Taking My Parents to Burning Man Taking My Parents to Burning Man Taking My Parents to Burning Man is a 2014 Canadian documentary film directed by Joel Ashton McCarthy and Bryant H. Boesen that follows the latter's adventures with his 60-year-old parents at the "infamous", annual Burning Man arts festival in Black Rock Desert. Their journey takes them on a road-trip from Vancouver, BC to northern Nevada in a 35-foot school bus. It provides a, "intimate, behind-the-scenes look at the preparation for, the journey to and the adventures at the least-likely family vacation imaginable." Selling out seven consecutive screenings, it won the Audience Choice Award for
Burning Man unconditional. Gifting does not contemplate a return or an exchange for something of equal value." Instead of cash, participants at the Burning Man event in the Black Rock Desert are encouraged to rely on a gift economy, a sort of potlatch. In the earliest days of the event, an underground barter economy also existed, in which burners exchanged "favors" with each other. While this was originally supported by the Burning Man organization, this is now largely discouraged. Instead, burners are encouraged to give gifts to one another unconditionally. "In order to preserve the spirit of gifting, our community seeks to