Nau speak: Vegas: Intergalactic Art Car Festival

Have you ever wondered what it might be like to roll up on an intergalactic convention for artsy minded extraterrestrials? Well, wonder no more, because the Intergalactic Art Car Festival, hosted by Lyft and Zappos, is here to answer that question by gathering some of the most outlandish art cars that could be found this side of the milky way. Las Vegas is a city that is no stranger to the weird, after all, and plays home to many of the people who make Burning Man into the event it is every year. Many, if not all of the cars featured here, were at a Burning Man at some point in their lives, or are affiliated with the event in a very 6-degrees-of-Kevin-Bacon sort of manner. The friends I have who volunteered their time to help set it up were, naturally, Burners, as the tribe of annual devotees are called. Personally, I've never been. Something about paying several hundred bucks, plus transportation and all that, to go do drugs in the desert rubs me the wrong way. I've gone to smaller, regional events with a similar mentality behind them that were free to attend and had an absolutely stellar time with many of the same folks who attend the more expensive party every year. To each their own, though, and I'm sure that for the people who have gone it's absolutely the life-changing illuminating event that many people make it out to be!

And if there's one thing you can say for certain about burners, it's that they're pyrotechnic lust rings true to their name. I was pretty thoroughly amused by how many of the art cars had some form of flame-throwing capabilities, but given that Burning Man is an event that literally culminates in the burning of a giant hominid effigy, it makes sense that Burners would like to play with fire. This could be a side benefit of living in an entertainment-oriented city like Las Vegas, because there are plenty of jobs for pyrotechnicians who surely like to experiment in their free time. Not all of the vehicles were solely flame-throwers in fancy garb, though, some were psychedelic light shows on wheels and other's cozy beds. There was even the Flintstones' vehicle making the rounds! And to top it all off, this event was absolutely free to the public! I'm not kidding, it was 100% free to go! You were more than welcome to donate, with proceeds going towards funding education in the Arts here in Nevada, but admission was free!

While we missed the initial parade, we were able to see most if not all of the vehicles during our explorations! Naturally, plenty of photos to follow.