TWO festivalgoers have died at Burning Man within days of each other as thousands descended on the Nevada desert for the famous event.
The deaths come just a year after a reveller was found stabbed to death inside a tent at the festival – a killing that remains unsolved.
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Craig Mann, 60 was found dead by his campmates at Black Rock City on Saturday afternoon, according to organizers.
His cause of death has not yet been revealed.
Burning Man said in a statement: “Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the participant’s family, friends, campmates, and all those affected by this loss.”
Mann’s death came just days after another festivalgoer, a man in his mid-50s, suffered a medical emergency on Thursday.
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According to the New York Post, organizers said lifesaving measures were immediately carried out before he was rushed to the festival’s onsite emergency care center.
He was later pronounced dead.
Burning Man Project said: “It is with heavy hearts that Burning Man Project confirms a Black Rock City participant in his mid-50s experienced a medical emergency, immediately received lifesaving measures, and was transported to the onsite center for emergency care where he was pronounced deceased.”
The two deaths came during a turbulent edition of the nine-day desert gathering, which began on August 30.
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Heavy rain also forced organizers to temporarily close the festival’s main entrance and exit in the Black Rock Desert.
People heading to Burning Man were told on Friday to delay their journeys, while those already on the playa were urged not to drive.
The tragedies come against the chilling backdrop of an unsolved homicide that rocked the festival just a year ago.
Russian festivalgoer Vadim Kruglov, 37, was discovered dead inside a tent on August 30, 2025.
His body was reportedly found in a “pool of blood” as crowds gathered for the traditional burning of “The Man” – the giant wooden effigy at the heart of the event.
Kruglov had reportedly been fatally stabbed in the neck, the New York Post reported.
His death marked the first homicide in Burning Man’s history and his killer has still not been identified.
Detectives are working with state and federal partners to verify the findings, but authorities have stressed they still do not have verified information identifying a suspect.
Officers are also continuing to sift through tips and other evidence, while remaining in contact with Kruglov’s family.
Burning Man organisers previously pledged to cooperate with the investigation.
They said following Kruglov’s death: “Our hearts go out to Vadim’s family and friends, and we grieve the loss of a community member.
“Burning Man Project is doing everything we can to assist the sheriff’s investigation so the perpetrator can be caught and brought to justice.”
The Pershing County Sheriff’s Office also condemned the killing and appealed for information that could lead to the arrest of “any person who would commit such a heinous crime against another human being”.
Ahead of this year’s gathering, cops warned revellers to “stay vigilant” while investigators continue their hunt for whoever was responsible.
The Pershing County Sheriff’s Office believes Kruglov’s killing was an isolated incident but urged festivalgoers to remain aware of their surroundings, travel with others where possible and report suspicious or erratic behaviour.
Burning Man began as a small gathering on San Francisco‘s Baker Beach in 1986 before evolving into a sprawling annual celebration of art, music and self-expression in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert.
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Attendance peaked at close to 80,000 people in 2019 before falling in subsequent years.
Around 70,000 revellers from 102 countries attended last year’s gathering, which was also hit by fierce dust storms that reportedly left some attendees injured.