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Comment by stickfigure | Hacker News Reader

I've been a dozen or so times, dating back to 1994.

It's changed over the years - price has gone up, scale has gone up, and rules have become more strict. Not surprising when there are 70k people instead of 3k. Some people (fairly) don't like these changes. And some people like to badmouth things they've never experienced.

It's still the best party going on anywhere in the world that week. Most people you meet are not in tech. The crazy art pieces (most of which are interactive) are like nothing you will find anywhere else. It's definitely fun.

I stopped going regularly because it's a big expense and time commitment and I wanted to allocate my limited budget of both to other adventures. But if you haven't been, you should go.

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I should add - if you want the "old school burning man experience" without big crowds and big expense, go to the exact same place for 4th of Juplaya. The art is smaller but still present; there are people who either got fed up with the bureaucracy, or are field-trialing their projects. You can go to the hot springs and explore the hills. Good place for dirt bikes, if you have them.

It's great both ways.

> It's still the best party going on anywhere in the world that week.

That's a bold claim, but maybe it's true :D

It's absolutely true. When you're there, there is no doubt it is absolutely the best place to be as far as party and creativity goes. That being said, it depends on what you're looking for in life. But the energy, time and investment that people put into this thing is absolutely mad. It doesn't compare to anything else that exists in the world, not even by a factor of 1:10. It's just insane.

And there are also honestly very few countries that 1/ would let this happen without intervening, 2/ even have such a wide open space to make this happen for 70k people with just desert everywhere in all directions.

Whilst I don't think you're necessarily wrong, I would suggest Fusion festival in Germany to come close in terms of scale and dedication.

Yes but it’s a festival; with food vendors etc right? Very different from a city that builds itself from the ground.

Yes, there are food vendors and professional DJs etc, so it's not the same. But it's similar in the sense of dedication, creativity and DIY spirit.

Dude, check Kumbh Mela before making outrageous statements. 70k is a family meeting in backyard in comparison.

I get it, you dig it passionately and all the power to you, but a bit of modesty and/or world experience would only serve you well.

A large religious gathering is not my idea of a good time. It might be yours, that's fine. But these are not similar things.

You're being needlessly condenscending, while _also_ not getting the point. Double negative points.

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