This Quiet San Francisco Beach Accidentally Launched the Iconic Burning Man Festival in 1986

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Baker Beach, San Francisco

Most festivals start with business plans and marketing budgets. Burning Man started with two guys, some scrap wood, and gasoline on a foggy San Francisco beach.

The 1986 bonfire was supposed to be a one-time thing, a way to mark the summer solstice. Here’s how that beach fire changed everything.

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The SF Beach Where It Began

Baker Beach runs for a mile along San Francisco’s shore, and it used to be part of a military base until 1997. From here, you can see the Golden Gate Bridge. The beach was…

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