The performers prepare for the show. Fontana, a travelling water circus produced by Cirque Du Liban at Festival City in Dubai. (Photo by Chris Whiteoak/The National)

Yaks head towards the Everest base camp in Solukhumbu District April 28, 2014. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)

Every year, participants in the Burning Man Festival descend on the playa of Nevada's Black Rock Desert to form a temporary city – a self-reliant community populated by performers, artists, free spirits, and more. Last week, an estimated 68,000 people came to Burning Man 2013 from all over the world to dance, express themselves, and take in the spectacle. Gathered below are some of the sights from the festival, which lasted a week and came to its conclusion yesterday

This aerial image shows autumn leaves at their peak as they surround Tsutenkyo Bridge amongst the grounds of Tofukuji Temple, in the city of Kyoto on November 27, 2024. (Photo by JIJI Press/AFP Photo)

A young woman holds a weapon during a basic combat training for civilians, organized by the Special Forces Unit Azov, of Ukraine's National Guard, in Mariupol, Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine, Sunday, February 13, 2022. The United States is evacuating almost all of the staff from its embassy in Kyiv as Western intelligence officials warn that a Russian invasion of Ukraine is increasingly imminent. (Photo by Vadim Ghirda/AP Photo)

Emma Watson poses at the winners boards at the Sony Ericsson Empire Film Awards at the Grosvenor House Hotel on March 9, 2008 in London England. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Liu Yang, China's first female astronaut, waves during a departure ceremony at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, on June 16, 2012. (Photo by Jason Lee/Reuters via The Atlantic)

An Indian nomadic Gujjar girl hangs on to a horse cart after collecting bricks from debris on the outskirts of Jammu, India, Tuesday, March 7, 2017. The Gujjar tribal communities are considered by some to be economically and socially backward and the lack of care by the state government has led to resentment amongst the community. The tribe moves to the plains from the hills to escape the cold winters. (Photo by Channi Anand/AP Photo)