If You Loved Mad Max : Fury Road, Then This Is The Festival You Must Attend

Mad Max : Fury Road was arguably 2015’s pulp classic. And if you loved it as much as this writer, then this is the festival you must attend. 

Two words : Burning Man.

Burning Man’s creative bravado is nothing but a real life Mad Max in action, save for the violence that is, thankfully, limited to the screen. In terms of badassery, counterculture expression, abstract art modules and outlandish folk, the festival and the action classic are both so alike, you’d be stumped. So, while watching the movie, if you ever had a moment of ‘raison d’être’ and wished to be a part of its virtual set-up, allow us to tell you the ten ways it was oh so similar to Burning Man.

You’ll be wanting to book your tickets to the planet’s wackiest festival after this. Trust us.

1. They both literally take place on a desert

The backdrop of Mad Max : Fury Road is an apocalypse-afflicted wasteland where a war-lord rules the show. It’s a huge desert, with nothing but sand for company for miles. One can almost believe the movie to be shot at Burning Man’s Black Rock City which is the same expanse of sand for people to come partake in an alternative culture movement. Being at Burning Man will give you massive Mad Max feels.

2. It’s a visual art show

Burning Man plays host to some talented radical artists who display their abstract and larger than life art pieces in their full splendour. One viewing of Mad Max : Fury Road, and you’ll lose your cool at the arty hybrid vehicles built in such glorious fashion. It’s darkly futuristic, and the set up is almost spatial in construct, similar to the visual holding out for you at Burning Man.

3. Max resembles the Burning Man virgin eager to learn the ways of the world

In Mad Max : Fury Road, Max is trying to escape the war-lord’s rule, where he’s taken for prisoner and used as a literal blood-bnk. He’s trying to survive, knowing little of the land and its ways. Max is therefore literally you during your first Burning Man, where you will know little, but will try to survive the best way you really can. You might walk into the gates of Black Rock City alone, but you will definitely meet several people who will make your journey comfortable.

4. Furiosa resembles the Burning Man veteran who knows her way around

It may be called Mad Max : Fury Road, but we all know that it is Furiosa, the erstwhile loyal imperator-now escapist of Immortan Joe who is the true protagonist. When comparing to Burning Man, one can see that Furiosa is but a hardened Burning Man veteran. She knows the grounds, the way out as well as how to handle the sand like a pro. She’s respected for her innate knowledge of the ways of the land, and when you’d ever meet veterans as her, you’d follow their lead just as Max does.

5. There is music, but it isn’t the main draw

One of the biggest attractions of Mad Max : Fury Road is the dude with an electric guitar spewing fire as he plays, rocking the chase sequence. Much like him in a minor role, know that music is never the main attraction at Burning Man. It’s the radical lifestyle and the set-up that one aims to enjoy. Of course, whatever music you will witness will end up being one of your favourite parts of the festival.

6. Sand storms hinder fun in the movie and in Burning Man

The bane of every Burning Man experience is the sand-storms that come out of nowhere, and from which, your pithy tents can offer little protection. Escaping sand is never an option at the festival, for it is where. Much like Mad Max : Fury Road, where a sand-storm acts as a serious dampener to the process. But like Furiosa, if you come armed with goggles and the right gear, you will sail through it with flying colours (if you’ve seen the movie, you’d know that’s a clever pun).

7. You can be as outlandish with your costume as you want

From a robotic arm, to barely there transparent tresses to a skull-like mask to long, shot-like hair. These looks from Mad Max : Fury Road would be just in place at a Burning Man edition. Where society rejects, Burning Man accepts so feel free to embrace your most quirky, under-the-radar looks at Burning Man. You can sew up the remnant of your garbage for a look, or wear a wired headgear, it all goes.

8. You can even be naked if you so please

Or that. Much like the badass female fighter in Mad Max : Fury Road, you can choose to be as naked as you please. Mind the sand, though.

9. Water within is a genuine treasure

The film’s lead antagonist, Immortan Joe, holds the reigns of power by controlling water. You know then on, that water is an absolute treasure, a scarcity if you will. Though not a scarcity, but water is precious wealth at Burning Man. Attendees are expected to carry it in large volumes, for if there’s one thing one needs most of in a desert, it’s water.

10. If you witness it once, you will want to again

One viewing of Mad Max : Fury Road isn’t enough. Much like how one visit to Burning Man will never satiate you. You will want to go back again and again, and experience the festival in its entirety. And despite the discomfort, you’re bound to come back loving it each time.

(Source: all images via : Mad Max Fury Road)