Burning Man has changed a lot over the last 30 years. The yearly gathering, situated in the depths of the Nevada desert, has long been a hot spot for radical artists and hedonistic creatives. However, as the Instagram age takes over, the audience has got decidedly more well-to-do; with hyper-privileged attendees like Cara Delevingne, Katy Perry (and probably your local Lettings Agent) regularly spotted amongst the crowds. 

Considering all that, it’s not so surprising to hear news of growing divisions within the festival. Namely, the destruction of one extremely luxurious camp called ‘White Ocean’, which was reportedly vandalised by a “band of hooligans” last week.

The founders of White Ocean – who include DJ Paul Oakenfold and the son of a Russian billionaire – shared the news in a lengthy Facebook post on Thursday (September 1). According to them, invaders raided their camp, dumped “200 gallons” of water on it, and glued the trailer doors shut. They also cut the power, leaving the site with no refrigeration or electricity.

Unfortunately, commenters seemed unsympathetic about the incident, which took place at an exclusive, closed off camp funded by tech bro entrepreneurs. The most liked response, written by Facebook user Tony Wichowski, claimed that the vandalism was the start of the “revolution.” “Taking burning man back from the parasite class, back from the EDM tourists,” he wrote. “Taking burning man back for the people. This wasn't much, but it's a great start.”

The festival, which is attended by around 70,000 people, is based on Utopian principals of mutual self-reliance, decommodification, and ‘gifting’. Unfortunately, tensions have risen amongst revellers; with many arguing against the rise of “elitist and exclusionary” campsites.

“This year has been quite the challenge for our camp,” White Ocean wrote. “We have felt like we've been sabotaged from every angle, but last night's chain of events, while we were all out enjoying our beautiful home, was an absolute and definitive confirmation that some feel we are not deserving of Burning Man. We actually had someone from the organization tell us that in paraphrase ‘it makes sense that you have been sabotaged as you are a closed camp and not welcoming.’”

“We provide one of the most state of the art stages on the playa and feed hundreds of non-white ocean burners a day,” they added. “Does this qualify as a non-welcoming camp with no contribution to Burning Man?” Read the full post below.