sometimes recognized me and said, 'Oh, it’s so cool you’re here!' it wasn’t like walking the streets of New York. The art was amazing. You’ll find fantastical stuff like four-story women, and when the light comes up, a half-naked woman with a parasol. Despite the fact that there was more of a police presence there, it was a lot of fun and I’d definitely go back. 

Sarandon had to opt out of the festival last year because her daughter was due to give birth at any moment. "I don’t think I’d feel very free to indulge if I was waiting for a message to see if she’s gone into labor," she explained.

But when Sarandon is free of responsibility, she told the Beast she definitely lets loose and experiments with drugs:

Well, it’s pretty psychedelic to begin with. But, yeah, I’m not new to the idea of mushrooms. I don’t really like chemical things, really... But I’ve done Ayahuasca [psychedelic tea] and I’ve done mushrooms and things like that. But I like those drugs in the outdoors — I’m not a city-tripper. My attitude about marijuana or anything is, 'Don’t be stoned if you have to pretend you’re not,' so I’d never do drugs if I was taking care of my kids. I like doing it in the Grand Canyon, or in the woods. It does remind you of your space in the universe—your place in the universe—and reframe things for you. I think you can have some very profound experiences.

Sarandon isn't the only Hollywood celebrity to attend Burning Man. Last year, Will Smith was spotted performing a choreographed dance on a Segway in the middle of the desert.

SEE ALSO: Burning Man officially begins — here's the first photos from the playa

MORE: This year's Burning Man festival has a frightening theme

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: The insanely successful and unorthodox life of Google founder Sergey Brin

Each year, thousands of people flock to Nevada to celebrate the annual Burning Man Festival, a weeklong celebration of art, philosophy, education, and social enterprise held in the Black Rock Desert.

Everything from sweltering days and frosty nights to dust storms and even chemical burns await those who do not do their homework before setting out for Black Rock, or "the Playa" as it's known by Burners. 

Though you won't find any WiFi at the festival, the internet is a great resource to plan your adventure. From the official Burning Man Survival Guide to dozens of blogs and Reddit threads, veteran Burners are eager to help newcomers. 

Without their guidance, you might end up a "Sparkle Pony," a term reserved for people who show up completely unprepared for the festival. 

Think you could handle a week at Burning Man? Keep reading to learn everything you'll need to know to spend an exciting week in the desert. 

1. Water — gallons of it

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No water is provided for you on the Playa, so you'll be responsible for bringing your own. Given the heat on the Playa and the elevation in Nevada, the Burning Man Survival Guide recommends one and a half gallons of water per person per day.

2. A cup

To help with staying hydrated, always have a drinking cup handy. "Even if it's only a short walk to the porta-potty you never know how hard it can be to find your way back home,"explains another Redditor. 

3. A photo ID

"Photocopy your ID and stick it to the side of the cup with some nice wide clear tape,"recommends this innovative Redditor. This way, you'll always have it with you. 

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Burning Man 2015 officially started on Sunday.

Even as photos of this year's festival have started trickling onto social media, many are still baffled by what exactly goes on at the week-long event.

Two years ago, I went to Burning Man for the first time.

While I had attended manydifferentfestivalspreviously, Burning Man was unlike anything I had ever seen.

Burning Man, as the website proclaims, is "an annual art event and temporary community based on radical self expression and self-reliance in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada."

The year I attended, so did more than 61,000 other people, many of them in the tech industry. This year, more than 70,000 people are expected — myself included.

While many people go for the full seven days, I previously did only four, so my experience may have been different from that of others. But the beauty of Burning Man is that all attendees can have whatever kind of experience they want.

For me, I loved biking around during the hot desert days looking at all of the beautiful art installations constructed in the middle of nowhere and taking advantage of strangers' generosity by way of wine tastings, zip lines, and fried chicken.

For others, the festival comes alive at night. As the sun goes down, the lights of Black Rock City come up and the pulse of the music keeps people awake until well into the following day.

Since most people who haven't been to Burning Man seem to be confused by what it actually is, here are some photos that sum up my trip two years ago. After a hiatus last year, I'll be heading back to the Burn in a few days, so check Business Insider for full coverage.

Here's what Burning Man is really like >>

SEE ALSO: Burning Man 2015 officially begins — here's the first photos from the playa

MORE: Here's why 68-year-old Susan Sarandon loves going to Burning Man

It all started with this: a cheap leopard suitcase I purchased on the streets of New York City. Everything you bring to Burning Man is at risk of getting seriously dirty or of disappearing. I felt OK sacrificing this.

I packed it full with costumes, sunscreen, sunglasses, flashlights, food, and other items on the official checklist. Everything is in plastic bags to keep it clean from the impending desert dust.

Upon arrival in Reno, Nevada, the closest airport, I hit a Walmart to grab last-minute necessities such as jugs of water. Walmart was clearly prepared for all of the "Burners" driving from Reno.

Burning Man devotees dreaming of a permanent city will have to keep looking for someone to bankroll the project. 

Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who had been rumored to have toured an investment property that could host a permanent Burning Man community, has not in fact visited the property, according to a Tesla spokesperson. 

Musk and Google co-founder Sergey Brin were both cited in a recent New York magazine report that said the two were rumored to have toured a 4,000 acre property in Northern Nevada where organizers of the Burning Man festival hoped to create a permanent community.

"Elon has not toured this property," a Tesla spokesperson said in an email. 

Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur who founded SpaceX and is the CEO of electric car maker Tesla, is a regular attendee at the week-long Burning Man festival. The annual festival in Nevada's Black Rock desert attracts artists, nudists and partiers, and began this week. 

The "Burning Many Fly Ranch city" is envisioned as a mix of homes and communal spaces built to blend into the desert where the Burning Man principles of “radical inclusion” and “gifting” would be the law of the land year-round. 

SEE ALSO: I went to Burning Man and it was even crazier than I expected

Join the conversation about this story »

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There is no other festival quite like Burning Man. 

Held for a week each summer in the middle of Nevada's Black Rock Desert, Burning Man is a temporary installation where participants can imagine and build their ideal society. 

There's no cell service or internet, money doesn't work there, and artists spend months building enormous pieces that they only intend to burn down by the end of the week. 

Writer and photographer NK Guy first made the trip to Burning Man in 1998, hoping that the festival would make for a great stop on a summer road trip. 

"In many ways I was totally unprepared for what I'd encounter," Guy told Business Insider in an email. "It was like visiting a foreign country that you'd seen on a postcard — both familiar yet completely surreal. I felt I'd been transported to an alien planet, or to a movie set where the cameras aren't turning."

He's gone back to photograph the event every year since then. Guy has compiled many of his photos in a book called "Art of Burning Man," published by Taschen in August. 

He shared some of his favorite shots from the book with Business Insider. 

SEE ALSO: I went to Burning Man and it was even crazier than I expected

The Black Rock Desert, situated in a dry lakebed in Nevada, makes for an extremely dramatic backdrop.

Here, a group of burners paddle a rowboat near a pier that was constructed in a throwback to the area's past. A Spanish galleon is docked at the far end of the pier. "You can go from a brilliant golden sunrise to scorching intense heat at lunchtime to a choking dust storm in the afternoon to a pink desert twilight to intensely dark night – all within the space of a day," Guy said. 

As you might imagine, photographing Burning Man comes with a daunting set of challenges.

"Dust storms are horrific to breathe in, and not great for fragile camera gear ... You can't drive in your car, so I had to carry around my equipment, including heavy tripods, by bike and foot," Guy said. "If the dust weren't bad enough, I've had years where a third of my shots were blank frames because the heat had melted the foam bumpers in my camera's shutter."

Though many people now travel to Burning Man for the parties, Guy's focus has always been the art produced for the event.

"Burning Man is one of the few places on Earth other than private homes and some religious institutions where nothing, including the art, can be bought or sold. The fact that the art isn't driven by commercial imperatives frees artists to take their work in very interesting directions," Guy said. Cupcake cars created by the "Acme Muffineering Team" certainly fit the bill.

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Debauchery, giant flaming edifices, dusty palazzo pants, and … children?!

When one thinks of the art-sex-drug-desert festival that is Burning Man, kids are not the first things that come to mind. However, there have been children at every Burning Man since its inception in 1986, and the parents who take their kids there have varying reasons for doing so.

As someone who can barely manage parenting in a city with every amenity at my fingertips, I can’t imagine taking my child to the desert for anything, much less a weeklong art party. When you throw in the fact that my kid bursts into tears at the sight of the Robot Dance Party dude, the deal is sealed: We are never going to be a Burner Family.

Nonetheless, there is a large contingent of people who brave dust storms, exposure to public sex acts, and possible dehydration with their kids at Black Rock City in Nevada each year in the name of art. Or partying.

Is Burning Man a huge art installation, a social experiment, or simply a giant rave? The people who get behind the first two concepts are the ones who believe strongly in bringing their children to the Burn. They pack up their Suburbans, slather on sunscreen, and outfit their kids in tiny wildebeest costumes.

“This will always be a family-friendly event,” Burning Man employee Jim Graham stated on NPR recently. Based on their principle of radical inclusion, Burning Man officials “enthusiastically welcome children of all ages to Black Rock City.”

Since the festival is an experiment in freedom and creative expression, there are very few rules and restrictions related to parenting on the playa, as long as you understand that you alone are legally responsible for your children.

So, bring your kids, they say, as long as you’re willing to supervise them yourself. But please, don’t bring your dog.

Most of the parents I talked to waited until their kids were at least five years old before they took them to Burning Man, but San Francisco mom Mata Smith took her baby when he was five months old. She’s been bringing him back ever since – this year will be the two-year-old’s third round.

For that first Burn-with-a-babe, she drove an air-conditioned RV with a full kitchen. It was an uneventful week despite the fact that “people there who see a baby or a small child act like they’ve never seen one before in their lives,” Smith says.

I suppose it could be pretty weird, when you’re skipping around dressed like a deranged version of your child self, to see an actual kid.

Another Burner parent, David Klaus, who has taken his kids (who are now 10 and 12 years old) to Burning Man five times told me, “I wanted my children to see a world without money and commerce and where wealth is not a barrier to connection. I wanted them to see big art and to meet outlandish and wonderful people. I wanted them to dress up in fabulous outfits and to be treated like little rock stars, which is the way it is for kids out there.”

It does sound like Burning Man is a non-stop Halloween party for children, where they receive gifts and get rides on art cars galore. So if your child is not totally overstimulated by such things, maybe this would be their jam.

Burning Man is the kind of all-encompassing experience where you can go the entire week immersing your family in art installations of towering magnitude. And you certainly don’t need drugs to enjoy the extreme costuming or massive fireworks displays.

It’s also a community event, where people meet up year after year to perform important life rituals. Family reunions, weddings, and memorials all happen at the festival. If you want your child to be a part of these big events in your life, you’ve got to brave the shirt-cocking dude and getting some dust in their lungs.

If you’re starting to feel like you might have a Burner Kid on your hands, there are a few things that could make the trip a little better. There is an enclosed camping area for families called Kidsville, where each child is issued an ID bracelet so you don’t lose your progeny forever in a maze sculpture.

Kidsville offers activities such as Mini Burning Man, choo choo train art cars that take your tot on a tour of the playa, and a more structured environment from the no-rules campsites surrounding it.

There is also a program called Black Rock Scouts that hosts “playa-cational field trips, events, and volunteer opportunities.”

The scouts get patches for each task they master, such as good deeds, safety lessons, and survival skills. If the Big One ever hits, it may be useful to have a child who can fashion you a dwelling out of dirt and Red Bull cans, so consider signing them up.

You should also read the detailed Family Survival Guide, which includes a bevy of helpful information, such as “Talk to your children about common-sense safety, like not looking into the mouth of a fire-breathing dragon.”

Burning Man sounds like the ultimate environment to teach your children the values of intense self-sufficiency and survivalism (although I’m hoping I can invest the same in my child by standing in the bread line at Tartine with her at 4:30 p.m.).

Many of the parents I spoke to mentioned that they’ve seen the occasional stressed-out, exhausted little kid who looked poorly attended, but this seems to be the exception to the rule. Most people who take their kids to Burning Man are seeking to share an experience they love and consider sacred with their family, rather than going to a place to offload their kids while they party.

Apparently, it can be a bit of a trip to be pregnant at Burning Man. A friend of mine attended last year, visibly with child.

She and her fellow-pregnant friend were putting henna on their bellies when two girls approached them and asked, “We have some kittens and you appear to be lactating … would you consider breastfeeding them?”

It was just the kind of absurdly awesome scenario one might expect from Burning Man, and despite being quite possibly the weirdest question ever asked a pregnant person, it sort of made my friend’s week.

Children 12 and under are free, so if you’re convinced, there’s still time to add your kid like a little stowaway on your art car.

Just don’t forget the mini dust masks.

SEE ALSO: I went to Burning Man and it was even crazier than I expected

Join the conversation about this story »

Larry Harvey, the founder of the annual Burning Man festival that is currently taking place in the Nevada desert, thinks he knows why there is not more diversity at the event. He shared his thoughts on this at a press conference during this year's festival.

"I see black people! And they're here. Though I got a lot of criticism for once saying, 'Well I don't think black people like to camp," Harvey said. "There are some historic reasons for that, especially in the United States."

Harvey elaborated on this comment in an interview with The Guardian's Steven Thrasher, which was published on Friday. 

"Remember a group that was enslaved and made to work. Slavishly, you know in the fields. This goes all the way back to the Caribbean scene, when the average life of a slave in the fields was very short. And, so, there's that background, that agrarian poverty associated with things. Maybe your first move isn’t to go camping. Seriously," Harvey explained.

Harvey also described a moment where he was criticized for sharing this view. He said it came when festival organizers spoke with a consultant who "was black, and lesbian, and she had a niche in the nonprofit world, because they're always trying to check off those boxes, in terms of quotas."

"At a certain point, she made a speech which was pro forma, which I didn't know was the speech she always made, about the racial question. I said 'Well, I don't think black folks like to camp as much as white folks!' And she said 'You son of a b----!'" Harvey recounted.

Thrasher pointed out that an annual Burning Man census showed the event is 87% white and just 1.3% black. He said this is especially interesting since "the first of the festival's 10 principles is 'racial inclusion.'"

Harvey noted his ex-wife and children are all African-American. He said he brought them to the festival and hopes it will cause others to follow.

"I have contributed. Because, my stepson and my stepdaughter and my ex-wife are here," said Harvey.

Though he said he wants the event to become more diverse, Harvey argued it is "a little much to expect the organization to solve the problem of racial parity" in the press conference. 

At the end of his interview with Thrasher, Harvey expressed a wish that his comments won't offend anyone.

"I hope I haven't said anything too incendiary," he said.

Harvey also discussed concerns about Silicon Valley executives setting up luxury encampments at the event in the interview. You can read the full story here.

SEE ALSO: Antitax crusader Grover Norquist says he's going back to Burning Man — with a surprising guest

Join the conversation about this story »

Burning Man 2015 officially started on Sunday.

Even as photos of this year's festival have started trickling onto social media, many are still baffled by what exactly goes on at the week-long event.

Two years ago, I went to Burning Man for the first time.

While I had attended manydifferentfestivalspreviously, Burning Man was unlike anything I had ever seen.

Burning Man, as the website proclaims, is "an annual art event and temporary community based on radical self expression and self-reliance in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada."

The year I attended, so did more than 61,000 other people, many of them in the tech industry. This year, more than 70,000 people are expected — myself included.

While many people go for the full seven days, I previously did only four, so my experience may have been different from that of others. But the beauty of Burning Man is that all attendees can have whatever kind of experience they want.

For me, I loved biking around during the hot desert days looking at all of the beautiful art installations constructed in the middle of nowhere and taking advantage of strangers' generosity by way of wine tastings, zip lines, and fried chicken.

For others, the festival comes alive at night. As the sun goes down, the lights of Black Rock City come up and the pulse of the music keeps people awake until well into the following day.

Since most people who haven't been to Burning Man seem to be confused by what it actually is, here are some photos that sum up my trip two years ago. After a hiatus last year, I'll be heading back to the Burn in a few days, so check Business Insider for full coverage.

Here's what Burning Man is really like >>

SEE ALSO: Burning Man 2015 officially begins — here's the first photos from the playa

MORE: Here's why 68-year-old Susan Sarandon loves going to Burning Man

It all started with this: a cheap leopard suitcase I purchased on the streets of New York City. Everything you bring to Burning Man is at risk of getting seriously dirty or of disappearing. I felt OK sacrificing this.

I packed it full with costumes, sunscreen, sunglasses, flashlights, food, and other items on the official checklist. Everything is in plastic bags to keep it clean from the impending desert dust.

Upon arrival in Reno, Nevada, the closest airport, I hit a Walmart to grab last-minute necessities such as jugs of water. Walmart was clearly prepared for all of the "Burners" driving from Reno.

Susan Sarandon has spoken openly about her love of Burning Man and it appears the 68-year-old actress is back for another round of the festival this year.

"These boots were made for Burning Man," she captioned the above photo.

Sarandon has already survived a dust storm:

And tech writer Nellie Bowles even spotted the Oscar winner helping out on the playa during the first day of the week-long festival:

The actress first went to the festival two years ago. After the experience, she spoke to The Daily Beast about why she loved it:

It’s fabulous. I went all around on a Segway and a bicycle, which was great, and even though people sometimes recognized me and said, 'Oh, it’s so cool you’re here!' it wasn’t like walking the streets of New York. The art was amazing. You’ll find fantastical stuff like four-story women, and when the light comes up, a half-naked woman with a parasol. Despite the fact that there was more of a police presence there, it was a lot of fun and I’d definitely go back. 

Sarandon had to opt out of the festival last year because her daughter was due to give birth at any moment. "I don’t think I’d feel very free to indulge if I was waiting for a message to see if she’s gone into labor," she explained.

But when Sarandon is free of responsibility, she told the Beast she definitely lets loose and experiments with drugs:

Well, it’s pretty psychedelic to begin with. But, yeah, I’m not new to the idea of mushrooms. I don’t really like chemical things, really... But I’ve done Ayahuasca [psychedelic tea] and I’ve done mushrooms and things like that. But I like those drugs in the outdoors — I’m not a city-tripper. My attitude about marijuana or anything is, 'Don’t be stoned if you have to pretend you’re not,' so I’d never do drugs if I was taking care of my kids. I like doing it in the Grand Canyon, or in the woods. It does remind you of your space in the universe—your place in the universe—and reframe things for you. I think you can have some very profound experiences.

Sarandon isn't the only Hollywood celebrity to attend Burning Man. Last year, Will Smith was spotted performing a choreographed dance on a Segway in the middle of the desert.

SEE ALSO: Burning Man officially begins — here's the first photos from the playa

MORE: This year's Burning Man festival has a frightening theme

Join the conversation about this story »

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Burning Man, an art festival in the Nevada desert, is winding down but singer Katy Perry is enjoying her first trip there right now. She seems to be there just for fun, not to perform. Last August she tweeted that she regretted not attending the event: "Wish I was at burning man getting all counter cultured out right now."

On Sunday Perry posted a video on Instagram of her on a segway-looking contraption, riding around in circles in the middle of a dust storm. The dust storm is so bad she and the fellow burners in the clip have scarves up covering their faces.

Burning Man began on August 30 and ends on September 7. Perry isn't the only celebrity and big-name to attend the festival. Billionaires Elon Musk and Sergey Brin famously love it, as well as Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz. Mark Zuckerberg even helicoptered in once to see what Burning Man was all about.

Here's Perry's video. "Obvious first time burner alert," she posted.

🔥🚨obvious first time burner alert🚨🔥

A video posted by KATY PERRY (@katyperry) on Sep 6, 2015 at 1:10am PDT

To see what Burning Man is all about, check out: I went to Burning Man and it was even crazier than I expected >>

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With Burning Man coming to a close on Monday, many celebrities are sharing their memories from the festival on social media.

Katy Perry attended Burning Man for the first time this year. "Obvious first time burner alert" she captioned this video of herself trying to ride a Segway:

She probably should have paid closer attention to her dad's lesson:

Perry's final post was a video of "the man" burning to the ground on Saturday night. "When u hand burning man the aux chord," she wrote about this post:

Derek Blasberg posted this photo of model Karlie Kloss "wigging out":

Singer Cassie posted this photo of her boyfriend Diddy, "My sunshine on a cloudy day":

And "That forever kind of friend," model Poppy Delevingne:

"Playa lovin'" she captioned this photo:

But not even celebs like Cassie are immune to dust storm whiteout weather conditions:

Luckily, it cleared up soon:

Model Suki Waterhouse went to the festival and stayed in an RV:

She captioned this photo "Playa shiz."

On Monday she recalled: "Damn this sandwich was good."

And "Right where i want to be."

Leonardo DiCaprio's model-actress girlfriend, Kelly Rohrbach, posted one photo with the caption: "burn baby burn":

Australian model Shanina Shaik showed off many of her outfits:

 Her boyfriend DJ Ruckus was there, too.

DJ Ruckus later posted: "I think I'm a Photogragher these days! A beautiful shot of my baby @shaninamshaik in the desert #playabird #burningman2015"

Jared Leto was there and posted this video with the caption "Mind on Fire":

But Susan Sarandon may have had the best Burning Man.

She rode this adorable bike:

Danced the night away "with the gypsy musicians in Pussycat Lounge at Burningman":

Survived the dust storms:

And carried the ashes of Timothy Leary, "the father of LSD," to a church-like structure called the "Totem of Confessions."

"Getting ready for the big night," she captioned the below photo. "The procession to the Totem of Confessions with Timothy Learys ashes."

"I think he'd be so happy. I think he would have loved the chaos [of Burning Man]. He would have loved it," Sarandon told USA Today. "And all these people honoring him with LSD."

SEE ALSO: Here's why 68-year-old Susan Sarandon loves going to Burning Man

MORE: I went to Burning Man and it was even crazier than I expected

Join the conversation about this story »

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I just spent four days with 70,000 people at Burning Man in the Black Rock Desert, a remote part of Nevada.

There is no power grid and no running water, yet during this week Black Rock City emerges out of the dust to become the 10th-largest city in Nevada. Despite reports that the festival is losing its edge as wealthy tech titans like Elon Musk, Sergey Brin, and Mark Zuckerberg erect fancy luxury camps, I can report that this year's festival was as wild as ever.

Much like when I first attended two years ago, I saw plenty of nudity, free hugs and massages, attractions like human petting zoos, dozens of weddings and memorial ceremonies, world-class DJs playing on Vegas-style sound systems at all hours of the day and night, buses and tractors turned into party yachts, fire-breathing dragons and other outrageous "art cars," people climbing on giant art installations, and generous offerings of food and alcohol to strangers.

This year also saw unseasonably bad dust storms and freezing temperatures, but that didn't stop 70,000 attendees from having the time of their lives.

SEE ALSO: Tons of models and celebrities just returned from Burning Man and are sharing their personal photos

Many journeys to Burning Man start in Reno, Nevada, where groups meet to pick up vehicles and friends.

But Burning Man officially begins three hours from Reno at the gates of Black Rock City, where vehicles wait in lines of traffic before they can be admitted.

Each car is searched by a Burning Man organizer to make sure you aren't sneaking anyone in. While your car is searched, everyone inside must wait outside and get their tickets scanned.

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When it's nearly 100 degrees in the middle of the Nevada desert, clothing is limited, and sometimes even optional at Burning Man — "an annual art event and temporary community based on radical self expression in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada."

But for those who do choose to wear clothing, it's all about the costumes. The ornate outfits have become a huge part of the festival.

Bikinis, body paint, tutus, masks, headdresses, wigs, floral crowns, and feathers — it's all there. Often all worn at once.

Check out some of the best outfits from this year's festival...

SEE ALSO: I just spent 4 days at Burning Man and here are the craziest things I saw

Burning Man is famous for its colorful costumes worn by attendees.

Women go all out.

So do the men.

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On Wednesday, August 26, a buddy of mine by the name of Brooks Hassig arrived in the "playa," the stretch of Nevada desert that's been host to the Burning Man festival for over 20 years. 

His goals: to build a camp, officiate a few weddings, and summon lightning bolts.

Luckily, Brooks brought a camera with him.

This is what he saw.

It was Brooks's second time at Burning Man. "I like to get caught in the windstorms and have anything go wrong and fix it all," he tells Tech Insider.

A 27-year-old graphic designer who lives in the Bay Area, he came to the Playa as a techno-futurist version of the Norse god Thor.

Fittingly enough, he found a lightning bolt. "I maintain that I summoned that art with my Thor hammer," he says.

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Two years ago, I went to the Burning Man festival for the first time. The weather then was perfect — clear blue skies and 90-degree temperatures in the dry Nevada desert feels amazing, and there were none of the much hyped dust storms that I had prepared for by packing goggles, masks, and scarves.

Last year it rained early on in the festival, which was actually a blessing because it limited the dust throughout the weekend.

But the weather at this year's Burning Man was a different story.

The festival nearly came to a standstill on Friday as strong gusts of wind prompted intense dust storms that lasted throughout the day. While we did see blue skies other days, it was usually in pockets between whiteouts.

SEE ALSO: I just got back from Burning Man, and here's what I saw

MORE: The costumes at Burning Man are beyond over-the-top, wild, and crazy

Burning Man is held in the Black Rock Desert, a remote part of Nevada.

While this year's festival did see some blue skies ...

... it also saw an incredible amount of dust.

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Jasmine Burroughs went to Burning Man in Black Rock City, Nevada to collect video of all the must-see attractions from this year's festivities. If you want to see what you missed this year or work on your checklist for next year — here are all the things you have to check out at Burning Man.

Produced by Devan Joseph. Video courtesy of Jasmine Burroughs.

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There are many different ways to do Burning Man.

While wealthy tech titans like Elon Musk, Sergey Brin, and Mark Zuckerberg erect fancy luxury camps in advance, many others arrive to the playa with no plan and pitch their tents where they find space.

But "fancy camps," as they're called, have become more prevalent in recent years.

One camp this year was especially buzzed about because of its celebrity clientele that included many models and actress Susan Sarandon. Despite perks like a private chef, the glamorous campers still had to use an outhouse.

Check out one fancy camp at this year's Burning Man...

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While most camps at Burning Man are a random mix of tents, yurts, and RVs....

With living room-like gathering tents like this...

There's also the occasional "fancy camps" that offer incredible communal areas.

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Burning Man this year had terrible dust storms throughout the week.

Produced by Aly Weisman and Adam Banicki

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Unlike the world outside the gates of Burning Man, the annual weeklong festival operates as a gifting society.

According to one of the The 10 Principles of Burning Man, the festival "is devoted to acts of gift giving. The value of a gift is unconditional. Gifting does not contemplate a return or an exchange for something of equal value."

While the idea sounds lovely, it also means that festival-goers must come prepared with whatever they need because there's no corner store to pick up a forgotten toothbrush, extra food, or goggles to fight dust storms.

But there are two luxuries that attendees can buy — ice and coffee.

Inside Center Camp Café— a popular, centrally located social hub — people can wait in long lines to get their caffeine fix.

Once you make your way to the front of the line, you can choose between hot or iced coffee, tea, and lemonade, which will all put you back $3.

If you want an iced chai, however, you better be prepared to shell out $4.

Abuse and advice are free, but baristas are usually so busy they barely have time to make pleasantries.

A fresh iced coffee is pretty priceless when you're in the middle of the desert and running on little sleep.

And it's good coffee, too.

Many people grab one of the local Burning Man newspapers and read it as they sip their coffee under the acre of shaded tents of Center Camp.

When you're done with your coffee, any excess liquid is poured into this bin and cups are stabbed onto poles to make sure there is no garbage floating around.

At Burning Man, everything you bring into the desert festival must also come back out — including any liquids like coffee, tea, and even dirty dish and shower water.

The Center Camp Café also offers a wide open space for people to practice yoga. It's an especially popular place in the mornings.

"The Café is the single largest volunteer community on the playa," according to the Burning Man website. "The construction, coffee shop, performance events, clean up, art, decor and lighting of this amazing space rely on the devoted efforts from hundreds of volunteers."

Other than coffee and tea, ice is the only other luxury available for purchase. A rarity in the desert, ice allows attendees to "keep your food, beverages, and heads cool during the long hot desert days, as well as putting an icy tinkle in your evening cocktails,"boasts the site.

Also available at Center Camp, the proceeds from ice sales go "directly to Gerlach-area charities and community groups."

While purchasing a coffee means you also buy a cup, gifting beverages outside of Center Camp works a little differently.

A common gift throughout the playa is alcohol, as long as you show an ID to prove you're 21 years old and can provide your own cup.

People set up free bars that serve specialty drinks like pickle back shots:

Other gifts include things like freshly cut watermelon:

Or fried chicken:

Gifts can also come in the form of an experience. Many camps set up activities for festival-goers to participate in, like human Hungry, Hungry Hippos:

Or a gym:

"When gifting is the currency, rather than money or bartering, a strong sense of community evolves," one veteran burner explained to Festpop. "Think about how you feel when you receive an unconditional gift. You feel an instant connection to that person, and a sense of gratitude."

In 2014, North American companies reportedly spent $1.23 billion to sponsor music venues, festivals, and tours.

But not Burning Man.

According to the third principle of the festival: "In order to preserve the spirit of gifting, our community seeks to create social environments that are unmediated by commercial sponsorships, transactions, or advertising. We stand ready to protect our culture from such exploitation. We resist the substitution of consumption for participatory experience."

SEE ALSO: I just got back from Burning Man and here's what I saw

MORE: Here's what the inside of a 'fancy celebrity camp' at Burning Man looks like

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NOW WATCH: All of the must-see things at Burning Man this year