A man in his mid-50s died while attending this year’s Burning Man. The attendee had a medical emergency on Friday, September 4th, and after being transported to the festival’s emergency medical center, he was pronounced dead some time later. The man’s name and the specific circumstances of his passing have yet to be made public.

​Burning Man is a week-long event occurring in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada every year. Its mission is to cultivate a space built on artistic and self-expression. This incident is the fourth death at the event in the past four years. A 37-year-old man was found dead at the festival last year in August in what was believed to be a homicide. The case remains unsolved.

​The festival also closed its gates today due to rain. The gates were also closed on Thursday, September 3rd, due to strong winds and whiteout conditions.

​As for the festival’s entertainment, DJ and producer Diplo performed five sets. He recently took to social media to talk about his difficulties leaving the desert. In a video posted to his Instagram story, he said, “Here I am, walking out of Burning Man again … six miles in, we’re almost to the road … It’s fucked up, but I love it. Life presents many challenges; you’ve just got to persevere.”

​With all the tragic news about the event, what Burning Man has become is making headlines. The co-founder of the festival, John Law, wrote an article for the San Francisco Standard last week, saying that Burning Man “lost its soul,” as reported by Stereogum. “What began as an anarchistic collaboration of equals has become a commercialized escape hatch for the wealthy,” he wrote.

​The New York Post also reported that the attendee demographic was beginning to skew older and more male than in previous years.

​This year’s Burning Man began on August 30th and will end on September 7th.

Photo Credit: Mehreen Rizvi