So long, and thanks for all the fun
Our friend and founder Larry Harvey passed away on April 28, 2018. Every year, in honor of his legacy, the worldwide Burning Man community holds a Global Celebration and Day of Gratitude on June 20 — the solstice, when the first Man was burned on Baker Beach in 1986.
Share photos and videos of your local celebrations using the hashtags #thankslarry, #larryharvey, and #burningsolstice.
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We created this site for friends, family, and anyone who came to know or be inspired by Larry over the years. We invite you to share stories, photos, and videos. Commenting on other posts is welcome. Please feel free to share this page.
With much love from all of us at Burning Man Project.
Questions? Email communications@burningman.org.
After Pepe’s Opera, in 1999…
... all the prior days of overwhelming emotions, hard work at the theme camp, lack of sleep, and that heightened level of being a virgin burner, I drifted into mystical realms. Once they lit the set on fire, I was pulled to the flames like with no hindrances. People were jumping over a low wall of flames, which got hotter and higher as I approached. I didn't think twice (or at all) and jumped through the wall of fire. Right ...Read More
The Artist has left the Building
“You got a haircut?!?”
That’s how it’s done
I animated a line of Larry’s words that have been stuck in my head for years. https://youtu.be/7F9CpHr12RM It was just a rough draft to teach myself a kinetic typography camera tracking plugin. ...Read More
Piss Clear misses you, Larry!
Hey, do you have a ladder?
It was 2009, the Friday before the gates opened, and I was putting up my art project. This guy in a hat comes along on a golf cart. Not to me specifically -- it looked like he was just driving around looking at all the things people were putting up. He said, "Looks good!" I said, "Thanks! You wouldn't happen to have a ladder, would you?" He laughs and drives away. An hour later, a confused DPW guy comes by ...Read More
A bright spot last Saturday.
An Artist’s View of Larry
A Chance Encounter
We were atop an art installation having a beer and watching the climax of the sun crashing into the desert...a man climbed up also. We struck up a conversation and he introduced himself as "Larry." We proceeded to chat for an hour or so about the beautiful sunset, art, costumes and the burn so far. After we all climbed down another couple came up and asked to take their picture with him- that's when we found out who we had ...Read More
Larry in full flight…
https://vimeo.com/99213617#t=1645s This is from a 2003 documentary "Making Johnny". Larry dropped by for a cup of tea and a few Malboros. bm-video url="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VIDEO-ID" ...Read More
Like a Moth to Flame
Burning Man ’08
Current TV man found BRAF space done as early as Thursday. He asked if he can do an interview on our premises with Larry and we said yes off course. They set up their equipment and Larry was ushered into the spot. As he was getting briefed on what questions was going to get his way, Tom Price was pacing anxiously waiting for the post digging machine to show up so he can finish the Black Rock Solar kiosk he ...Read More
Life Long Influence
Thank you Larry for living your vision and bringing us all along. I can't imagine my life without the burner influence. Unfathomable. Your presence and ideas will be missed and remembered as long as there are memories. RIP Larry <3 ...Read More
That one time I saw Larry and everyone told me it wasn’t him.
One Thursday night, during event week in 2013, I was riding in an art car, heading back towards the city from a Gate event by the trash fence. The vehicle was full of Gateys and Rangers. It was only mildly dusty out and the sky was close to pitch black in deep playa. I was either on top of the car or by a window, because I remember just looking out, into the night, taking in the art we were ...Read More
gifted by a generous driver, briefest of meetings, wonderful final bm sendoff.
A few years ago (after 8 years at BM or so), I had to leave BM a tad earlier than planned because word of a storm was rolling in and I had an unmoveable date soon back in AZ. A friend connected me to a giant RV that could take me back to to SF, filled with acquaintances. The RV had a short delay and a number of us ran out to watch the Temple Burn with the understanding that ...Read More
RIP LARRY. THANK YOU
My life changed at Burning man and I had the pleasure of meeting Mr Harvey my 2nd year. Such a humble happy dude. Thank you Larry for creating a culture that we will get to pass on. May you rest in peace and be proud of your legacy. ...Read More
The night I met Larry / Eyes on the future, the unlimited potential
Somewhere around the year 2003-ish, I was just walking around alone on the playa one night, and I ran into another man alone on the playa. It was Larry. Of course I recognized him, although I have never met him before. There had been talk about burning man having reached it’s peak, some saying it wasn’t as good as it used to be, etc. So I asked Larry one question: I told him I’ve been coming to the burn for ...Read More
Three Inches to the Right
Originally posted on FB. My first Larry moment was also my first Marian Goodell moment; 25 feet in the air, on top a cobbled together refrigeration unit, a couple days into the 1997 event. These were the days when the art was made on site, rather than fabricated off-site and shipped in. Our group, The Temporal Decomposition group, or Team Jim, had a months worth of set-backs; from busted weather balloons, broken freezer fan-belts, water with an unusually high mineral content not freezing, ...Read More
We will miss you, Larry.
Rest in peace Larry...I will look for you in the sky. ...Read More
What does it mean Larry…..WTF does it mean?
Larry appeared to me in a duty dream last night. He smiled, tipped his hat and murmured "keep up the good work". This confused the shit out of me because I', done nearly zero to put Burning Man forward. Then I got it. I told the lizard sitting on his shoulder "ahhhhhh, I get what you're saying!" I rolled over and went back to sleep. ...Read More
Not just a hood ornament
Burning Man is stupid.
It's rough. It's both tangential and very tangible. I only ever met him once but I dug his vibe, and I immediately recognized that his vibe was, strangely, the vibe of the event. My friend Joshie and I were driving our mutant vehicle and saw him off the Esplanade at First Camp and Joshie said, "Hey, pull over, let's talk to Larry." We pulled up, waited our turn, and when he put his attention on us, he looked at our ...Read More
thank you from someone who never attended BM but felt your impact deeply.
I have never been to Burning Man. As an introvert -- the idea of that many people in one place was never a good fit for me.... but I have long supported the artistic excellence that was so magnificently displayed in the desert every year. And in my years in San Francisco, I did happen to have the fortune of bumping into Larry Harvey in my neighborhood often. We frequented the same coffee shops, often having no interactions other than ...Read More
Always Gracious
It reminded me of my story, in 1999 I was in center camp, next to first camp and on Monday there was a total whiite out and we stayed in my bus playing skinny puppy at like 300wats till late at night. At some point I hear a knock on the door and I open it and its Larry and he says, "I hate to bother you guys but I have a live interview with Dutch tv at 6am and ...Read More
Grey Skies Over Free Mud
His approach to life-art-culture, and the event he founded, changed my life-art-culture irreparably and beautifully. I've lectured about him on college campuses and made two Tarot cards featuring his face, but I only met Larry Harvey a couple times in real life. He was... normal... and down-to-earth. It was in Portland, maybe 15 years ago or so. We talked Oregon, growing up in this place, the freedom of roaming fields and forests and streams with mud in our shoes, yet ...Read More
Love
Thanks for the Memories
My son met Larry in 2009, my son was 9 years old, it was his first Burning Man. He said, when asked what he thought of Larry, " He just a regular guy". Thank you from our family.💔❤💗 ...Read More
First time, Burning Man
Around 1991, Larry invited me and my son to go to Burning Man. I think it was the first or second year at Black Rock. The entire village had at most about 600 attendees, mostly artists. It was fantastic and my 9 year old son had the time of his life. My tent was next to Larry's. One night the wind was really bad and I heard Larry yelling that the tent was starting to collapse. His tent had poles ...Read More
Thursday night in the middle of nowhere
Thanks for changing many people’s lives
Larry, you and I probably never met, but the festival you created has changed my life and all those whom I brought there too. The creativity, free spirit, imagination and possibilities of everyone at Burningman made me switch careers, move to the West Coast and start a family. Thank you for being a dreamer and a creator. You have touched and transformed for the better innumerable lives and set of many human destinies. Rest in Peace. ...Read More
I just wanted to say thanks
a few years ago, on summer solstice, there was a reunion gathering on Baker Beach - everyone from BM HQ was there, and Stephen Raspa, and Danger Ranger, etc. And I had heard a rumor that it was happening, so I ditched work and just showed up - I think I was the only party crasher, acually. And we sang “happy birthday” to a miniature Man and burned a birthday cake effigy, and drank champagne and had a nice time. ...Read More
Hammering away at the conference table
In 2006, the Mad Scientists wanted to replace the aging L2K ring with a new, more durable one made of polycarbonate tubes and heavy duty materials. We presented a mock up of one of these new "bumps" to Larry and Crimson at the Burning Man headquarters, and our leader Tim Black gave Larry a hammer. I remember watching Larry trying to destroy the bump sitting on the conference room table in front of him with gusto and a devilish look ...Read More
Beautiful
What a beautiful world you created; nothing can take that away. ...Read More
Watching The Man Burn
This just happened today.
Temple Encounter
In 2016, I helped build the temple. A friend introduced me to Larry as we made our final preparations, deep in dust and heat. I was struck by his humble sweetness. Shaking his hand meant so much more to me than he will ever know. Thank you for building this community that changed my life and is changing the world. Your impact is beyond measure. ...Read More
Off to a pretty good start
This is my most recent Larry story. After a long hiatus, I started working again with Burning Man last year, mostly from home. On one of those days that I did work at HQ, Larry made a point of coming over to my desk to tell me he was glad I was back, that it meant a lot to him. I thanked him, and then he said with a grin, "We're off to a pretty good start, aren't we?" As ...Read More
The DEA Cap Story
Many have already shared the all-true stories of his wit, intellectualism, and visionary ideas. In my opinion, he was a man of many endearing facets. Personally, I appreciated his spot-on sense of humor. One of his favorite stories to share was the time he tucked away his recognizable and iconic Stetson cowboy hat, and ventured out onto the playa incognito in a baseball cap. Along his journey he decided to ventured into a large rave camp -- just to check ...Read More
There was this one time at Burning Man – that I met Larry.
