The event takes Getting its name from its culmination , the symbolic ritual burning Damaging of a large wooden effigy ( `` The Man '' ) that traditionally occurs Coming_to_be on the Saturday evening of the event.First held in 1986 on Baker Beach in San Francisco as a small function organized Arranging by Larry Harvey and Jerry James who built Creating the first `` Man '' , it has since been held annually , spanning Change_event_time the nine days leading up to and including Labor Day ( the opening day is a Sunday , while the closing day is the first Monday in September ) .