HBO’s four-part documentary series The Man Will Burn examines Burning Man’s evolution from a small 1986 beach gathering in San Francisco into a vast annual desert festival attracting tens of thousands. The series explores why the event remains significant as both a space for art, self-expression and spiritual connection, and an institution challenged by tensions between its countercultural ideals, wealthy attendees and formal corporate structure.

Co-directed by Jehane Noujaim and Vikram Gandhi, the series draws on Burning Man’s extensive private archive and follows the festival through Covid cancellations, a board revolt and the effects of global warming. It centres on founder Larry Harvey and his partner Marian Goodell, who became chief executive after Harvey’s death in 2018, while also portraying a leadership dispute involving board member Kimbal Musk during the pandemic.