Scenes from The Burning Man festival

“The Man” burned during the Burning Man 2013 arts and music festival in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada. The federal government issued a permit for 68,000 people from all over the world to gather at the sold-out festival, which celebrated its 27th year, to spend a week in the remote desert cut off from much of the outside world to experience art, music and the unique community that develops.

A man in a bird costume walked around in stilts next to the “Photo Chapel.” Once a year, tens of thousands of participants gather in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert for the counterculture event.

An aerial view of thefestival.

The Temple of Whollyness at sunrise.

The Temple of Whollyness burned.

Messages were left by participants at the Temple of Whollyness.

A fire tornado emerged from the burning embers of the Temple of Whollyness.

A firefighter kept people from getting too close to the burnt remains of the Man.

“Pippin” chatted on the phone with God.

“Ranger Beauty” manned the perimeter around the Man before it is burnt.

Christiana Sansculotte rode a bicycle during the festival.

A participant made her way around the flames as the Temple of Whollyness burned.

Ashlie Jump and “Boonda,” watched as the Temple of Whollyness burned.

Dust enveloped art installations.

Mike Smith collected metal from the burnt remains of the Man.

Daniella Priebatsch photographed an art installation.

Members of Northwest Fire Conclave performed before the Man burnt.

Participants watched the sunrise from atop an art installation.

A “Mobile Board Room” moved along the playa.

People banged on drums to make monkey effigies spin in an interactive sculpture.

Krissy Humphreys performed with fire at sunrise at the Temple of Whollyness.

A sailboat art car drove across the playa.

A woman rode a bicycle on the playa after sunset.

Rasika Mathur and Grant Ball looked at messages left by participants at sunrise at the Temple of Whollyness.

Christian Jacobsen adjusted the sand at the Guardian of Dawn art installation.

Participants climbed an art installation before sunrise.

Participants looked at a mutant vehicle.

Virginia Biney, from Philadelphia, posed next to an art installation.

A “Freak Show” art installation.

A participant meditated alone atop the structure of the “Kostume Cult” sound camp made by campers from New York.

Alexandra Aguilera basked in the light of the rising sun.

A Burning Man participant toasted the sunrise with a bottle of champagne.

Fritz Gomez Wood gave a thumbs up during the “Gold Bikini Happy Hour. “

A participant drank from bottles of champagne atop empty bottles in a shopping cart during the “Gold Bikini Happy Hour.”

Sam Ray visited the “Baby Head” art piece.

A band played on top of a bus.

People relaxed inside Center Camp.

Selam Borges played on a trampoline.

A woman looked out at cars waiting to enter “Burning Man.”