Burning Man has been canceled this year due to the ongoing COVID pandemic, festival organizers announced on Tuesday.
“For 2021, we know the need for community has never been stronger, and building community is what Burners do best. We also recognize that the pandemic is not over,” Burning Man CEO Marian Goodell said in a video announcement. “We’ve made a difficult decision based on the best information available to us. We’ve decided to focus our energy on building Black Rock City 2022. It’s too important to do half-assed, so we’re doubling down on next year.”
The festival, which typically caps attendance to 80,000 people, would have taken place from August 26 to Sept. 3 at Black Rock Desert in Nevada. Visitors may still go to Black Rock Desert — also known as the Playa — because it is public land, but they must follow the guidelines set by the Bureau of Land Management.
Last week, festival organizers were also considering moving forward with the event but requiring attendees to be vaccinated against COVID-19. At the time, Goodell said the Bureau of Land Management was seeking to cap festival attendance at 69,000, and that roughly 60,000 to 65,000 people had already committed to going to the festival.
Watch Goodell’s Tuesday announcement here.