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When was Burning Man's Orgy Dome constructed? Festival organisers vow to rebuild the infamous structure after a dust storm destroyed it

Dust storms continue to wreak havoc on the Black Rock City desert, rendering the Orgy Dome unusable.
  • The Temple at Burning Man in the Black Rock Desert in Nevada on August 30, 2017. (Photo by Julia Beverly/Getty Images)
    The Temple at Burning Man in the Black Rock Desert in Nevada on August 30, 2017. (Photo by Julia Beverly/Getty Images)

    The Burning Man festival has a fixture at the event that was destroyed due to the dust storm this year. TMZ reported on Tuesday, August 26, that Burning Man's "Orgy Dome," which is a large, air-conditioned tent fixture where people go to have consensual s*x after providing their IDs, was uprooted in a storm.

    Sharing the news of the destruction of the Orgy Dome, its namesake Instagram handle shared a video on Monday, August 25, captioning it:

    "Our build team worked so hard this past week to *erect* our lovely space. Unfortunately, the winds yesterday undid all that labor and wrecked our structure. We are still here and thankfully safe, we hope to gift the playa some workshops and will keep you updated ♥️ @burningman #burningman #burningman2025"

    According to TMZ, the Orgy Dome was first constructed in 2003 as a symbol of a s*x-positive lifestyle. It is designed as a 150-person campsite, also featuring a meet-and-greet space called Aphrodite's Garden, where attendees can interact before any potential action.

    The destruction of the Burning Man festival started over the weekend, when Nevada was met by wind and dust storms that reduced the daytime visibility to near zero. It brought damage to many tents, with the Orgy Dome being one of them. The festival activities, which were scheduled to begin on Sunday, August 24, were also paused temporarily.

    The event shared the news about its reopening on Monday, sharing a statement:

    "There are some of the structures that are blown over. Things had broken. And even just driving to our camp spot, there were all camps that were pretty much wiped out. Things were just laying on their side, completely annihilated at that point."

    According to a news article written by the San Francisco Chronicle, the storm has also caused four minor injuries among the crowd. By Monday night, clouds had started to gather around Black Rock City once more. It added:

    "These will probably lead to another weather event this evening … It may or may not hit us, but we should prepare as if it will."

    Despite the harsh conditions at the venue of Burning Man this year, it still recorded about 40,000 people in attendance on Monday. This is atypical of the monsoon season in the Black Rock Desert.


    Burning Man's gates have been closed for a second time

    On Wednesday, it was reported that the gates to Burning Man had to be shut down for a second time on Tuesday evening; only this time, thunderstorms were to blame.

    The heavy downpour had made the lakebed far too slick to drive through, making all commutes risky. By Tuesday night, the festival had released another statement that read:

    "The Gate into and out of Black Rock City is currently closed due to rain. Do not travel to BRC at this time. Keep an eye out for lightning, take care of your camps, and stay safe."

    The Burning Man festival was initially supposed to run for a week from August 24 to September 1. However, we might be hearing of new dates after all interruptions have been dealt with.

    TOPICS: Burning Man