The oddest activities at Burning Man 2026

The yearly desert bacchanal known as Burning Man is upon us, with 70,000 attendees building a city out of the Nevada dust for 10 revelrous days. Founded on San Francisco’s Baker Beach in 1986, the anything-goes event is a hotbed of creativity, with large-scale art pieces scattered throughout the playa and theme camps creating wild experiences and cheeky offerings that you simply won’t find anywhere else.

Burning Man attendees swear you’ll never truly understand the Burn until you go yourself (in a recent HBO doc, Kimbal Musk compared it to describing the ocean to someone who’s never been). But browsing through Burning Man’s yearly list of playa events gives a good voyeuristic view of the festivities, particularly the section on the more adult pursuits.

Some of the wackiest offerings include yearly traditions like Nic Cage coloring books and bikini armor workshops. Or you could consummate that Burning Man romance with a 30-second playa wedding at the Joyism Artcar (rings provided). Those looking for some self care can engage in a Belarusian Laznia steam bath or Great Vibrations’ zero gravity massage chairs. To mask the scent of a week in the desert, head to the Olfactorium for a custom perfume workshop. And if you want to become a psychic, well, the HeeBeeGeeBee Healers have four exercises for you to achieve Psychic Development Level 1. For the star-obsessed, make your way to the Black Rock Observatory’s telescopes. Trampoline dodgeball sounds like it will be a popular activity, especially when it comes with an ice cream sandwich. And because you can do oh so many things naked at Burning Man, why not derobe and ride an animatronic raptor? 

While most attendees spend much of their time biking the grounds, it’s still important to get some exercise. For the truly hardcore, there’s actually a 50K Burning Man ultramarathon. Attendees wanting a good stretch should hit up DIY goat death metal partner yoga courtesy of camp Dustfish (but you’ll have to bring your own goat). Camp Slow Your Roll will host a sloth bike race where the slowest contestant wins. One of the most unlikely things you’ll see in the desert is the BRC Snow Club’s dry ski slope for sledding. Perhaps inspired by San Francisco’s Bring Your Own Big Wheel race, the Norms Garage camp is hosting big wheel jousting and bike limbo. Pickleball fans can engage in some clothes-free competition at the Pinhole Project. Or you could have a night swim in a fake pool.

Music plays a big part in the event, with countless DJs posted up on art cars playing everything from disco to tech house (but mainly tech house). The Playa Choir will hold a temple of harmonics with coffee, music and meditation. Found and unusual instruments take center stage at the “everything is an instrument” junk jam. If you’re not tired of listening to house music all night long, you can also wake up with it from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. every day (or get up even earlier/stay up later for the Cave’s ambient 4 a.m. sunrise set). KAIF offers DJ lessons, and Hotel Lobby hosts punk and emo karaoke. Or enjoy a sound bath with some Valerian root tea. 

The event’s emphasis on radical self-reliance means that attendees are expected to bring enough food to sustain themselves all week, but there’s also a slew of camps gifting delicious meals and beverages, all with Burning Man’s typical sense of whimsy. There’s plenty of ramen to be found on the playa, including from the Send Noods camp, who encourage guests to make a saucy noodle-gram on a Polaroid, which the camp offers to deliver for you, plus midnight ramen from midnight to 2 a.m. at Stoop City. Or if you’re hungry for noods even later, the Combat Zone camp will serve DanDan noodles from 3 to 5 a.m. Cosmic Giggle will be whipping up breakfast cereal cocktails starting at 9 a.m., and Pink Lightning will be dishing out pink pancakes at their soulmate mixer. Track down the NYC Deli camp for breakfast egg sandwiches, a decadent Maine lobster roll from Magic Paradise or some Iranian delights from YOUniversal Teahouse. Cult of the Magic Lady trades Danishes for shameful stories. On the more dangerous side of the spectrum, test your might at the ring of fire hot sauce experience by Camp Why Is My Mouth Tingling. 

Of course, it would not be Burning Man without the sex stuff. As usual, there’s plenty of sensual activities beyond just the Orgy Dome (which will be back in full force this year, alongside a separate orgy bus). Relax with a sensual coconut oil massage (for women only), go for an erotic photo session with Old Razorback Mountain in the background, or take a tour of a group BSDM dungeon. Naked Heart invites Burners to learn the way of the cervix and experience full body orgasms. Live erotic ice sculpting is a thing. Genital printmaking, ass branding and nipple stamping are on the menu, as are a primer on how to have a successful threesome and an advice booth for the nonmonogamous. Camp Tidy offers tea with a side of porn. And for a more mental connection, Playa Agora explores the brain science of falling in love with expert questions that will help you better connect with your partner. 

If this small fraction of the events is any indication, it’s going to be another very wild year at Burning Man full of art, music, food and not much clothing.