Burning Man 2026: Satellite images show how the Nevada desert transforms into Black Rock City

• Satellite images show Black Rock City rising from Nevada’s desert.
• About 70,000 burners are expected to attend this year’s festival.
• Satellite images capture entry lines, camps, artwork, and the temporary airport.

Laying the groundwork

The Black Rock City Municipal Airport

The Black Rock City Municipal Airport, which springs up for just 13 days a year, appears to be in full swing based on satellite images.

Instead of asphalt, the airport is built from scratch each year on the dusty playa. Staffed almost entirely by volunteers, the temporary airport serves general aviation and private planes, as well as Burner Express Air, which is a designated event charter flight that carries some attendees between the temporary airport and Reno, the San Francisco Bay Area, or Southern California during the event.

Center Camp

Center Camp sits near the 6 o’clock edge of Black Rock City. Its acre-wide canopy provides shade and hosts performances, art, drinks, and gatherings.

Mostly staffed by volunteers who handle scheduling, daily operations, and bartending in the ring of interactive camps that surrounds the plaza, the area is one of Black Rock City’s main civic spaces and natural meeting points.

The Cryptomeria pavillion

At Black Rock City’s geographic center, the Man is taking shape above the Cryptomeria, a tree-inspired pavilion with rootlike approaches and spiral stairways that climb nearly 60 feet. This year’s pavilion was named and designed by designer and inventor Alexander Rose, a longtime burner.

Around it, temporary installations are expected to gradually spread across the open playa, creating an outdoor gallery.

The Temple of the Moon

Art installations are taking shape across the playa.

The Temple of the Moon installation made especially for the 2026 Burning Man, as pictured, is a 170-foot-wide sanctuary inspired by the Queen of the Night cactus and lunar cycles. Its petal-like forms surround a chamber reaching 52 feet.

The installation was created by artist James Gwertzman alongside the Moonlight Collective and Temple Build Crew as a quiet space for grief and remembrance.