Burning Man began as a bonfire ritual on the summer solstice in 1986 when Larry Harvey, Jerry James and a few friends met on Baker Beach in San Francisco and burned a 2.4 m tall wooden man as well as a smaller wooden dog. Larry Harvey has described his inspiration for burning these effigies as a spontaneous act of “radical self-expression”.
The Effigy theme at Blazing Swan is different every year but generally features a swan. Each year Blazing Swan selects a designer/builder who, with a team of volunteers, prefabricates the Effigy off-site. A few weeks before Blazing Swan opens the components are brought to site, and assembled and finished by the same team. The burning of the Effigy on Saturday, just after sunset, is preceded by drumming and fire performance. The burn itself is accompanied by a fireworks display.
The Effigy for our 2024 Event, ‘Neon Caravan’ will be brought to you by the Effigy Crew. This crew, who’ve blazed the trail to Kulin at least twice if not more times before, are saddling up again to bring you something special.
