Burning Man has revealed the theme for its much anticipated 2022 event.

“Waking Dreams” will be the theme, and the festival organisers have said that the concept will “explore the transformative power of dreams, both literal and figurative, and celebrate the dreamers who channel this potent energy in eye-opening, often surrealistic, sometimes life-changing ways.”

Stuart Magnum is the director of Burning Man’s Philosophical Center, and he has written a post on the events official website that talks about dreams and surrealism that have always played a part in the Burning Man experience.

It’s been three years since the last official Burning Man event could take place due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and there has been much anticipation for its return, so there will also be much anticipation to learn more about the Waking Dreams concept.

Stuart Magnum describes the anticipation for Burning Man 2022 as “a thousand days and nights of pent-up hopes and desires, all coiled up in our psyches and ready to burst out onto the blank canvas of the Black Rock Desert.”

The post revealing the theme also talks about the history of dreaming and also the topic of surrealism, saying “that reintegration of dreaming and waking consciousness that fuels surrealism also sounds a lot like how many people describe their Burning Man experience, as a sort of waking dream… It is a signature aspect of Burning Man culture that we transform our dreams into actions in the world. Not just an inner transformation but an externalization of that vision, bending the arc of reality toward the fantastic and bringing the world along for the ride.”

Although it’s confirmed that the festival will return to Black Rock City next year, the exact dates are still not known, but organisers have told Burning Man fans to “get ready for 2022.”