Entertainment

What it's like to go to Burning Man with your 60-year-old dad

Madison Malone Kircher

2015-09-11T17:48:00Z

This year over 70,000 people traveled to Black Rock City, Nevada, to celebrate the annual Burning Man Festival.

Among this year's Burners? My 22-year-old friend and her 60-year-old father.

In case you're not familiar with the event, Burning Man is a week long festival of art, education, and social enterprise, celebrated in the desert, or "the Playa."

It's also known for insane raves, mind-altering drugs, and no shortage of body-positive nudity.

Not exactly an event most 22-year-olds would think to attend with their fathers.

"It was a really joyous thing to do together as a family," my friend told TI about the festival. "I felt such a replenishing of my soul and it was just great to be able to feel that with my dad there."

Keep reading to learn more about what it's like to attend Burning Man with your dad.

Everyone at Burning Man goes by a Playa name, a nickname or alternate persona to be used throughout the festival. In the desert, my friend was known as "Artichoke," a vegetable she identifies with for its "loving, nerdy, literary, erotic, and architectural," qualities.

Her father, a tax-attorney by trade, went with something a little more serious. He chose "Disregarded Entity," an IRS term, as his Playa name.

"Disregarded Entity is actually abbreviated as 'DRE,' so of course we shortened dad's name to "Dr. Dre" for the trip," Artichoke told Tech Insider.

adding to the bucket list ✔️ #burningman #needtogo #nevada

A photo posted by @anastasiakour on Sep 11, 2015 at 8:31am PDTSep 11, 2015 at 8:31am PDT

"I come from a pretty artsy bunch of people," Artichoke told TI about convincing her dad to go to Burning Man. "My parents lived in San Francisco in the '70s, so my dad was actually really into the idea."

"Dad was gleeful about the trip, but he didn’t necessarily tell everyone at work that he was packing up and heading into the desert," Artichoke joked.

Burning Man 2015 35 — Artichoke, Dr. Dre, and some Burner friends. Courtesy of R. Watson

Before the festival, Artichoke and Dr. Dre did some shopping for Burning Man appropriate attire. Here's a look at the kinds of wild outfits people wear on the Playa.

"We both wound up rocking a lot of harem pants," Artichoke told TI. "Dad also got this groovy crocheted vest that I thought made him look like a 'trippy hobbit.'"

Burning Man 2015 74 — Artichoke hanging on an art installation. Courtesy of Rudi Dundas Photography

Artichoke also picked up a pair of bunny ears to complete her desert look. "My Playa persona was a rabbit," she told TI. "Artichoke the Rabbit."

Burning Man 2015 77 — Artichoke the Rabbit on the Playa. Courtesy of Rudi Dundas Photography

Once outfitted, Artichoke and her dad were ready to hit the road. Traffic getting into Black Rock City can be intense, but the duo lucked out on their trip, Artichoke said.

On the Playa, they also met up with Artichoke's aunt. Check our her awesome license plate, a tribute to her Playa name, "Dusty Diva."

When they arrived, the desert dust was almost overwhelming, Artichoke said. Goggles and face masks were a must.

On their way into Black Rock City, Artichoke and her dad were greeted with hugs from some totally nude Burners.

Sometimes words get in the way of feeling the emotions that are our truth. This past week I went to what I thought was a festival and learned it was an exploration inside my being. An expansion in intimacy...into me you see...spaces had been missing for me in the world of intimacy and I didn't see it until it showed up in the form of multiple human beings who were here to show me. One of them I fell in love with is this #brother and we spent the week exploring humanity and having a blast giving love to the people we met on the playa. This beautiful man. I realized in the infinite deliciousness of the intimacy spectrum I had 4 speeds: Acquantance, friend, kin (#family or chosen family) and sex. And that's like eating 4 types of food your whole life. Now I see how being #present in the #moment makes the path of intimacy so delicious and amazing. I get what I'm looking for along the way to where I think this person would be "categorized". It brings me to tears of joy how beautiful this feeling is and the #possibilities that are arising. So #grateful. Lots of #love and #intimacy to you #burningman #burningman2015 #nomad #nomadlife

A photo posted by Nadav Wilf (@nadavyluv) on Sep 11, 2015 at 9:26am PDTSep 11, 2015 at 9:26am PDT

They both took a pass on stripping down and rolling in the dust themselves, as many Burning Man first-timers, or "virgins," often do.

#fbf one week ago. If you're gonna get stuck in a sandstorm, choose your company wisely. #burningman #carnivalofmirrors @thenarwahl

A photo posted by Emil Bergh (@neongrape) on Sep 11, 2015 at 8:30am PDTSep 11, 2015 at 8:30am PDT

After setting up camp, Artichoke and Dr. Dre headed to the "Opulent Temple," for a rave.

How about that White Wednesday at #burningman #blackrockcity #opulenttemple #opulenttempleisinteractive #opulenttemplewhiteparty #whiteparty #burningman2015

A photo posted by Opulent Temple (@opulenttemple) on Sep 9, 2015 at 6:56pm PDTSep 9, 2015 at 6:56pm PDT

"There was a awesome mix of costumes, from full nudity to floor length fur coats, and all these lights and pyrotechnics," Artichoke said. "We danced like crazy people."

📷 irdeep #opulenttemple #opulenttemplewhiteparty #opulenttempleisinteractive #burningman #burningman2015 #whiteparty

A photo posted by Opulent Temple (@opulenttemple) on Sep 9, 2015 at 6:58pm PDTSep 9, 2015 at 6:58pm PDT

Artichoke also found plenty of time to adventure the Playa on her own.

"We struck a great balance between shared family time and my own time," Artichoke said. "Plus, dad and my aunt slept a lot more than I did."

Burning Man 2015 41 — Art installation on the Playa. Courtesy of R Watson

No money is needed at Burning Man, Artichoke explained. Black Rock City operates on a "gifting economy," where Burners use token gifts, meals, and even hugs, in lieu of currency.

Artichoke is an artist, so she drew portraits as gifts for other Burners.

For more on Artichoke's artwork, check her out on Instagram.

Her dad made sure to document Artichoke and all of her drawings.

"Dad said he would give tax advice to anybody who wanted it as his gift," Artichoke said.

"One of our favorite parts was visiting the main temple in the desert," Artichoke told TI. "It's beautiful. It's like a giant memorial, except all the people around you are in rave wear."

Here's a look inside. Artichoke and her family left tributes for several deceased relatives and their beloved family dog, she said.

It's wasn't all spiritual though.

Thank you @magda_jam for sending & sharing your #experience #BurningManUSA #SpreadLove #BMUSA // burningmanUSA@gmail.com

A photo posted by Burning Man USA (@burningmanusa) on Apr 30, 2015 at 6:17pm PDTApr 30, 2015 at 6:17pm PDT

One day, while Artichoke and Dr. Dre were waiting in line for ice cream, a couple of Burners came up to their group and began giving a safety demonstration for particularly graphic BDSM sex act.

Burning Man 2015 57 (1) — Artichoke, complete with bunny ears, posing with a friend on the Playa. Courtesy of R. Watson

"All we could do was laugh at that point," Artichoke said.

Thank you @samuelmarcdunn for sharing your #experience #BurningManUSA #BMUSA #SpreadLove // burningmanUSA@gmail.com

A photo posted by Burning Man USA (@burningmanusa) on Aug 12, 2015 at 7:01am PDTAug 12, 2015 at 7:01am PDT

After coming home, and shaking desert dust out of all their belongings, Artichoke said she was glad her first "burn" was with her dad.

Thank you @kat_the_parrott_hunter for sending & sharing your #experience #BurningManUSA #BMUSA #SpreadLove // burningmanUSA@gmail.com

A photo posted by Burning Man USA (@burningmanusa) on Apr 7, 2015 at 2:42pm PDTApr 7, 2015 at 2:42pm PDT

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