NECTR returns for another year of half assed whole hearted fun and art.

This year, Burning Japan returns with the theme “Senki Yagyo” — a procession of a thousand Burner spirits. Inspired by the ancient Japanese imagery of Hyakki Yagyo, the legendary night parade of spirits, this year we take it from a hundred to a thousand — reflecting our vision of bringing 1,000 Burners together. A thousand individual fires, ideas, sounds and souls coming together for a few unforgettable days — creating something that exists only in that moment, and then disappears.

YOUtopia is San Diego’s official Burning Man regional event celebrating the culture and principles of Burning Man. YOUtopia celebrates the creativeness of its collective attendees, based on the Ten Principles, empowering Burner ethos to thrive far and wide. YOUtopia is part of a long tradition of bringing the magic of the playa to the rest of the world while also celebrating the vibrant creative and communal elements of San Diego and the surrounding areas. The YOUtopia 2026 theme is Luminous Playground, where your inner child can create and flow with the desert night; the playground is an invitation for self-discovery through creative intuition. Generate your own bioluminescence tapping into your shadow self in moment-by-moment discoveries. Leave the third dimension behind and travel further into resonance, incandescence, and movement as a tribe of energy explorers. Together our output is magnified!

Artists interested in submitting a Letter of Intent to receive funding for artwork on the open playa in Black Rock City for 2027, come to this virtual Q&A with Burning Man Project Art Department staff.