It might just go back to what it was before / intended to be originally: no private jets, no helicopters, or oysters on the half shell in the middle of the desert

By tradition, each year's Burning Man is always the worst one ever!

It was better next year.

According to studies, everything peaked when you were 16-18 years old.

The best REM album was the one that came out when you were in college

That album sucked tbh.

I thought we all agreed in 2003 that it had peaked, and that the floating world was the peak, and it was all downhill from there, just when I was informed that no, in fact in had previously peaked in 1998, when they stopped letting you do drive by shooting at propane tanks and truly fun stuff.

I was there in 1998, and shooting propane tanks within the perimeter fence was not allowed. (RIP Camp Spacelounge)

Spacelounge!

Feeling cool for not going to burning man before it was the trend

> Though plenty of Burning Man has nothing to do with the tech industry, Silicon Valley’s presence permeates the event. There are theme camps with loose ties to startup accelerator Y Combinator, and luxurious camps whose budgets are bolstered by tech wealth. It’s gauche to treat the festival like a networking party, but it’s also undeniably a place where bonds — personal as well as professional — are strengthened.

Oh, we’re already very, very far away from peak Burning Man.

Bloomberg writing about whether or not you've peaked is peak been peaked awhile ;)

Oh thank Christ for that, I might go again soon.

My wife's gone last few years, her group has their own camp.

The weather probably impacting it.

While not as bad as the media reports made it seam, the 2023 rain made it pretty dismal.

She kinda regretting going this year (still planning to) cause of it, with a chance of rain.

Half our village (Shadyvil) skipped this year. The weather event of 2023 was rough and many of our long-time veterans are taking the year off. We had extra tickets in our pool for the first time. Hopefully this will curb scalping for few years.

The article overstates the Silicon Valley networking, although celebrities do attend. I guess they have to go there as a Bloomberg article. The last thing anybody wants to talk about is work or career advancement. But, there is plenty of nerding out about projects!

Is it predicted to rain again?

Burning Man, like the internet, peaked in the 90’s.

Frankly, the fact anyone posting here knows about Burning Man proves it's over.

These things only work if they're special, such that only like-minded people know about them and can attend. It's the Summer Of Love Problem: Once everyone's calling it that, the idiots, losers, and assholes move in, and nobody can experience what it once was. It's why MIT and Harvard will never be "inclusive" in any real way, just differently exclusive along other arbitrary contours.

I feel the same way about the Barkley Marathons. What was once a soulful, austere and obscure contest against time and nature is now become a Roman orgy of decadence with contestants hauled about on opulent palanquins and all manner of one-wheeled contraption. It used to be special. If drugs were taken, they were not enjoyed. Hacker News became aware of the marathons, and now it’s only a matter of time until old Lazarus Lake is blowing that conch shell on stage with Taylor Swift, I tell you.

you mean 2009