BURN2 2014 opened its gates on Saturday, October 18th and will run through until Sunday October 28th.

As with previous years, the festival is spread across six regions, all in the familiar desert look, surrounded by sandy hills that add to the atmosphere and give more of a feel that the event is connected with the real life Burning Man festival.

The theme for this year is “caravansary”, with the press release on the festival noting:

This year, we will create a caravansary that occupies the crossroads of a dreamland: a bazaar of the bizarre, wherein treasures of every sort, from every land and age, flow in and out to be flaunted, lost, exploited and discovered. This is not a tourist destination, but a home for travelers who come here bearing gifts. Amid the twisting and the turnings of its souk, participants will come upon an inexhaustible array of teeming goods and unexpected services.

Anyone may pose as ‘merchant’ here, and anyone may play a ‘customer’, but nothing in this strange emporium shall have a purchase price — no quid, no pro, no quo — no trade at all will be allowed in this ambiguous arcade. According to a rule of desert hospitality, the only thing of value in this ‘marketplace’ will be one’s interaction with a fellow being.

There are the usual features for the event waiting to be found and experienced. These include the huge, hanger-like bulk of the Temple (set to burn twice on Sunday, October 26th at noon and 20:00 SLT), within which sits an intricate display of light, colour and statues, and before which stand images of Temples past; and the equally huge figure of the Man, awaiting his turn to burn on Saturday, October 25th, again at noon and 20:00 SLT. There will also be the familiar and much-loved Lamp Lighters Processions twice daily (11:00 and 19:00 SLT most days), and the familiar mix of entertainments throughout.

Across the Playa, many of the builds have entered fully into the theme, offering tented shade, rich rugs, and places to sit and rest, much as traders on the great Asian trade routes may once have camped around the caravansaries to be found along their way and shared one another’s hospitality. Others are more whimsical in nature – such as the Loch Nest Camel; Nessie with a hump, you might say…

You can find your way around the Playa on foot – just follow the grid tracks. If you prefer, you can hop aboard one of the tour balloons and drift around the regions; and if you feel particularly daring, you could grab a ride from one of the DMV (Department of Mutant Vehicles!) rezzers (look for the red signs).

To find out more about the inspiration behind builds and artwork in the Playa, check of the BURN2 website for descriptions. You can also use the Schedule page on the website to quickly see what is going on throughout the festival, and identify those events you’d like to attend.

About BURN2

BURN2 is an extension of the Burning Man festival and community into the world of Second Life. It is an officially sanctioned Burning Man regional event, and the only virtual world event out of more than 100 real world Regional groups and the only regional event allowed to burn the man.

The BURN2 Team operates events year around, culminating in an annual major festival of community, art and fire in the fall – a virtual echo of Burning Man itself.

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