Burning Man – the Playa’s best NSFW lewks in exclusive photos

Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Burning Man has risen once again in the desert of Black Rock City. While most outsiders imagine this week-long event as a drug-fueled music festival akin to a dust-caked Coachella, the 80,000 people who actually converge on the Playa know it’s far more. It’s towering art structures that illuminate the night. It’s communal tribes contributing to their collective survival against the elements. And its myriad radical expression channeled through outré lewk. To offer outsiders a glimpse of the surreal beauty, we’ve compiled the best of this year’s queer Burning Man fashion. As Burners say, “Welcome home.”

Nightmares and Wet Dreams

Every Burn reflects an overarching theme, and this year was Waking Dreams, reflected in its participants’ Elven ears, vampire fangs, and a host of otherworldly Burning Man fashion accessories.

Veteran Burner Dustin “Treasures” Schur offers tasty treats and a lewk that combines Martha Stuart with Bunnicula the Vampire Bunny.

TuTu Tuesday

An annual tradition for Burning Man is TuTu Tuesday, where dusty denizens don ballet garb and dance across the desert.

Tighty Whities Twist

In addition to the traditional TuTu Tuesday, the queer camp FruitPop added an extra layer of sun-drenched sartorialism with their new Fruits of the Loom Tighty Whities Tuesday party.

Brokeback Burning Man

Theme parties are a staple of Burning Man, exemplified by ‘Giddy Up and Glow,’ a cowboy-couture event hosted by prominent queer camp The Glamcocks.

Kostume Kult

Any article on Burner Fashion needs to include Kostume Kult. This New York-based camp serves as Black Rock City’s thrift store, where Burners can take any article of clothing they desire, but with a caveat. The exit of the costume tent features a runway, so if you want the lewk, you have to runway for it.

Virgin Burners Kat, Kameron, and Hoops posing outside of Kostume Kult.

Burning Man is a Drag

Cross-dressing is a time-honored queer tradition, ranging from the Festival of Dionysus to the Playa of Burning Man. Here are a collection of lewks evoking femme fatales and pop princesses.

Less is More

And as with all things queer, sometimes the best outfit includes as little as possible.

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