Burners stroll by mud on the annual Burning Man occasion within the Black Rock Desert of Nevada, on Friday, Aug. 29, 2014.
Andy Barron / Related Press
Black Rock Metropolis — a pop-up metropolis within the Nevada desert that hosts the multi-day Burning Man gathering — is a commerce-free zone with an financial system that runs on bartering and gifting. Whereas music and artwork festivals are sometimes synonymous with company sponsorships and branded vendor cubicles, there’s none of that on the playa. The truth is, the one factor that is on the market is ice.
So, does that imply Burning Man is a budget-friendly gathering, untouched by inflation and devoid of capitalism’s dear pitfalls? Not fairly. Whereas there is a stretch of no-spend days within the scorching desert during which 80,000 or so festivalgoers experiment with communal dwelling, veteran Burners will inform you there’s numerous prep related to “radical self-reliance” — one of many core Burning Man rules — and that the prices add up.
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Curious concerning the Burning Man value to attendees? This is a breakdown of the upfront prices in addition to some shock bills to issue into your funds, in line with those that have attended the eclectic pageant.
An indication welcomes attendees to Burning Man, the annual pageant held within the northern Nevada desert. The pop-up metropolis that hosts the occasion is named Black Rock Metropolis.
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Burning Man tickets: $575 to $2,750
Burning Man tickets are hotter than the Nevada desert within the summertime. Within the months main as much as the occasion, pageant organizers stagger ticket gross sales, with a restricted quantity launched throughout every window.
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Burners paid a premium to get their palms on the first-release FOMO sale tickets in February, after they offered for as a lot as $2,750 apiece. At that value, you’ll be able to consider Burning Man tickets as costing about $305 per day, as a result of all tickets cowl the complete 9 days of festivities, no matter what number of days you intend to be there.
Yet one more ticket launch, the OMG Sale, is presently scheduled for Burning Man 2023. Registration closed on July 28 and the sale begins at 12 p.m. on Aug. 2. These tickets value $575 (about $64 per day).
There is no such thing as a distinction within the pricing tiers, by way of what you get. All tickets grant the identical degree of entry.
Vehicles and vans wait in visitors to get into the Burning Man pageant, held 120 miles north east of Reno.
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Parking: $150
Along with shopping for tickets, you’ll want a $150 automobile cross displayed in your dashboard to get into Black Rock Metropolis. Bikes and towed autos don’t want a cross. Automobile passes are additionally launched in restricted portions throughout Burning Man ticket gross sales.
Camp charges: $0 to $5,000 and up
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Most attendees attend Burning Man as a part of a “camp,” a collective of people that band collectively throughout the occasion. Camps distinguish themselves on the playa with flags, banners, props, decorations, themed costumes and devices.
Camp charges can differ tremendously, with the size sliding between free and $5,000 and better, with a premium on comfortable digs like an Airstream or RV, estimates Brandon Dorsky, a former Burning Man attendee who’s an legal professional and the co-founder of the California-based edible hashish model Fruit Slabs.
Camp charges can differ primarily based on a number of elements, he says. Those that are volunteering or doing work for the camp might pay a decrease charge, as an illustration. Different elements that may drive up the prices embrace an accessible toilet or bathe on the camp or contributions to the camp’s artwork.
“Camp charges might be anyplace from free to hundreds of {dollars} relying in your set-up and the way turnkey it’s upon arrival,” Dorsky instructed SFGATE.
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An artwork automotive designed to appear like a dragon is seen on the Burning Man pageant on Aug. 28, 2014 within the Black Rock Desert of Nevada.
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Provides: Various prices
Provides are most likely the largest Burning Man funds wild card. Prices are depending on what you’ve already received readily available and what can be out there at your camp versus the gadgets you’ll must replenish on.
On-line you’ll find complete packing lists, like Burner Listing, which recommends bringing issues like hydration backpacks, lip balm with SPF, moist towelettes for cleansing the grit off your face, goggles for sandstorms and a backup set of keys in case your unique set will get misplaced within the sand.
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Daniela Pauli, of New York Metropolis, attended Burning Man in 2018, splitting RV bills with a gaggle, and she or he estimates she spent $4,000 — which might have the identical shopping for energy as $4,840 in the present day, when adjusted for inflation.
“Concentrate on having sufficient water, electrolytes, solar safety and, if in case you have a tent, followers,” stated Pauli, who leads enterprise growth at Microdose Psychedelic Insights. “All the time have a backup headlamp and ensure to carry lights to brighten your bike or lights on your clothes or put on clothes that has LED lights. It’s darkish at evening and laborious for individuals to see you in case you are not lit up.”
Burning Man even has a particular time period for attendees who who don’t illuminate themselves at evening: “darkwads.”
Kelly Peach of Bellingham, Wash., fights the wind as she rides her bike on the playa at Burning Man, within the Nevada desert.
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Bike rental: From $100
Burning Man is a BYOB (carry your personal bike) occasion and also you’ll most likely need a set of wheels to get round as a result of the playa is an unlimited place.
A well-liked possibility: Reserve a $100 bike, aka human playa automobile, from the Reno Bike Challenge. The bike is assured to have a working gear, a working brake, two tires that maintain air and safely adjusted bearing surfaces. In order for you entry to a cruiser-style bike, you want a $140 Burner membership and bike reservation.
Since numerous Burners don’t need to haul the bike house after wheeling round within the desert, many donate them again to the Reno Bike Challenge, which then refurbishes the rides for the next yr’s pageant.
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Transportation: $100 to $710
About 120 miles from Black Rock Metropolis, Reno is the final main metro for a lot of en path to Burning Man.
Nonstop flights can be found between San Francisco Worldwide Airport and Reno-Tahoe Worldwide Airport, with journey dates bookending the pageant — for instance, you’ll be able to fly to Reno on Aug. 26 and return Sept. 5. At time of publication, prices vary from $490 to $710 per flight.
Gasoline costs within the Bay Space are round $5 a gallon and so they’re about $4.57 in Reno. It will depend on whether or not you’ve got received a fuel-efficient automobile or a gasoline guzzler, however the route between San Francisco and Reno is about 370 miles. In case you’re making the drive, count on to pay within the ballpark of $100 spherical journey. However to get a extra personalized estimate, you’ll be able to plug your information right into a fuel-cost calculator.
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Automobile cleansing: From $100
PSA: You should do a very good deep clear of your automotive as quickly as you permit the playa. The alkaline mud can corrode your electronics and harm your upholstery, in line with post-playa ideas from the Burning Man Challenge, the nonprofit group that runs the pageant. Whereas you are able to do a DIY detailing job, some Bay Space automotive washes which have post-festival washes use vinegar to dissolve the alkaloid within the tremendous mud.
Burner Nadia Cuthbertson, founding father of Perth Weekend, an Australia journey useful resource, stated she’s spent upwards of $200 deep cleansing her automotive after per week within the desert.
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“It’s a small value to pay for the aftermath of dancing with mud devils,” she stated.
Complete value: Anyplace from roughly $1,000 to $10,000
Relying on which tickets you snag, the way you get to the playa, who you camp with, whether or not you park or use a motorbike and what kind of provides you want, you’ll be able to count on to spend, at minimal, about $1,000 to attend Burning Man 2023. However the associated fee will doubtless be someplace between $1,000 and $10,000, primarily based on our analysis and the previous attendees we spoke with.
This story was edited by Hearst Newspapers Managing Editor Kristina Moy; you’ll be able to contact her at kristina.moy@hearst.com.
