Burning Man launches unprecedented promotion two weeks before gates open

With two weeks to go before the gates to Burning Man’s Black Rock City swing open, organizers of the famously dusty desert bacchanal have launched an unprecedented promotion: Buy a bus seat from San Francisco or Reno to the event, and it comes with access to the lowest-cost general admission ticket.  

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“We know that the decision to participate in Black Rock City can happen at the last minute, so we’re making a limited number of $550 lower-priced ‘Get the Gift’ tickets available to participants traveling to BRC as part of a Burner Express Bus (BXB) bundle,” a Burning Man spokesperson told SFGATE by email. “The BXB program makes it easier and more affordable to get to Black Rock City, while helping reduce the environmental impact of travel — easing traffic and decreasing the number of vehicles on the roads.”

The $550 price point is the lowest in a sliding scale payment system that organizers first launched last year, with six tiers ranging from $550 to $3,000. The idea is that wealthier Burners (of which there are many these days) can generously subsidize the lower ticket tiers ($550 and $675), which organizers point out do not fully cover festival costs. 

The annual, 80,000-person gathering in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert features massive interactive art installations, elaborately decorated vehicles that can shoot fire, DJ sets on state-of-the-art sound systems and raucous costume parties at all hours. Participants attend workshops and tastings, talks and ceremonies, parades and orgies, and after the event culminates with the burning of a man effigy, the temporary desert city disappears entirely. 

Burners who wish to fully “Pay Your Way” can purchase a ticket for $775, while those opting to “Give the Gift” can buy tickets for $975, $1,500 or $3,000. In addition, a long-standing ticket aid program offers $250 tickets to low-income Burners who go through an application process. 

General admission tickets are still available in all tiers except $550. But for those who purchase Burner Express Bus seats now, bundled $550 tickets remain on offer. Burner Express Bus ticket sales end Aug. 19 at 6 p.m., according to the Burning Man Project, and “the Burner Express Bus + Burning Man Ticket Bundle Sale will end when the small supply to fill two additional buses sells out,” the spokesperson told SFGATE.