Tourist, –noun, Hey guys? Have you heard about this thing called Burning Man? It’s a big party in the desert with free booze and naked girls. I think this case of light beer should be enough for us to drink for the week. Let’s go!
If this is you, then you might be a Tourist. A tourist is someone who shows up at Burn simply to spectate (see no spectators) — to look at the fire, underdressed hippies and weird vehicles — but brings nothing to contribute of their own. To make matters worse, many of them show up underprepared with few supplies, creating a drain on the participants around them.
At That Thing in the Desert, the tourists who show up for just the last few days of the week-long event are called Weekenders. Particularly obnoxious, drunk male weekenders yelling “Show us your tits!” are probably Fratboys. See also: Participant, Raver, Virgin.
Legend has it that a retirement community in a local town sends an actual tourbus out onto the playa so that the elderly people of Nevada can gawk at the freaks. If true this would make them the ultimate tourists.
It’s important to distinguish tourists from the average clueless virgin Burner. A virgin is simply clueless whereas a tourist is willfully ignorant. And even tourists can sometimes be educated and become dedicated participants.
Thanks to Zang for suggesting ‘weekender.’
Other entries in A Burner Lexicon can be found at https://kitoconnell.com/lexicon/
