Tickets For Burning Man 2011 Sold Out

Tickets for Burning Man 2011 have sold out. For the first time in 25 years of holding the Burning Man event, we have had to cut off ticket sales before the event. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which oversees the Black Rock Desert National Conservation Area, requires us to manage growth in line with the previous year’s population in order to comply with our use permit. As a result, Burning Man has exercised its oft-stated right to cap ticket sales.

Tickets will NOT be sold at the Burning Man Gate, nor at Walk-In Outlets. If you don’t have a ticket, do NOT show up at the Gate. If you choose to purchase tickets from a third party, please take precautions to ensure their authenticity before you purchase them to avoid counterfeits and scams. If you are selling your ticket, we strongly encourage you to sell it at face value, or better yet, gift it! Information on how to buy and sell third-party tickets more safely can be found here on our tickets page.

For those considering venturing out to Black Rock City without a ticket to “try your luck” purchasing one at or near the entrance to Burning Man, we ask that you do NOT do so, for your own safety and the well-being of the surrounding communities. The Black Rock Desert is an extremely remote, inhospitable environment with limited resources, minimal facilities, and few camping opportunities in the vicinity. You will NOT be allowed to camp overnight anywhere near the event site, and the nearest campgrounds are over an hour’s drive away.

About the author: Will Chase

Will Chase

Will Chase is Burning Man's former Minister of Propaganda, working on global communications strategy. He was the editor-in-chief for the Jackrabbit Speaks newsletter and the Burning Man Journal, and content manager for Burning Man’s web properties. He also oversaw the ePlaya BBS and Burning Man’s social media presence. Will first attended Burning Man in 2001. He volunteered as the Operations Manager for the ARTery (Black Rock City’s art HQ) and was on the Burning Man Art Council from 2003-2008. He was Web Team Project Manager and Webmaster from 2004 until he transitioned to the Communications Department in 2009.

98 Comments on “Tickets For Burning Man 2011 Sold Out

  • Stephanie says:

    I know a lot of people are wondering….exactly how many tickets WERE sold?

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  • Yes, can you please tell us how many tickets were sold or tell us something that makes sense as to why you won’t say?

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  • Tiggle says:

    yup – same question – just curious what the expected population is this year!

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  • marisa says:

    check out Burning Man on Wikipedia, says there were over 50,000 in attendance last year, and I am sure that is over their permit. Probably going back to 09 numbers which were at about 45,000. That is a lot of people in the desert, and only so many services that are provided, so safety for all these people is a huge concern. In 2008, with 49,000 tickets stopped being sold at the gate. You can assume attendance will be about 50,000.

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  • Ashley says:

    The magic number is 50,000.

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  • ruth kneass says:

    please advise how many tickets were sold. was it 50,000 ? didn’t the city’s population exceed that last year ? wow. i sure wish that tickets would not EVER be sold for more than face value. this is not what this is all about. have we grown too much ? my 12th burn is ahead & i am shaken by this.

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  • Dan says:

    I concur, what is the cap?

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  • Megan says:

    hey… looking for 3 tickets for burning man! please let me know if you have any extras. thank you :)

    xomegs aka cadet

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  • Ron says:

    The cap permitted by BLM in 2011 is 60,000.

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  • Sintine says:

    Is there any legal why to get StubHub/TicketsNow/Etc…. to STOP selling tickets over face value? Really?!?!?! $1,000!?……………Please don’t let them. :(

    Report comment

  • lacy says:

    hey I’m about to check out the 3rd party sell link but thought I’d throw this up I’m looking for 2 tickets and after only buying tickets at the gate I’m freaking out a little bit any help greatly appreciated!

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  • Brad says:

    K I was awarded a scholarship ticket and this will be my first year going how do I prove verification of that?

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  • mamasaid says:

    I envision a whole lotta swindling going on…barging, late night entrances around the gate…which will undoubtedly mean a rougher communal atmosphere…

    so glad I have a ticket…now I just need a plane ticket…

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  • Vaughn says:

    Amazing! I am sad to see that tickets are already going for $500-$700 on ebay and $850 on Stubhub. Such is life but not in the spirit of what I thought Burning Man was about. I had a ticket weeks ago but was just told that I didn’t have one anymore???…???… how that happens is pretty dodgy but it is my reality at the moment. would be great if there could be a emergency release of a 5000 tickets to all those who didn’t get in on time before notice was given. The word is out now and we understand the situation… How can we work this out? This was going to be my sixth year and far too much planning into my camp has been done for me to miss this. But for me to pay double face value puts a real bad taste in my mouth.

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  • Sintine says:

    Please!!! only buy/sell tickets at FACE VALUE, don’t let the outside world turn our home into a profitable spectacle. >O.O< Mow.

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  • It’s too bad people have to take advantage of burning man, with the hike on the ticket sales… none the less, everyone have fun and be safe, and listen to the man, don’t go to the gate trying to buy a ticket!!!

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  • Pat says:

    Noooooo. Boocked a flight from Switzerland already. Booked the RV. Booked the hotels. Jumped trough many hoops to get a biometric passport to be able to travel to the US. And now we can’t buy tickets? We don’t have that much money left, to buy it from ebay!

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  • Leslie Karpas says:

    If anyone happens to have 2 tickets they’re looking to unload; please please let me make you an offer… I’m so angry at myself for procrastinating now, I never fathomed it would actually sell out.

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  • Felipe says:

    People, they have been saying in the newsletter and other sources for a while now …”buy your tickets, they will sell out, there has been a unprecedented early demand this year.” And a month before the event people are wondering why they have been sold out ?

    It’s a shame that people bought tickets to later resale them cause that is not what the spirit of BM is about. However we were told to purchase tickets early to secure our attendance. Good luck to all those looking for tickets and see you burners at the playa.

    Attendance will probably be around 52,000 , since that is what their permit allows.

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  • Roger says:

    Wow – I hope there is more security at the gate this year. It has the makings of a complete clusterfuck if not controlled properly.

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  • Hmmm says:

    This sucks for a lot of folks, but the JRS has been talking about it for months now… This will create a sellers market for tickets all over the web. 1000.00 i am sure we will see it.

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  • Shawn says:

    The folks over at Burning an HQ, gave everyone plenty of warning that this was going to happen. Now tickets are sold out, and everyone that procrastinated is scrambling, trying to find a ticket, and looking for someone to blame for the scalpers. There is now an opportunity to make a large sum of money on 3rd party ticket sales. The only reason that scalpers are able to make money is because of the demand. So for anyone that had plans on attending this year, but put off buying a ticket, and now is willing to pay over $800 on ebay, should shoulder some of the blame for this.
    The only way to combat the scalpers is to not pay their price. Let them sweat it out. I guarantee you that come a week before the event, and they still have $1,000’s in inventory, the prices will come down. I know it is a hard thing to do, but if everyone pulls together, we can make it so the scalpers dont make money on our event. I have seen this happen time, and time again on sold out concerts, they will get desperate.
    One quick look on ebay will show how our community is the one driving prices up.
    So don’t purchase through fear, don’t let this happen to our community, please The Man )'( Will not Survive

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  • ling says:

    It’s difficult to imagine why someone would buy plane tickets, rv reservations, passports, etc from Switzerland without having ticket in hand. Just saying…

    Have fun, all you burners! I’ll see you next year because I was going to get tickets at gate but with them being sold out, I won’t be paying the extortionists 2 or 3 times more than ticket face value.

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  • Dave Rankin says:

    Guys the BLM permit and stipulations which limit attendance are at the BLM’s webpage. http://www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/fo/wfo.html Attendance is limited to 50,000. Actual sales are a bit lower because some people putting on the event don’t buy tickets. Dave

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  • Sintine says:

    I have a ticket, it is a ride I’m lacking…..

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  • Diana says:

    Ok people…really, you book your rv, buy your plane tickets BEFORE you purchase an entry?! Seems ass-backwards to me…but maybe I’m just anal and always do things in an order that makes sense…
    Anyway, check the announce lists, the communication boards, and craigslist for tickets. Also, on the spain-announce list I know for a fact a girl has 2 she is selling. Now, go! And best of luck really!

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  • mmUSA says:

    I would just like to say that BM has been a very important part of my life that has gifted me with friendships, and new dreams that reach the sky. However, last year I did not have the funds to go (as is the case this year), so I applied for a scholarship ticket. I did not even get a response back from the proper people involved. Very disappointing. This year my pre-burn party will be held outside the gates of BRC in my little hometown. I hope that everyone has fun. It’s too advertised now…..not the intimate experience I have had from past burns. 8-(

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  • Stompydog says:

    This is something I found at http://blogs.sacbee.com/ticket/archives/2011/07/burning-man-fes.html

    This year’s community of free-thinking, self-reliant artists and
    others, will be limited to 51,515, a total set by the Bureau of Land
    Management based on last year’s population, according to Burning Man
    spokesperson Andie Grace.

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  • bunny says:

    Burning Man sold out a long time ago.

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  • Crystal says:

    I couldn’t attend last year because I was 8 months pregnant ~ so we had our own “burn baby burn” baby shower party Thursday night during the week of Burningman to be there in spirit. We all hiked into a crater in the eastern sierra with pallets to burn, huge speakers and a generator for music, glowsticks, costumes… We even hiked in a wooden origami crane art piece that we all painted and then lit on fire with sparklers. When the crane burst into an explosion of fireworks, my baby decided that she wanted to join the party…

    She was born Friday morning, the day before the man burned last year. I wanted so badly to bring her this year on her birthday for her rite of passage.

    If my story inspires you to sell me a couple tickets, please do contact me! Much love

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  • Terri says:

    Wow. Sooooo glad I waited through the hassles on day one of ticket sales and got mine early!

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  • Crystal says:

    at gmail

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  • naked bob says:

    I wonder if someone in SF is working on un-ebaying/scalping the Burning Man tickets… ie asking for numbers on the tickets and reporting them as scalped tickets. And having those tickets require a bill of sale not equal to more than the ticket + fees for entry.

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  • German says:

    and so….give the numbers…50.000? 60.000? less……? more…..? the biggest was 2009, wasn’t it? 48,000 and some?

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  • German says:

    the one who resells tickets now …. only loves money and don’t care Burning Man spirit… i I do have a video of you Larry and you explained BM Spirit…BM was sold out in 2005!!!

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  • Just call me "T" says:

    “WOW”… I’m a virgin burner this year with friends that have been before…I’ve wanted to go since 2001 but raising children tends to put things off… theyre just about grown now… so off i go….off to my new home!!!! Halcyon is a great teacher and i have learned so much from his advice…
    i can’t believe the f**kin scalpers… absolutley ri-cock-ulous as my son says… so sorry to hear about switzerland but i agree should’ve bought the tickets sooner…like the day u got the flight…
    As for all of u who have their tickets… I will C U on the PLAYA… look for me… little, cute, with bright orange jumpsuit with “VIRGIN BURNER 2011” )'( on the back….
    We also have an art car this year … its a viking helmet!!!!! YIPPPEEE…great 1st year
    (((((((~~HUGS~~))))))
    ((((~~T~~))))

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  • roissy says:

    My understanding BM is allowed to grow 6% a year per the terms in the BLM permit.
    Last years total was 52,000. 6% is only 3,120 more, which would bring the new total to 55,120. HQ has been warning ticket sales were exceeding all expectations and that they most likely would sellout. Larry said during a speech last March “Buy your tickets now and tell your friends.” The main problem is there is only one road in, all I can say exodus is going to be interesting…

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  • Black Cynderella says:

    Greetings my burner family!!!!

    If anybody was awarded a scholarship or low income ticket…….all you have to do is present your approval “EMAIL” at “WILL CALL” at the entrance of the event with a photo id. And to all of you wanna be burners that are selling tickets waaay over the ‘face value’…….U SUCK!!!
    This is not what BM is all about and if it was….then there would be a green back price on EVERYTHING out there right???

    Always remember: Think with your hearts and not your minds.

    )'( BC )'(

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  • 2006 BM'er says:

    People

    this IS the sprit of Burning Man an exciting community-with set limits.

    I predict the scramble for tickets and illegal entry & scalpers is gonna get ugly.

    Stay home make your own Burn this year. Billions of people on the planet if you aren’t one of the 50,000 who made sufficient plans, live and learn in the spirt of the Man…

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  • Lil' Durrutti says:

    Hoping for a two ticket miracle; face value, work trade, barter or ….?

    Can pick up asap within 100 miles of Frisco.

    Sucks to be kicked out of home. Really hoping the organizers and BLM can work something out.

    peppermintchurchfire(at)hotmail.com

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  • Roland says:

    suggestion (for the future):

    “named tickets” (only valid with passport or another identity card/document)

    This means that one cannot “trade” with BM-Tickets, if (whatsoever reason) someone has to return the ticket, another one is surely glad to get a ticket for face value.

    This does mean (hard to avoid) some additional bureaucracy für the organisation, but can avoid IMO “predacious trade(rs)” very effective.

    All the best to You all.

    Roland

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  • Kloner says:

    For anybody wondering the ticket sales were capped at 50,000 with a 2,000 person cushion allowed by the BLM. So it’s 50,00 tickets that have sold.

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  • Chregel says:

    hello pad. hello swiss burners.
    well we got the tickets but we dont have a RV. there are no more available at the west coast. so we’re looking for a RV. if you dont find any tickets for a reasonable price we would take your RV. if that were possible. But I think you’ll find a way to get there. best regards.
    mälded euch doch mol uf 0786653848 / reptilia35(ät)msn.com. danke vellmol. und sosch gseht mer sech det.

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  • likethegoddess says:

    Much love to greeters and perimeter crew, this year especially.

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  • Benny says:

    Two tickets just sold on ebay for $10,099.00.
    Every RV on the West coast is already rented.
    Burningman is a rich people’s party and has been for years.
    Remember when the only RV’s on the playa were Crimson and Larry’s and everyone else just camped? No, you were probably still in law school.

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  • Ricardo says:

    Hey to swedes wishing to be first time burners living in London, just found out tickets out… Even though heard it would be possible in worst case scenario to get them at gate…. :(( TOT GUTTED HERE! :(
    Pls some kind hearted spirit out there can help me and my friend go from being out in the cold bystanders to happy first time burners??
    If there be 2! Tickets out there pls get in touch!
    kind regards!…..

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  • Ricardo says:

    Sorry forgott get in touch mail ric_grabb@hotmail.com
    The 2 swedes looking for burning man tickets :(

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  • Will Chase says:

    Sorry, we don’t release information about our ticket sales numbers or projected population until after the event.

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  • Guava says:

    Two tickets are now going for $9600 on EBay…wrong. Or…someone is being really clever and driving up ticket prices ridiculously…hmmm.

    DON’T LET THE DEFAULT WORLD RUIN THE SPIRIT OF OUR CITY…ONLY BUY TICKETS AT FACE VALUE!!!

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  • Brian says:

    Need tickets for burning man

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  • Brian says:

    Need 4 tickets for burning man please email me at brian@totalwebhosters.com if you have anything

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  • Will Chase says:

    As for scalpers, there’s nothing we can do about it, I’m afraid … it’s really up to the community NOT to buy tickets over face value. When there’s no demand, there’s not going to be a supply. But for many, it’s a hard temptation to resist.

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  • Clearlight says:

    Burning Man has jumped the shark.

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  • sugar daddy says:

    I need three tickets….I am hosting Dr Megavolt at Area 51 this year. We are at Esplanade and 5. Some of my critical peeps got caught with there Alien parts down. 404-308-5626 in Atlanta

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  • Todd says:

    In my personal opinion, the only ones selling tickets now are those that intended to go but are tempted by the idea of selling their ticket for profit. Fine! Those aren’t the people we want anyway.

    But if ticket sales have been so brisk this year (20,000 in the first week?!?) I would suggest that a very large percentage of the people that bought tickets intend to use them. The event isn’t sold out because people are trying to make a profit, it’s sold out because it is growing faster than the external limits on the event allow.

    Organized scalping requires two things to be successful. One, they must anticipate that the event will sell out without the scalpers buying extra tickets, otherwise they are left holding unsellable tickets. Secondly, they need people to be willing to pay inflated prices. Since the event has never sold out before it is very unlikely, in my opinion, that scalpers rigged the system this year. Too risky. Stubhub only has 50 tickets listed. That’s not even 1%. Craigslist is about the same.

    But, as Will says, if you accept that the tickets are gone and refuse to pay inflated prices, the scalpers lose.

    On the bright side, I’m glad that the community is back on their feet financially since 2008. The economic downturn that caused the population to decline is obviously over.

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  • Denise says:

    Benny, just because you’ve been going to BM for years doesn’t give you the right to be mean. I know you have it in you to be nicer. :-)

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  • The Mener says:

    Desperately seeking just ONE ticket. If anyone has it in their heart, please help out. This will be my 13th and final burn (at least for several years while overseas).

    -The Mener
    the_mener@yahoo.com

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  • Yoyomokomo says:

    I am pretty excited to see this event sell all of its tickets for the first time! Especially on the year I decided to fly my virgin burnin o’kole to the dessert. 50,000 people isn’t that many when you think about it. I think those with tickets should try and gift something to those without. Like maybe a short documentary, story, photo journal, something to let the others know we were thinking of them.

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  • Still Waters says:

    BM needs to really think more about the core community, the Burners who add color, art, music, performance to the event and don’t come just to party, take up space with big RVs and be a useless tourist. Kaminanda, like the one DJ im planning to not miss, booked for 6 stages and 2 art cars, just posted that he does not have a ticket. What kind of upside down business is this?? I know he will get one because he is so well connected, but frankly he is not the only one. So many wonderful amazing burners are being left out of the dust. Yea they should not have waited, but some of us had no choice especially this year. It’s been hard on everyone financially. I never had a problem getting low income tickets before but I did not even have the money to get that at the time it had sold out. I was lucky enough to get money just before the final sell out so I made the window but just barely. Family bought my planefare. I’m a dancer and performance artist, and I know so many colorful beings who cannot be there and that makes me very anxious to see what this will be like. I think Harvey and the organizers really should take this into consideration, and think strongly about offering ARTIST tickets reserved for the actual creators who can prove this without a doubt. Because the way the scholarships work anyone can get one and let’s be honest, it’s likely they are not really doing much besides raving it up most of the time.

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  • brother dance says:

    )'( said they would sell out this year.. who of us actually believed them….. basically by lying to us for years about the actuall numbers.. and then not really telling us why they would sell out.. many of us as usuall would be getting tickets a month before hand, some of us live pay check to paycheck…. very sad, very lame of the )'( to have fudged the numbers and now this is the result….. many, many essential true burners who are not there to party will be absent….. sad to end this way……. but there in lies a lesson, live in the moment, and last year was incredilble and all good things come to an end… love to you all.. burning man changed my life, and i will allways be gratefull……..

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  • Tom West says:

    All, the Burningman community and culture has spread to the world. This is an amazing thing. Just like we experience when we are in the confines of BRC, you have everything you need…. Always. If you currently do not have a ticket, keep your head up, look to the future with hope, and if you are meant to be there you most certainly will be.

    I look forward to the extra joy that will be brought by each of you that are now without a ticket but one finds its way to you in the next 30 days or so.

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  • dave says:

    All of us who have been coming for more than a decade and beyond are well aware and well-versed in the ways in which BMan was and now is. Do I wish it could go back to that nearly post-apocalyptic scarred, smoldering morning after the burn playa of old? Hell yes. But that was gone long ago, and in that way, BMan is no exception to a life and planet that keeps changing. What inspires me to keep going back is that even still, at 54,000 and now sold out, the spirit of gifting, raw creativity, and palpable life-changing inspiration still exists there. I am wowed how nearly every newbie that attends leaves the event awestruck, and many, if not most, forever changed. Me, I’m ducking out before the burn and who knows whether this will be my last, but I will leave, as always, feeling very grateful, for what BMan still is.

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  • callie says:

    Todd –

    You make some good points! I have some more data for you. First of all, on stubhub.com, there are definitely pro scalpers. Some sellers there are holding over ten tickets, clearly purchased for later resale.

    Also, because the prices go up as the tiers sell out, there’s actually kind of a built in incentive for scalpers. Small runs of cheaper tickets “sell out” making simply selling them at later-tier prices a profitable venture, even if the event itself is not sold out. That has brought a lot of convenience to me over the years, as one can get an early ticket and have no problem at all selling it later at its face value if one has a spare. People do drop out, and it’s great to be able to sell a $300 ticket, for $300, to a pal of a pal when the current price is $400. Everyone wins, rather than the scalper system of screwing people for a quick buck.

    Like other posts, I too am pretty surprised that crucial people for giant theme camps, or other folks making trips across the globe to BRC, could not only just put off buying tickets but actually ignore warnings about an imminent and looming ticket sell out while all the while meticulously planning the rest of their trip. I’m sad that they don’t get to go, but also, they made their bed.

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  • Here is four people trying to get $10K for tickets on ebay… the average price selling on ebay is over $1000 and at this rate its only going to keep going up. BM needs to open ticket sales back up or the place is going to end up being over run by rich douchebag spectators. Meanwhile a huge influx of true burners are going to sell their tickets because half of their friends are not gong to be there. This is going to be my 12th year and I am seriously contemplating my own attendance if all my friends are not there.

    And what does “Burning Man has exercised its oft-stated right to cap ticket sales” mean? Did they only sell 30K or 55K. I really dont bealive that the same number of tickets that sold last year have already sold this year :-/

    http://cgi.ebay.com/Burning-Man-2011-Rites-Passage-2-Tickets-/220819928790?pt=US_Tickets_all_in_one&hash=item3369e4b6d6

    http://cgi.ebay.com/Burning-Man-tickets-two-2-NR-Free-Shipping-/250862324370?pt=US_Tickets_all_in_one&hash=item3a688f4a92

    http://cgi.ebay.com/BURNING-MAN-2011-LIFE-CHANGING-/290591794114?pt=US_Tickets_all_in_one&hash=item43a89ee3c2

    http://cgi.ebay.com/2-BURNING-MAN-TICKETS-2011-Rites-Passage-FREE-SHIP-/280715587210?pt=US_Tickets_all_in_one&hash=item415bf3ee8a

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  • biggerman says:

    only 50.000 tickets?
    i thought it was the biggest thing there was.
    in the netherlands (17.000.000 people) we have several (one day)parties with 50.000 or more people. and that is just house party.
    even parties with 160.000 for several days.

    and the population of us is time 20. and lot more room in the desert……

    just wondering……

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  • Ben says:

    Print more tickets! Revise the Permits! Do the right thing!

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  • Jen says:

    It’s official…the Burning Man officials SUCK!!!!!!!

    They could have sent out an email letting us know that all sales will end in 24 hours, but instead they kept publicizing how tickets would be available, possibly at increased prices, for the next month.

    I agree, Burning Man should make an additional 1500 to 5000 tickets available immediately!

    We look forward to this announcement posted on the Burning Man website!!!

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  • Sarah says:

    I just wanted to post a big thank you for all the honest and generous people out there selling and gifting their tickets.

    Out of the four friends who were going to join me for the burn this year, three ended up not being able to attend. They all sold their tickets for $20 less than they had originally paid. One burner was offered $450 for a ticket but told the buyer that he would only accept the $300 he had advertised.

    It’s actions like this that make me confident that even though the event has grown huge we can still form a meaningful community and adhere to our principles if we try.

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  • Joanna Sunshine says:

    I don’t think Burning Man is just a “rich man’s party”, I’ve been fucking broke the last 5 years I’ve attended and I still managed to make it there! It’s all about planning ahead, saving money and NOT PROCRASTINATING UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE! People who haven’t bought their tickets yet are not being very self reliant…. If you’re a burner buying a marked up ticket because you waited this long then maybe you should just forget it and plan ahead for next year. Burning Man hasn’t “sold out” it’s just such an amazing experience that everyone tells their friends and more people are coming now. Could be a bad thing, could be good for our community. Time will tell! Personally all the virgins I know who are coming this year will make some freakin’ fantastic burners and I can’t wait to welcome them home. :)

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  • c.o.y.o.t.e. says:

    Just a few thoughts…

    I haven’t been to the Man since ’03. I decided that I would have to be called back to go again, and it just happens that I was called to return this year. I picked up my ticket for face value from someone who decided not to go. A friend sold me the other, for my lady, for what she paid. If my only option was to pay an inflated price ($10,100 on eBay? Give me a f*cking break), I would simply not go.

    What Benny posted, although pretty absolutist, has a ring of truth to it: I have observed the rich and privileged (who i imagined might be lawyers and ad executives) at Burning Man playing with their toys and enjoying their lavish RVs with nary a care in the world. I inadvertently even rode with some of them one year. However, I’ve also observed the solitary artist who ventured out and manifested something from deep within their being to offer for others, making many sacrifices and spending $ they did not have because of a vision on community and inspiration that the default world actively destroys. The latter, I’m afraid, is more likely to feel the hollowness created by the former as they consider their re-entry into the “real” world. And who is paying $10,100 for a ticket (or, if you don’t believe that to be genuine, even $1,000)? Certainly not me, nor anyone I am associated with. Alas, this is our society; there are those who have access, no locked doors, power and privilege. BRC, for all of its beauty and magic, is connected to this world, and so it is.

    That said, I am very excited to have been called back to the Black Rock Oasis of Love. I look forward to seeing some familiar faces and meeting some new ones, and enjoying what might be our last year in this reality, if 2012 holds any of what I’ve been wanting to believe in for the last decade.

    Peace in the East,
    c.o.y.o.t.e.

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  • roissy says:

    My understanding the Ebay $10,000 ticket was for a total package which included a pre-setup RV. (and it might have been for 10 people.) A lot of the monied people are from the high-tech and dot-con. But you can not tell what a person may or may-not contribute to the event by their appearance. I have been in a RV for all of my ten years attending and I have several jobs on the playa, I won’t say what they are because that is not the point. Some of the comments from previous postings stink of elitism…
    I wounder among the posters above, which ones would be judging David Best on Playa because he is not in costume!!!
    My first rule regarding people: “You are never truly sure as to whom you are speaking too.”
    My third rule regarding Playa: “My schedule is on REAL TIME, so you can have your fucking ‘playa-time'”.

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  • Shawn says:

    Has anyone seen this eBay Auction
    http://cgi.ebay.com/2011-Burning-Man-Rites-Passage-Ticket-/350480745594?pt=US_Tickets_all_in_one&hash=item519a47c47a
    He thinks $4,000 is the going price for a ticket, and he claims to be a contributing citizen of BRC, with an awesome theme camp. Maybe it would be possible to find his camp, and go personally thank him for his contribution.

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  • I recently got my Hematologist’s instructions on how to survive Burning Man despite my blood cancer, Polycythemia Vera. Shortly after, I went to the website and the tickets had just sold out! I have agreed to share a camper with friends. This would be my first time and may be my last chance to go. I can’t take it for granted. I responded to an ad on CraigsList for what I thought was two tickets for $600. The scalper emailed back that the price was now $1,200, each. I wrote back that I would pay face price plus costs. No response from scalper Taz .

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  • Paisley says:

    Hi all interesting thread. I’m wondering if there’s anyone out there who can answer my question about this whole issue. There’s a lot of room out there. As is my understand though the previous contract worked out Between Burning Man and with whoever is mainly responsible four approving the permit (BLM maybe along with some other people?) is structured at a 60,000 person cap. Is this correct?

    Now my question is whether there is a way for Burning Man legally and in the short amount of time to place on an addendum to this previous contract and allow another block of tickets to be sold? I’m sure the money could be used to hire more staff to maintain the proper balance of burners, volunteers, BLM officers etc. BRC is a very important spiritual place for many people. I feel as if entry and exodus will be so much smoother if more tickets are allowed to be sold.

    I wish everyone the best of luck veterans and newbs in their search for tickets, in my opinion everyone should be allowed to come home. Love and Blessings to you all I’ll
    see you out there.

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  • Fusty Pickle McSnyde says:

    Can we petition BLM to open another block of tickets? of course the permitting fees will increase but with upwards of 10,000 people needing tickets that do not have them we are talking about $4,000,000 in revenue generated. tell me the gubment doesn’t need any of that? There are many folks that have been going for years that have not been able to afford tickets until now (bad economy and all) as well as those magical weeks before the Burn when the opportunity arises for someone who was by a miracle able to get the time off work and so on. So, humbly, as a member of our community, I ask the BORG to please do what you can to help these folks in their Right of Passage

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  • Guy Lost in the Dessert says:

    Hitler is going to be PISSED when he finds out he can’t get a ticket!

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  • Felix says:

    Here’s my 2¢.

    After this year’s sell out (probably as a result of the announcement that no ticket is being sold at the door), if nothing is done, the scalping problem will be waaaaay worse next year, as folks will be buying blocks of tickets in anticipation of another sellout and resale price spike.

    One way to mitigate the problem will be to require that each ticket sold has the attendee’s name (required at the time of purchase) that will be either printed on the ticket itself or that can be easily referenced (by a gate agent) to the ticket number. That–along with having to provide a photo ID to match the ticket at the door–would ensure that the ticket is being used by he/she for whom it was intended at the time of the purchase. Folks who legitimately need to sell his ticket could only sell it back to BM (at face value) and a new replacement ticket could then be made available for sale to the public by BM. No more scalping or black market problem.

    Thoughts?

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  • Felix says:

    I see that Roland agrees with me. I just noticed that he posted the same idea three days ago. :o)

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  • Roland says:

    Hi Felix,

    yes I do agree with you, but your comment explained it much better (my english knowledge is anything but perfect….)

    A growing community is (of course) wonderful, on the other side – BM could possibly become a victim of its success so there should be thought about certain “controls” (like personalised tickets and so..)
    for the sake of the spirit of bm and for the people who love to be part of something wonderful.

    I hope to take part some day in the next years, taking the long way from Germany – and as a lesson for the future I will look forward for purchasing my ticket in time ;-)

    All the best to you and the people who love the bm…

    Roland

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  • Chris Henry says:

    regarding the BLM permit and it’s stipulations (including population cap) – simply google “burning man blm permit 2011” and you get:

    http://www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/fo/wfo/blm_information/nepa0/recreation/burning_man.html

    “Black Rock City, LLC (BRC) is required to manage its advance ticket sales and on-site ticket sales in such a manner that the safety infrastructural resources of the event, which are designed to handle an average of 50,000 participants per day for the eight-day event”

    regarding petitioning BMOrg or the BLM for more tickets – it’s in the BLM’s hands, and I’m not sure how concerned a huge federal bureaucracy is about lovely, deserving artists that didn’t have it together enough (rightly or wrongly) to buy a ticket before they sold out.

    aaand, imho BMOrg isn’t pushing for more capacity precisely because they’re not trying to sell out (in the other meaning of the term) – there’s been a long term effort to push people/resources/energy towards the regionals network, and running out of tickets could very well be a happy synchronicity for that process. BMOrg is not about a huge event, it’s about an set of ideas that they are actively trying to propagate internationally, and from this perspective finally selling out BM hopefully will encourage some folks to do their themselves (D.I.T.?) – within the framework of the regionals network, of course ;)

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  • bree says:

    Burning man has been around for 25 years? I thought it started in 89′?

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  • Roissy says:

    First burn in 86 (which started it all) was on Baker Beach S.F. during the solstice. I believe in 89 they were no allowed to burn on the beach, so started the trek to the desert over Labor Day. It is all in the history somewhere in this site…

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  • yeti says:

    This year is my first burn…I’m going by my self…I got my ticket a month after they went on sale and have all my driving plans arranged….now it’s just a waiting game!

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  • Mariel Dorame says:

    Is it true there has been a miscalculation and there mite be more tickets for sale in the days coming up????

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  • Ashley says:

    I had two , a friend bailled and I sold hers for under face value . Long live BM :)

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  • It is just too much to me that there is so much dialog
    from people wishing for more tickets to be released.
    It just makes sense to save your pocket change,
    and or save money from your beer or coffee funds
    and or to work more hours at work and then be
    prepared to buy tickets right as they are on sale.
    Everyone has had months to buy tickets.
    There is no point gambling with access to a ticket at face price.
    I just had to reply because sanity should be promoted.

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  • Max says:

    im just checking. We nought our tickets online in march. And were sposed to get them at the box office or sumthing. Does anyone know where this is and what time it opens?

    Also is this a normal safe thing that people do?

    I’ve also been told that this is the last burning man ever. Is this true

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  • charlesmcneel says:

    start building your ark cleaver people.

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