Gusto TV Heads to Burning Man 2026 for a Culinary Look Inside Black Rock City

Photo by: Jamen Percy

OTTAWA, CA | August 25, 2026 — Gusto TV is heading to Burning Man 2026 for a new culinary special exploring how food brings Black Rock City to life, a temporary metropolis of approximately 80,000 people built each year in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert.
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For one-week, Black Rock City becomes a fully functioning community with neighborhoods, camps, communal spaces, and kitchens operating under conditions unlike those of any other city. There are no restaurants, grocery stores, or commercial food vendors, and participants arrive prepared with the food, water, equipment, and resources they need to sustain themselves.
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For Gusto TV, that creates a remarkable story — one shaped by self-reliance, generosity, and the people who build entire food experiences from the ground up.
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“Black Rock City one of those places you hear about for years and eventually think, we have to go see this for ourselves,” said Chris Knight, President and CEO of Gusto Worldwide Media. “You’ve got a city of around 80,000 people, but no stores, no running water, and no electrical grid. So how do you feed everyone? That’s what we want to find out.”
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Burning Man’s culture is shaped by its 10 Principles, many of which come to life through food. Radical Self-reliance means participants arrive prepared to meet their own basic needs, while Communal Effort can be seen in camps working together to build kitchens, plan menus, and prepare meals for groups large and small.
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Gifting is equally central. Food is prepared and offered freely, with nothing expected in return. A simple snack, late-night meal, or elaborate dining experience can be shared purely as a gift, reflecting Burning Man’s principle of Decommodification, where commercial transactions are removed from the experience.
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That culture of sharing is also rooted in Participation and Radical Inclusion, inviting people to contribute, connect, and take part. Radical Self-expression comes through in the imaginative camps, menus, and dining experiences participants create.
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The responsibility extends beyond the meal itself. Civic Responsibility and Leaving No Trace shape how camps operate and manage everything they bring into Black Rock City, including food, packaging, water, and waste. And through Immediacy, the experience ultimately comes down to being present, sharing what is in front of you, and connecting with the people around you.
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Gusto TV’s cameras will go inside camps and kitchens across Black Rock City to meet the people behind the food and discover what it takes to cook for a temporary desert city. From transporting and storing ingredients to building functional kitchens, preparing meals for large groups, and gifting food to strangers, the special will reveal the logistical ingenuity and generosity required to make it all happen without the everyday conveniences most people take for granted.
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Additional details about the special’s premiere will be announced at a later date.