I got up at 7 in the morning today to try and secure tickets for Burning man.

It’s this massive festival that takes place every year in the Nevada desert at the end of August.

Thousands of people come together for a week in the desert, build Black Rock City, create art, share, live, love… and in the end, they burn a huge effigy.

I had heard so much about it. Many friends, especially from San Francisco, had gone. It was on my list for years now. This sabbatical is perfect for it, but I needed to find a group of people to go with.

As it’s in the desert, there’s nothing to buy. It’s not like your usual rock concert with stands, merchandising, showers and toilets. You have to bring everything with you. And you have to leave the desert clean, without a trace.

I am lucky that my friend Brandon from San Francisco went last year with a group, and he managed to get me on board for 2014.

Tickets are hard to come buy, they are limited to some 60000. We were lucky, as the group had already participated last year, they got access to an early group sale…

So we were all in front of our computers today to buy our tickets. As usual, and after 53 Madonna concerts I am used to it, the system wasn’t accessible first, then you were queued in a waiting line for ages, refreshing, refreshing…. then the pre-sale codes did not work or any of us… slight email panic surge… until finally, one by one, we got our tickets.

So, in the end of August, I will be a resident of Black Rock City.

Can’t wait.

More inspirational pictures: check out flickr.