History of the hippie movement and the Holding Company, Merl Saunders and Babatunde Olatunji to speakers such as Timothy Leary, Terence McKenna, Paul Krassner, Stephen Gaskin, Robert Anton Wilson, Harvey Wasserman and Ralph Metzner. The Burning Man festival began in 1986 at a San Francisco beach party. Now an annual gathering, the event is held in the Black Rock Desert northeast of Reno, Nevada. Though few participants would accept the "hippie" label, Burning Man is a contemporary expression of alternative community in the same spirit as early hippie events. The gathering becomes a temporary city (36,500 occupants in 2005), with elaborate encampments, displays and many
World Ski and Snowboard Festival World Ski and Snowboard Festival The World Ski & Snowboard Festival (WSSF) is an annual celebration of snowsports, music, arts and mountain culture. The Festival is held each April in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada and has been recognized as the largest annual winter sports and music festival in North America. It has been called the snowsport industry's version of Burning Man. The World Ski & Snowboard Festival was created by Doug Perry in 1996. The festival was developed in a partnership between Perry, Tourism Whistler and Whistler/Blackcomb. In 2006 the ownership of the festival was consolidated in a joint acquisition