The Battle for the Future of Burning Man episode artwork

EPISODE · Jul 17, 2026 · 54 MIN

The Battle for the Future of Burning Man

from KQED's Forum · host KQED

Burning Man turns 40 this year, and its changed dramatically since the first event in San Francisco. The first gathering drew a couple dozen people who gathered to burn an 8-foot wooden effigy at Baker Beach to celebrate the summer solstice. Four decades later, it’s a multi-million dollar operation that every August draws more than 70 thousand people to the Black Rock Desert in Nevada. A new HBO documentary called “The Man Will Burn” looks at the staying power of the massive pop-up commune and the struggles to maintain its founding values. We’ll talk with the directors and one of the producers for the series. Guests: Jehane Noujaim, co-director, HBO’s “The Man Will Burn” Vikram Gandhi, co-director, HBO’s “The Man Will Burn” Muriel Soenens, series producer, HBO’s “The Man Will Burn” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Jul 17, 2026

Embed this episode

NOW PLAYING

The Battle for the Future of Burning Man

0:00 54:44

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

No similar episodes found.

No similar podcasts found.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of KQED's Forum?

This episode is 54 minutes long.

When was this KQED's Forum episode published?

This episode was published on July 17, 2026.

Can I download this KQED's Forum episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.
URL copied to clipboard!