Art burning man

[Robi]

A good 10 hours from there,black rock,easy 12 hours

 

[Robi]

Some dude ran into the big fire of the burning man and died. Suicide by burning himself to death one year.

Every burner knows,but yep

 

[Robi]

How do people afford it?

I've known a few guys who've gone, but they're all tech-bros who have made far more than just low end six-figure incomes

I have to have 2 k

 

[Robi]

Wonder if anyone will run into the fire again?

 

[streaM Freak]

I'll have to do research some time if I remember to. Seems there is a lot that I just don't understand about the event.

I don't think I'd fit in, anyway -

*morning rooster coos*
--tumble weed stage left to stage right--
Sargent: alright campers, time for the burning man
Freak: do I need to come out of my tent?
Sargent: yes God damnit! The man is burning soon!
Freak: golly, wouldn't miss that for the world..

*goes into town to find the burning man*

Freak: hey everyone, I'm freak, where is the burning man?
Friendly People: oh, no silly! This is a non profit organization. We don't actually burn people at the stake.
Freak: GARD DANGIT

 

[streaM Freak]

Jeez dude, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed!

 

[Cream Gravy?]

where do you live?

Down in Texas. Anytime I go to California I've flown. Can't even afford to go to a cousin's wedding this fall out there because of ticket prices right now.

 

[alasdairm]

Down in Texas. Anytime I go to California I've flown. Can't even afford to go to a cousin's wedding this fall out there because of ticket prices right now.

i get it. it's hard. i'd suggest making it a road trip (so much easier to bring everything you need) but, at today's miserable gas prices you'd be looking at about $600 or $800 just in gas

alasdair

 

[Chaurus]

Hey @alasdairm,

I've watched video after video about Burning Man. I've helped perform at much smaller venues of this kind, but I suspect I wouldn't be impressed by many of the visitors, I'm usually part of the entertainment in places like this or I don't come.

Having said this, I am very interested in the art.

It's just much too expensive, I don't drive, and most importantly I don't live in the U.S..

Still, I would love to build a pavilion there.

I just don't think it's going to happen.

 

[alasdairm]

it is different than many events in terms of the core experience. unlike typical festivals or events - where's there's an obvious performer-audience or supplier-consumer relationship - bm is much more focused around universal participation.

that doesn't mean there are not large sound systems where people play, or spin, and others dance. but the overarching feel is much less transactional.

never say never?

alasdair

 

[Chaurus]

it is different than many events in terms of the core experience. unlike typical festivals or events - where's there's an obvious performer-audience or supplier-consumer relationship - bm is much more focused around universal participation.

that doesn't mean there are not large sound systems where people play, or spin, and others dance. but the overarching feel is much less transactional.

never say never?

alasdair

We have such a festival near Amsterdam, but of course nowhere near the size of Burning Man.

 

[Jnowhere]

Jeez dude, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed!

I usually just pass out on my favorite old comfortable chair. Wow I am getting old,

it is different than many events in terms of the core experience. unlike typical festivals or events - where's there's an obvious performer-audience or supplier-consumer relationship - bm is much more focused around universal participation.

that doesn't mean there are not large sound systems where people play, or spin, and others dance. but the overarching feel is much less transactional.

never say never?

alasdair

Ok so you are saying it hasn't been commercialized and ruined by rippies in Nice RV's or Motorhomes?

Wow there was a homicide in 2025.

The odd thing about the guy from Oklahoma who lived in Switzerland who in 2017 ran into the big fire, was there were no drugs and apparently he was only drink small amounts of craft been according to the newspaper article and I think a documentary I saw said the same thing.

Oh no it has probably gotten much worse than I thought. NPR said way back in 2019 "Once considered an underground gathering for bohemians and free spirits of all stripes. Burning Man has since evolved into a destination for social media influencers, celebrities and the Silicon Valley elite".

 

[ageingpartyfiend]

I know it's quite different but I sense some similarities between BM and the wild free-festival scene in the uk (started in the 70's then morphed with rave culture somewhat circa 1990)

We were quite (well, plenty) involved in that culture mid 80's - late 90's. Kinda anarcho squatter vibes, sorta punk / DIY ethos rolling through it. "Bring what you expect to find" was on a lot of flyers/invites.

Parties/festis/gatherings/raves ranging from 35 - 35,000 people.

 

[streaM Freak]

This is Life Advice and Visual Arts, not a cultural debate.

I'm going to unapprove 15 or so posts from the harassing debate until I figure out what to do next.

 

[alasdairm]

Basic Ticket prices of $550 are understandable but they are at huge premium now.

unlike sporting and musical events, burning man tickets do not change hands for more than face value. that aspect of ticketing is tightly controlled.

before about 2011 demand was manageable. the event grew steadily from the baker beach days and through the move to the black rock desert in 1990. but tickets were generally available to anybody who wished to attend.

then, from about 2011 through 2023, demand began to exceed supply and the event sold out reliably.

in 2024, that changed and there was a reset. the supply of tickets exceeded the demand. for the first time in 15 years, last-minute buyers could purchase tickets without pre-registration. the resale market was flooded with tickets selling for below face value, perhaps for the first time ever.

Sorry, dude you and your rich Cali friends

more incorrect assumptions. and you know this.

in a dm 4 days ago, i explained to you that i was laid off in november 2025 and have been unemployed for 7 months now.

so why are you pushing this when you know it's not true?

Water is at a very " premium charge"

another incorrect assumption. you can't buy water at burning man. for somebody who seems to know so much about an event he has never attended, i assumed you would know this.

you can't buy anything at burning man. except ice. a 5lb bag of ice costs less than $5 at burning man. at my local safeway a 5lb bag of ice costs $3.99 so pretty much a wash.

your premium charge narrative is incorrect.

Raising ticket prices

i fed the historical ticket price data into an llm and asked it for some analysis in the context of the cpi, inflation, attendance, etc.:

"burning man ticket prices have risen notably since 1999, outpacing inflation — a $65 early-bird ticket then equates to roughly $122 today, yet standard tickets now cost $575. but the nominal jump is only part of the story. attendance grew from around 23,000 in 1999 to over 80,000 by the 2010s, and the logistical scale of black rock city expanded accordingly. the organization itself noted that the per-person cost of staging the event reached $212 as early as 2005 and kept climbing — more porta-potties, more water trucking, more medical infrastructure, more blm compliance costs, and a city grid serving three times as many people. when you factor in both inflation and the genuine per-capita operational cost of running what became one of the world's largest temporary cities, a good portion of the price increase reflects real costs rather than pure price gouging — though the post-2011 sellout era did give organizers pricing power they hadn't previously enjoyed." (my emphasis)

do you know how much the event pays for its blm special recreation permit?

i can't find a figure after 2019 but, then, it was $3 million. but that is just part of the story. the event also has to pay for sanitation (1400 portapotties, serviced daily), law enforcement, oversight, and environmental compliance, etc.

I am sure you are struggling, for someone who has a good lifestyle. I am sure that this is all very easy for you and you can say what you want but I know the truth.

you know more about my circumstances than i do? wow, this is a new level of special.

but, please, tell me more about me and what i'm going through.

seriously, your comments are based heavily on simple ignorance and a lot of incorrect assumptions.

alasdair

 

[alasdairm]

I will be nice since you are an administrator and hold power over me, like The Sword of Damocles.

p.s. play the victim all you like but you hold power over you. stick to the guidelines and stop insulting people and there's no issue.

alasdair