Contested authentication: The impact of event cancellation on transformative experiences, existential authenticity at burning man

Abstract

This study focuses on Burning Man which was canceled by the organizing body in 2020 for the first time since its creation, and the unsanctioned participant-driven version of the event, known as Renegade Man, which was created in its wake. The decision of some travelers to ignore official policy and create an alternative event outside organization control during a global pandemic caused a rift in the Burning Man community that provides valuable insights in the contested nature of authentication practices in a tourism event space. This article is a netnographic exploration of how event cancellation influences experiences of communitas and how tourists motivated by a pursuit of existential authenticity navigate what it means to perform authentication in a community setting.