Burning Man, the annual countercultural festival that brings tens of thousands of revelers to the Nevada desert, begins tomorrow. But it’s clear from satellite imagery the work on constructing a temporary city is well underway.
Data from satellite images processed by Quartz show that as of the most recently available Landsat 8 images on Aug. 23 there are visible roads and structures on the playa.
The event is traditionally popular amongst employees of San Francisco-based tech companies, but has gained wider appeal in recent years. Attendees descend on the remote location construct all sorts of structures to live and play in for a week, then go home, attempting to leave no trace of ever having been there.
Here’s what the same location looked a month ago, on July 22:
