LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Burning Man begins Sunday at Nevada’s Black Rock Desert, but did you know that Las Vegas has its own little piece of the festival? And it puts on a free show every night.
With setup for Burning Man in high gear, the Bureau of Land Management took the time to share a picture that made us think about The Mantis, one of the highlights of any trip to Downtown and the East Fremont area. Maybe you’ve seen it in action, with flames shooting high into the air.
But even if you have, it’s time for a trip to the Downtown Container Park to see a relic from Burning Man past described by Atlas Obscura as “some kind of post-apocalyptic, Mad Max–monster.” It’s the next best thing to driving hundreds of miles to pay hundreds of dollars to get drunk and dusty in the middle of nowhere.
The metal sculpture was built by aerospace engineer Kirk Jellum, according to signs at the site. He built it as an anniversary gift to his wife. Who knew that the customary gift for a first anniversary was a 40-foot-tall flame-spewing metal insect?…