More Burning Man 2012 Tickets Becoming Available

On June 12 we announced that the BLM awarded Black Rock City LLC a one-year permit to hold Burning Man on the Black Rock Desert in 2012. We’re happy to report that in response to growing interest in the event, we were able to work with the BLM to increase the maximum population of Black Rock City to 60,900 participants in 2012.

Shiny Happy People, 2006. Photo by Jared Mechaber

Counter to misleading media coverage of this announcement, this does not mean that there will be 10,000 additional tickets available. In preparing for this year’s event we were working with a peak population of 58,000. Through the pre-sale last December, the main sale in February, the low-income ticket program, and the Directed Ticket Distribution process, we have officially allocated 57,000 tickets.

And now that we have a permit that allows for a maximum population of 60,900, it leaves us with a little bit of breathing room and a welcome opportunity to get more tickets out into our community, while thwarting scalpers who hope to capitalize off of the popularity of our event (to the detriment of our participants).

Our intention is to sell a number of tickets just shy of the population cap allowed by our permit. We want to be certain that we’re not in danger of exceeding that number … if we exceed our population cap in 2012 we could trigger sanctions that would seriously endanger the future of the event on the Black Rock Desert, and we all want to avoid that scenario!

After carefully considering input from our community, consulting with ticketing experts on best practices, and much discussion, we are pleased to announce that:

Today (Sunday, July 8) 1,000 additional $390 tickets will be placed into the Secure Ticket Exchange Program (STEP). This will get tickets to many of those who were not awarded tickets in the Main Sale, registered for STEP, and have been waiting patiently in the queue. (There continues to be a consistent trickle of tickets bought and sold through STEP, and the pace may increase as the summer wears on and people change their plans.)

And that’s not all…

1,000 additional $390 tickets will be made available to the general public through a first-come first-serve online private sale on August 3 at noon PST. You need not have registered for the sale in January, or signed up for STEP—anyone may participate in the sale, but you must request access to the private sale during a 12-hour sign up period between 10am PST and 10pm PST on Wednesday, August 1. When you sign up, you’ll be asked for your name, your email address, and your zip or postal code. You will then be added to the list of people allowed into the private sale. Your email address will be your key to enter the sale. The sale will take place online on Friday, August 3, at 12 noon PST. Tickets are one per person, will all be held at Will Call, and are not available for name changes (this is necessary to prevent these precious tickets from ending up in the hands of scalpers). Full information will be posted on http://tickets.burningman.com.

This sale will provide an opportunity to those who had hoped to buy tickets in the Open Sale that was planned for March and later canceled, while serving to put a damper on the scalper market by injecting tickets into the open market after physical tickets have been mailed out. Those feeling pressured to opt for a scalped ticket will now have an opportunity to get one at face value.

We’ve chosen this combined allocation because it serves those waiting patiently in the STEP queue, undermines the scalper market, and protects our ability to hold the Burning Man event in the Black Rock Desert for years to come. We know this ticket news won’t put a ticket in the hand of every Burner who wants one, but we are working tirelessly to get as many folks to the playa this year as possible. We look forward to seeing you in Black Rock City, or in one of the many other places around the world where the Burning Man culture is being manifested.

About the author: Marian Goodell

Marian Goodell

Marian serves as Burning Man Project’s first Chief Executive Officer. She first attended Burning Man in 1995, met Larry and the other organizers in the fall of 1996, and in 1997 helped found the contemporary Burning Man organization. In previous roles, she was the Director of Business and Communications, briefly oversaw the Black Rock City Department of Public Works, and steered the development of the Burning Man Regional Network, which is now on six continents, with more than 300 representatives in 37 countries. Marian is currently leading the organization’s efforts to facilitate and extend the Burning Man ethos globally.

148 Comments on “More Burning Man 2012 Tickets Becoming Available

  • Matt Mihaly says:

    Rock on Marian. That’s awesome.

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  • Charles Gee says:

    Any chance that STEP will be reopened for those who were not able to register?

    Report comment

  • Cyprexx says:

    Sounds like a good way to spread the last tickets. Most for STEP’s, some for the public with very restrictive conditions. Awesome-o-3000 for everyone!

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  • Venus Rising says:

    Well done!! This is such fantastic news!! :)

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  • Ryoma says:

    Yeeehaw!!!! We were waiting for the open sale (which was cancelled). So, so, so excited to have a chance at getting tickets. Desperately wanting to go this year!

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  • H3R3T1C says:

    As usual you guys rock.
    Thank you for the tireless and hard work!
    )'(

    Report comment

  • Shelsea says:

    THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Report comment

  • Sinnamon Buns says:

    Thank you for everything that you do. You’re amazing!!!

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  • scott _ )'( _ K says:

    You are awesome BRC!! I love you.

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  • Carol Jackson says:

    That’s GREAT news

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  • Monica F says:

    My hopes of going to burningman were slowly disapearing,
    But now after this news my hopes are back again that I will be able to be in the
    Playa for second time in 7 years Thank you for the oportunity that you are giving us
    To be in thr playa this year. Love you guys
    :). Happy. Happy happy

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  • Jay says:

    hurrah!!! I might get to go now, crossing my fingers and my toes

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  • Candace g says:

    Since BM opened up more tickets, does that mean Pyramid Lake Tribal members who have not abused the system and have guests they take to BM every year will they be able to take their guests. Just wondering because my 2 guests are SOL. If we would have known BM was taking sway the guest passes they would have tried to buy tickets in BM lottery system. Thanks BM from my 2 guests that probably won’t be going. Just wonderful.

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  • clocksnmirrors says:

    YIPPEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!

    WELL DONE! and thank you!

    Report comment

  • mark cocucci says:

    Well thats just neat…Hope to so how manage to make it who knows its to far ahead in the furure right now.

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  • Christine says:

    Hmm. This is very good news. I was hoping that any additional ticket allocation would be funneled through STEP. However, I am on the STEP list (and have been since its inception), and did not get a notice of a ticket becoming available. Does this mean that there are more than 1,000 people ahead of me on the STEP list (which I thought was unlikely because we were told over a month ago that about 1,000 tickets had been sold through the program and there were only 2,000 allowed on to the list initially, which would put me in the first 1,000)? Or does this mean that the tickets were not put onto STEP on Sunday, July 8th (which is over now)?

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  • Matt says:

    I too would love to know the state of the STEP queue as I’ve also been waiting patiently and haven’t received any email yet despite getting on the list several minutes before it closed.

    How about it BRC? Have the new 1000 tickets already been claimed? Do those of us still on STEP without a ticket offer have any chance at all?

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  • Lola reyes says:

    Super Happy your doing this. I been waiting for this chance and I had a feeling for some reason you guys would come through.
    Ypu are making 1000 people’s dream come true and that is fantastic.
    :) xo

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  • Kimberly says:

    Just my humble 2 cents worth…. I love bm sooo much however I believe anyway over tickets should go to veteran burners who have worked tirelessly over the years to make bm a fab place, not to virgin newbies who don’t have the slightest idea of what bm is truly about

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  • Taylor says:

    Congratulations on figuring out how to “beat the scalpers” on these final tickets by assigning them to specific names. Too bad the first 98.3% of the tickets weren’t handled so intelligently. Those tickets (many of which went to scalpers in the scalper-optimized lottery system) are now routinely fetching over 2x face value on common resale sites. Next time, try leading with these smart ideas and go with name assignment from the getgo.

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  • Sash says:

    @Kimberly your comment is the antithesis of what BM is actually about.

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  • Ozone says:

    When the hell are you guys gonna send the tickets we’ve already paid for….over 6 months ago?

    Report comment

  • Charlene says:

    I am waiting in STEP and so I will keep my fingers crossed. We had almost given up and were planning to cancel our vacation plans.

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  • robin leidenthal says:

    have tickets been mailed yet? I purchased in the presale last fall and havent recd my tickets yet. Please respond.

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  • xhoosier says:

    so where is the ticket I purchased in the early sale (got a confirmation) and was supposed to receive in June? Any updates on these tickets?

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  • CatButt says:

    Firstly, thank you for the hard work. Seems like a great way to allocate tickets.

    It would be fantastic to get a sense of where STEP is at…. STEP queue update please :)

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  • diamil says:

    je voudrais participè
    mon numèro est 221765738070

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  • Charlie Marks says:

    Why are all the new tickets $390?
    After the Corporation running Burning Man this year screwed the whole ticket thing up why are they screwing us again with only $390 tickets?

    What do they need all the extra money for? Profit????

    Still disappointed.

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  • Shaman says:

    Seems to me, with more tickets being sold by BM, the price could come WAY down to previous years prices (say $250,$300), which would force the scalpers to un-douche themselves and BM would still make millions….

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  • brandy says:

    this is AMAZING news thank u!!!! much LOVE

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  • harinama says:

    This is fabulous!

    1k for STEP and 1k for ffa lottery.

    I am glad they are leaving an attendance buffer this year, hate for them to risk their permit again…

    Report comment

  • Mike says:

    Thank you for finally getting on board with the real key to thwarting scalpers… Assigned, non-transferrable tickets! Do that next year and scalpers will go away!! Glad to see things come together.

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  • roxann souci says:

    Instead of making us jump through yet another hoop, I think these tickets should be added to the Step program. Everyone does not have the ability to sit in front of a computer to try to jump into the fray. Some of us have jobs that make it impossible. I’ve taken off two different times from work to comply with these ticket scrambles. I’d almost rather buy from a scalper – at least it is a normal business transaction instead of these Hoop Games.

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  • Remi says:

    Awesome. Best news this month. As previously mentioned, the only thing that could make it better is if they weren’t all 390$ tickets. It would be a bigger F.U. to scalpers if they were cheaper, and BM didn’t budget for this extra income.

    Oh well. Still a rad day for burners everywhere!

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  • mike says:

    Does this mean a person will only be able to get the chance for one ticket during the 1,000 ticket open lottery?

    We, my wife and myself, tired the lottery, got shut out of the STEP program and now it appears that even if one gets lucky the other may not. Sort of screw couples.

    But I got my playa fix last week and in a different way it was great. Drove down from Seattle, went on the playa at mile 12, after filling up at Bruno’s and stopping by the BM (closed) office, drove the playa, went to both hot springs, saw DPW arrive at the hot springs, saw the fire works, the night sky, meet lot of people and got a whole difference playa experience. But still we would like to do burning man.
    Maybe something will work out.

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  • Patrick says:

    Got my STEP notification this morning. After giving up on Burning man this year after not getting a ticket and the camp I was joining disbanding because of the ticket fiasco, I am now scrambling to see if I can make it work. Good plan on the non-transferable tix, it sounds like you learned at least a little from your previous screwups.

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  • Lazlo says:

    Well thought out and well done. Thank you.

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  • Will Chase says:

    @Candace: I’ve forwarded your comment to our ticketing folks.

    @Taylor: Since tickets originally went on sale, we’ve been tracking the total number of tickets being scalped on the major ticketing sites, and that number has been hovering around 0.3% and only lately rose to 0.7% of the total tickets sold. There were 380 available as of July 2, the highest we’ve seen yet. By contrast, Coachella maxed out at around 2.6%.

    @Charlie Marks: See this page for answers to your questions: http://www.burningman.com/whatisburningman/about_burningman/ticketprices.html

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  • Will Chase says:

    @ Those Waiting for Physical Tickets: The ticketing team is working their way through the pile of tickets to be sent out, and should be through them all in the next week or so. Sorry it’s taken a while, but it’s a very time-consuming process done by hand. Hang tight, they’re on the way.

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  • Peace says:

    @Will

    The ticketprices.html page is silly. Burning Man is not related to the events sighted there. I completely agree the price for Burning Man is reasonable considering you are responsible for keeping 50K people alive in a hostile environment for a week, but comparing it to music festivals causes more problems than it is worth. The music festivals have to pay artists, so there is no comparason there. And I’m gettiung tired of newbies asking me “who’s playing?”.

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  • Thermal says:

    @Peace, bm is not responsible for keeping 50K people alive – that is up to each attendee.
    aint no resort (i know YOU know that)

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  • Thermal says:

    BTW, I STILL think the proper thing to do is incorporate into the ticketing system a way for people who suddenly can’t go put their ticket back into the system for others to use. It looks like these new tickets open to the public come without the possiblity for a “name change”.

    This is not difficult to do. I’ve seen numerous concerts this season that allow ticket holders to refund their tickets and put them back in the system for others to use. Iron Maiden’s doing it. How come BMan can’t.

    Life changes, and BM should change the system to maximize ticket potential. People get job interviews, get pregnant, get in car accidents, have a family member die…. BM must be flexible in order to keep things functioning.

    Like I said, Iron Maiden can do it. How come BMan won’t? (Of course, if this were a community built around Iron Maiden things would run smoother. The lead singer flys their damn airliner.)

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  • Sloop John B says:

    STEP tickets are still non-transferable? I was shut out of the STEP system when it opened and know most people who lost the lottery also lost out on STEP. Now the few people I know on STEP have already got tickets through camp giveouts, but today got the chance to buy on STEP. Can they buy on STEP and somehow give me the ticket now that there are more tickets available? Otherwise, I’m screwed. Can STEP be reopened to those of us who couldn’t be online at the exact moment it began 4 months ago?

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  • Sloop John B says:

    BTW thanks for all the hard work and giving us all hope, I don’t mean to whine too much but for many of us, getting miracles tickets through friends who lucked out on STEP is the last hope (Like most hardworking burners, a Friday morning off to try for the free for all giveaway is out of the question). Again, a million thanks to everyone involved in ticket distribution, I know its hard as hell to make everyone happy

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  • The Green Hour says:

    Outstanding! Thanks for all the hard work. This brings us as a community to an important point:

    Let’s not fuck it up by trashing the highway or the playa.

    Also, for those who are wondering, 3/3 of our people in line for STEP tickets received an offer, and only one of them bought (2) tickets. We ended up not needing our extra 2, and the third person passed on the STEP offer as well, so the next people in line can have those tickets. Cheers!

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  • Will Chase says:

    @Thermal What you’re asking for is the STEP system. It stands for Secure Ticket Exchange Program. See http://tickets.burningman.com

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  • Matt says:

    Will,

    Have all 1000 new STEP tickets now been released and notified?

    If we didn’t get an email in the last 48 hours does that mean we go back to watching eBay auctions and hoping we can click fast enough in August?

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  • Dervish says:

    Are there any legitimate tickets for re-sale out there? Does anyone know if any of the regular tickets have been mailed out?…apparently some, at least, are still being sent from BM.

    The point of my question is that you have already purchased tickets from a third-party (supposedly someone who has had the tickets for a week or two but who now can’t go….technically, I guess, a “scalper”), does that mean the tickets are automatically counterfeit?

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  • Gette says:

    @Sash – I agree completely with Kimberly but have decided to pass on even trying to go this year. Without veterans, BM is NOT what it was. Who cares? It’s turned into the corporate crap it so tirelessly fought against for so long. It doesn’t matter. The true essence of burning man was lost at this festival the moment corporate greed won out over giving, sharing, and love. It’s sad. But this system and the people going anymore know nothing of the initial festival. Let them get their ludicrous $400 per ticket. My money is spent much better elsewhere, truly experiencing and creating for the good of humanity, not getting high in the desert at a giant LED rave party with a few interesting pieces of art. Black Rock City, you’ve disappointed so many of us true burners. Sad.

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  • Thermal says:

    @ Will,
    No, I’m referring to the NEW public sale, which is described as not being available for a name change. That means those tickets are non-refundable and not able to be put back into the system for sale if that person can’t attend.

    Given the ticket shortage, those tickets should be sold through a system (just like many concert tickets) that allow a person to put them back into the system if they can’t attend. (They get their money back, and someone else can buy the ticket.)
    Again, if Iron Maiden and other bands can manage to do this, BMan should be able to use the same EXISTING ticketing system. (And yes, those concert ticketing systems still ask for IDs at the gate to match the ticket. But they also allow for people to buy more than one, but not more than a certain amount (4?), preventing scalping but still ensuring families and couples can attend.)

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  • Catharticus says:

    @whiners:

    I know 50+ veteran burners in different camps who will be perfectly glad to enjoy the burn and help virgins rock the city if the people who just want to whine about corporate sellouts or ticket prices want to stay home or go to tour the Alvord or something.

    Everybody I know who needed a ticket got one, and we had extras to spare which went back into STEP.

    To say that there “aren’t veterans” is to suggest that my entire camp, and the other camps in the 9 o’clock district, either don’t exist or aren’t cool enough to be consider “veteran.”

    @gette How dare you presume that because I got a ticket this year we “know nothing of the original festival”? You sound like a whole lot of fun to camp with. Pat yourself on the shoulder that you were able to leave BRC and still remain a “true” burner. All these years it was only cool because you were there.

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  • Peace says:

    @Thermal

    I had a friend last year who had a medical crisis, he is alive because of the infrastructure the org had in place. Most burners can manage on their own and have the illusion of self-sufficiency until it really hits the fan. The org is running a city. My only point was comparing it to music festivals and justifying ticket prices through that comparison is silly. The two have nothing to do with each other. The orgs costs come from being responsible for the necessary infrastructure for an entire city in an environment where no one would ever actually build a city.

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  • Will Chase says:

    @Thermal Oh gotcha. There is no mechanism for reselling or transferring these new tickets. That was decided in order to ensure that scalpers would find no value in attempting to purchase them. I see the point you’re making, though, and it’s something to consider for next year.

    @Catharticus Well said.

    @Peace If you read the page thoroughly, you’ll see we acknowledge pretty much exactly what you’re saying. But lacking other *truly* comparable events, I’m curious what you’d propose comparing it to? The point of the page is to show that our ticket prices a) cover the cost of putting on the event, and b) are very much in line with other large scale entertainment events.

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  • Danger Bunnie says:

    I applied for Low Income Ticket due to not being able to be in position for general tickets. I was not chosen this year.

    Please let me know if it is possible to sign up for STEP.

    Report comment

  • Will Chase says:

    @Danger Bunnie STEP is closed until such time that everybody in the queue has gotten tickets (or close to it). Your best bet is to get in on the open sale in August, or keep looking for tickets on the open market as people’s plans change throughout the summer. Good luck!

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  • Peace says:

    @Will

    I understand what you’re trying to do. I think the price for Burning Man is reasonable. If you’re saying “Burning Man gives you more entertainment than Bonnaroo for about the same price” to justify the ticket cost, I get it, but I think the comparison is spurious because Burning Man doesn’t “provide” the entertainment. Burning Man provides a space for an experience that each individual is responsible for. I think the comparison confuses the uninitiated and makes them think Burning Man is a music festival. This becomes a particular problem when they hear things like “Beats Antique had a great set at Burning Man last year”. Obviously there isn’t any event to compare Burning Man to because Burning Man is a unique event. I don’t think you have to justify the cost. You are providing the infrastructure for 60,000 people in the middle of the desert for a week. Those who don’t understand that costs money aren’t going to go for the music festival comparison anyway. You can compare it to life. What do people think the cost of the infrastructure they live off of at home (power, sewage, roads, etc) costs for a week? And those costs can be spread out over time because they’re permanent. Rather than comparing Burning man to something it doesn’t really compare to, you could just list the expenses ($50,000 for heavy equipment, $100,000 for power generators, $200,000 for the BLM license, $12,000,000 for porta-potties, etc) that should shut up the complainers…nah…probably not.

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  • Will Chase says:

    @Peace Yeah, YOU understand it, but most people don’t. :-) I created that page back in 2010 because we were *constantly* answering people’s questions/accusations about “why are burning man tickets so expensive?” and “you’re a bunch of greedy money-grubbing pigs!”, when the fact of the matter is that ticket prices are fair and just about all of the money that comes in goes back into the event, not some fat cat’s pocket. (We DO publish our expenses for just that reason, despite the fact that as an LLC, we’re in no way obligated to.)

    I think your comparison to living day-to-day life in an actual city is a fair one, but harder to quantify in any reasonable way. But I certainly take your point on that and the dangers of comparing to a music festival … perhaps the sweet spot is somewhere in between. Hmm … interesting, I’ll consider that. Thanks for the thoughtful discussion.

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  • mario di paola says:

    love you guys

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  • Lil' Joey says:

    Thank god, I haven’t missed this event in 7 years and was totally bummed that I didn’t score tickets sooner.

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  • Guava says:

    @ Will…& Christine n Matt on July 9th

    Thanks so much Will for answering questions, nice to see someone is actively listening to the citizens. To Christine n Matt…I have not received any notification from STEP yet…fingers crossed

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  • BigWave says:

    Just got 2 tickets today. I’m not sure if they are from the 1,000 to be released as
    they were top tier priced. It’s been a long journey. Last year gave my ticket
    up due to undergoing chemo and radiation therapy ( the ticket went into good
    hands ). Good Luck to all still in the queue and to those who try and get in
    on the open sale in Aug. See Ya At the Man.

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  • Mystic says:

    @Will Chase

    I signed up like a good burner for the lottery and did not get a ticket. I tried to sign up for STEP at noon Feb 1st and got locked out like so many of my brethren. Y’all shifted the 10,000 tickets you were to sell in the March sale to theme camps so they were not available to us. I am happy there are 2,000 extra tickets available to us but why not make them all available to those on STEP or confirm through email confirmation for those who had purchased tickets in the past? I’m sure there is a way to track this info. So many of the burner faithful have been locked out and we should get a chance. I would have loved to sign up for STEP but that turned into a crapshoot and you already confirmed it is closed. I want to welcome new burners too but the veterans helped make burning man what it is and that has to count for something. There’s got to be a better way to get tickets. Thanks.

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  • AsOfTime says:

    @ thermal…burningman is responsible for keeping 50,000 people alive,get a clue. you throw an event you are responsible.and if your not karma is going to fuck you.

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  • openmike says:

    Thanks for your huge effort! Did you know that since you took away those 10,000 tickets and allocated them to theme camps, that some of the theme camps I contacted to be in their camp that they were charging as much as 300 hundred dollars more this year than last year. They are the true scalpers because they could make a much bigger profit off the tickets by making them available through the guise of their camp. I have been to burningman 6 times I missed the tickets last year and probably this year too! Veterans unite for a fair ticket distribution!

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  • Thermal says:

    No, I’ve attended, numerous times. The ticket says that you are aware of the possibility of death and injury.
    People have died.
    Those families can’t sue BMan or anything, if they wanted to or not.
    Each attendee is responsible for themselves: their food, their water (which they may arrange with a camp), but still their responsbility – not Burningman LLC/Inc/or whatever their 3-letter code is now.
    Try reading the information for attendees.

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  • Thermal says:

    to conclude, my dear AOT, YOU should get a clue, particularly if plan to attend and don’t plan to bring water, food, shelter, sunscreen, or your brain.
    YOU are responsible for YOU, not anybody else. Unless BMan has changed 180 since I last attended.

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  • mario di paola says:

    Bravi bravi bravi

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  • Amy says:

    I have been wanting to rough it in the desert with burners for seven years since I first attended the Oregon country fair. I want to sweat to build a camp, gift washcloths soaked in lavender and eucalyptus, and frolic in bare skin to the crazed noise of kids-in-a-pool-adult-equivalent. I now have hope to be one of a thousand to join this celebration of self-exploration, creativity, and love. You did not have to make any tickets available to the general public but you did. Thank you.

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  • Mrs. Quon says:

    Well, I got my notice for purchasing BM tickets and had 72 hours to click on the provided link. Unfortunately, every time I clicked I got this. WTF?????

    http://tickets2.burningman.com/cart.php?secure_vars=YToyOntzOjM6InNpZCI7czozMjoiYzkwZjkxNjBlMGEyNjc1YTE4MDhlMGQ1NjFhYzJjNGQiO3M6OToibWFnaWN3b3JkIjtzOjc6InNoYXphYW0iO30

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  • Tony Glidden says:

    I thought when the STEP ‘want list’ was set there were 1,000 tickets put in it. So, when 1,000 tickets were added, all those on the want list would be getting notifications. We have been waiting patiently (?) but no notification. Did we miss something, or misunderstand something?
    Tony & Judy

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  • paulah may says:

    Just expressing my thoughts, I hope that’s alright – I have no solutions!!
    But an idea:
    what if we….
    Don’t Buy From Scalpers…
    let them keep their tickets as souvenirs of the event that won’t be their bitch
    and maybe they will stay away next year!!

    Teach them: there is no profit in stealing from burners.
    Teach them: the only gain in holding a Burning Man Ticket is ATTENDANCE.
    Teach them: THIS EVENT IS NOT and WILL NOT BE about money-for us,OR THEM!

    Hello… Maybe this is a sentiment that has already been expressed but I have to say it nonetheless:
    Wouldn’t it just be THE RIGHT THING TO DO FOR THE COMMUNITY if NO ONE BOUGHT A RESALE TICKET OVER FACE VALUE????

    Think it over fellow travelers… Sacrifice your attendance for one (already tainted, SNAFU’d, & negativity laden) year to make it clear to those who seek to profit from the burn by buying up and reselling tickets at outrageous and unacceptable prices that WE DO NOT APPROVE OF OR ENGAGE IN SUCH PRACTICES. . PERIOD.

    DON’T BUY TICKETS FOR A DOLLAR MORE THAN THE FACE VALUE!!!

    WHY EVEN GO IF IT MEANS COMPROMISING THE VERY ESSENCE AND PRINCIPLES OF THE BURN COMMUNITY?

    WHY CONTRIBUTE TO THE SUCCESS OF THOSE WHOSE ONLY INTEREST IS TO EXPLOIT AND PROFIT FROM THE EVENT THAT MEANS SO MUCH TO US?

    WHY PERPETUATE AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE FUTURE YEARS WILL CONTINUE TO BE PLAGUED WITH SUCH PARASITIC BEHAVIOR?

    WE CAN EXERCISE A LITTLE DISCIPLINE NOW – AND SEND A MESSAGE ABOUT HOW WE WILL & WON’T DO THINGS ..EVER.

    Just my thoughts, fellow friends-without-tickets….

    ~Sad Simba

    )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'( )'(

    2012 – The Year of Radical Delusion…. I know people who have been going for FOURTEEN YEARS that are basically RADICALLY EXCLUDED THIS YEAR!! I wonder who IS going?? Should be interesting. But for many it is looking like one sad, sad cluster f@#*%.
    Maybe next year we can line up three days in advance (cuz that’s how long it would take to get in! }P-> ) and volunteers can just collect our money at the “gate” (???) and forget the pre-sale altogether. Let’s see someone scalp THAT ticket!~ i know it won’t work – – but what we have isn’t quite working either.

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  • Eileen & Dirk says:

    for all those who have been waiting so patiently on the STEP list, it would be just fair and decent to tell them their position – so people like me know if there’s any chance left to get a ticket with those additional 1000 coming in.

    for us, it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity this year, so we don’t give up on hope. hate those scalpers!

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  • JH says:

    Will the tickets be locked to the name of the credit card holder, or to a name that I can type in? I was hoping to use a family members or friends card as I cannot use mine.

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  • Evan says:

    I will get a ticket, i intend it. See you naked at Burning Women

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  • Kypho says:

    Hoping for a ticket in the last 1,000 sale.

    Wondering what time the actual sale starts on August 3rd? It says “The link for the limited sale will be posted here at 10am (PST) Friday, August 3.” at http://tickets.burningman.com/

    But says everywhere else that the sale begins at noon PST. Does that mean that the link is given two hours ahead of sale? Will I need to sit in front of my computer waiting for the 1,000 to sell out? I need to go to work one hour and a half hours after sale…

    Also, please Burningman, please, please tell me that you have added staff and/or infrastructure for the extra 11,000+ people that have to go through will-call this year. Haven’t seen where this was addressed yet, but I imagine you guys have thought it through…

    Thanks! Hope to see you on the Playa. Home sweet home.

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  • Steven Clark says:

    Please clarify the conflict between this blog announcing final ticket sale as Fri Aug 3rd at noon PST and the ticket page on the main website as final sale Fri Aug 3rd at 10:00 PST. This is important for we ticketless but hopefuls. Thanks.

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  • Please send me the proper link to sign up for tickets August 1, 2012. I need to attend this year’s burning man.
    Thank you ever so much,
    Dave

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  • Blue Fire says:

    It seems to me BMOrg is doing an heroic job of navigating an impossible situation. Maybe it would help if some of us Burners manifested a little more radical self-reliance? So to speak.

    That little burn on a beach has become a beacon. A new world has opened up for tens of thousands of creative people. For many of us, one of our primary self-identifications is that we’re Burners.

    So we’ve got this new continent open for settlement, and everybody wants to go to Boston. Not Maryland, Georgia, Vermont, Pennsylvania… everybody who’s disgusted with Europe wants to move to Boston. One little town in a difficult climate. Can you imagine what a gargantuan mess that would have been?

    The “regional” burns are NOT Regional Burns. They are Burns. Real Burns. We need to open ourselves up to thinking this way. We need to build a new world for ourselves and let go of what is becoming an expensive tourist destination in Nevada.

    This not BMOrg’s fault. It is ••OUR•• fault. Black Rock City is not Burning Man. Burners are Burning Man.

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  • Hugh says:

    My partner and I can go together or not at all. If we enter this last ticket sale and only one of us succeeds we cant sell the other one on or back to BM? So its a $390 gamble? What are the odds? How many are left on STEP?

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  • Alexander Avelino says:

    I just signed up for the Aug. 3rd ticket sale but I dont have a credit card. Can I still buy one on-line on Aug 3rd using a friends Credit card???

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  • Hugh says:

    Ah – you can sell back into STEP. So its only a $19 gamble. That’s fair.

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  • leonardo says:

    how can i sign up for the aug 3rd?? i cant find any link for that

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  • leonardo says:

    Alexander Avelino, do u have the link to sign in??

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  • Andre Nichols says:

    I couldn’t find the link for the sign-up! I am dying to go this year. PLEASE HELP!!!

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  • Alexander Avelino says:

    Leonardo, Yes, I had the link and I signed up, at the time it was a grey button that appeared almost at the top of the ticket page, I hope you found it. As for Andre Nichols, sorry dude, the cut off time/date was yesterday at 10 pm :(

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  • Gene says:

    I wish the allotted time to sign up for this sale would have been a little longer to sign up for this private sale, I just got my email ={ maybe I’ll get a ticket next year… I hope that everyone that has received a ticket has a great time this year

    Smile
    Gene

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  • Kat says:

    I concur with Gene. I have a lot going on and a lot of email. I can’t keep track of these maniacal tricks and windows as a first timer with a full time life and job (though I believe 8-5’ers are rare on the playa). I think it has completely demystified the lure of going to a ‘free and open’ event when I need to set calendar reminders to even try to get a ticket. I guess I and the burn were not MFEO. I’ll take my chi to Coachella or someplace else….

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  • Richard says:

    Done all,beall for ticicks to this wonderful adverture before I die to no avail! However powers greater than myself will need to work a spiriual miracle to pull this one off. Hopefully He won’t say. ” no ” !

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  • Drummer says:

    I had all but given up on returning to place my soul lives, then I hear from a non burner that tickets are going on sale today……..but I had to have signed up on Wed., the day I was bumbed out and longing for the playa…..Wow, had I just gone to the website my soul would be free again!!!! I can’t stop, won’t stop and won’t stop!

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  • Alexander Avelino says:

    Guys, come on, I realize we all have busy lives, I myself work 9-5 but when it comes to this event that happens only once a year, I set my priorities on that. Once I knew that there would be more tickets on sale about over a month a go I just made sure I was in the loop(that means getting on the jack-rabbit news letter) and checking regularly. If your not obsessed enough to do this then it just shows where your priorities lie. Either way its only 1000 tickets and Im sure theres is about 20,000 who want to go to the chances of getting a ticker are pretty slim :S

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  • I have been burning from 1993-till last yrar & this year too! I don”t want to be a victim of “Ticket Fuxxz” I have a lot to participate with.. “GOT FIREWORKS”??!!

    These Collage works,(see below) represent genuine, authentic & truly inspired.”Firework Shows” in the realm of Fine Art!!.

    This presentation is simply too profound to be addressed as anything but the most “Sensational” exhibit/documentary in recent Art History (160 years).!!

    It all began with a “Zen enlightened experience”, inspired by the “Ritual of Celebration”, itself, when I was 5 years old .

    “POP ART WITH A BANG!!

    “The Graphic Art history of Celebration ”

    Chinese Firecracker, – “FIREWORK ART DISPLAY” (ca.1850-present)

    This presentation has evolved into a unique & exclusive,world wide documentary on “The Art of Celebration”
    It’s finely detailed graphic imagery + fauvist colors have been part & parcel to the rituals of celebrations,birthdays,National holidays weddings,New Years,et.al. ,around the globe,for the last 160+ years.
    This extraordinarily unique medium, which encompasses the entire (graphic Art History of fireworks, 1850s-present),is unprecedented, as well as the interpretive breakthrough in organizing advertising
    art :(ie) a collage technique of assigning elemental values to the various colored wrapping papers,(water=blue, land=green, & sky=varied colors), &
    juxtaposing them with labels of similar themes.
    Please regard : http://www.pyroart.net for imagery & more details short film (3min 50 sec} under “Professional Details” ,
    P.S.
    (F.Y.I), The printed imagery on “logo” firecrackers were exploding into “smithereens”,(1930’s), before the “POP ART”/”New Realist” movement was invented, in the late 50’s!!
    I have a sensational performance, (Fireworks), presentation as well…
    Thank You, JM
    P.S. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/08/arts/design/vintage-firecracker-packages-at-auction.html?_r=1

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  • Mark says:

    Did your sign up page crash? I was there as the button became available and then i got a “connection has timed out” notice… this is a bit ridiculous. Please let me know at least if you have sold out already so i don’t have to stare at a window that may or may not be working!

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  • cosmo knoebber says:

    HEy…..this ain’t working….where is the link to buy a ticket. (i registered the other day)

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  • steve field says:

    What did I do wrong?

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  • cosmo knoebber says:

    what did they do wrong?

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  • Jeff says:

    Anyone know if they’ve sold out yet? I presume so.

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  • cosmo knoebber says:

    retrograded mercury is at fault I presume

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  • gully says:

    I clicked the link as soon as it appeared, the page told me I am in line for a ticket and it still says that, but it now also says the inticketing website crashed/took to long to respond. Am I still in line? Is it working? Sold out already? I find it hard to believe that over 1000 people clicked the link before I did, it took me no longer than 1 second after it appeared.

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  • Alexandra says:

    Can’t get in. I think the site crashed. I clicked the link at noon exactly and have been on endless java script scrolling for 30 minutes. Tried the link on 4 different computers and two phones. Can’t get it do anything but say “im’ in cue” or that the link is moved or something is wrong with it. What a huge bummer. I love the possibility of opening it up and yet, we can’t get to it even for those Birgins who anxiously waited and signed up! :-(

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  • Alexandra says:

    Maybe you can just give tickets to everyone who signed up on Wednesday? What else is possible? Or have a DO OVER??? since the system crashed. :-(

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  • cosmo knoebber says:

    where did the link appear?

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  • Haley says:

    Has anyone had any success with purchasing tickets yet?

    Can we get an update if it’s sold out.

    I am still in queue

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  • Alexandra says:

    I JUST GOT THRU!!!!!!!!!!! its working… Looks like I”m going to BURNING MAN!

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  • Amber M says:

    I’ve been here the whole time and never even saw a link appear. If its all ready sold out please let us know, I have work to do.

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  • cosmo knoebber says:

    alex, how did you get through? Amber, I never saw a link appear either….

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  • Kristof says:

    i clicked the link within 10 seconds of it appearing. 45 minutes later i still have a swirly barbershop line saying “please stand by while we connect you to purchase tickets”. I dont know anything for sure :-/

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  • LawnDarter says:

    @Alexandra

    Lucky you! Did you just keep the original page open your did you keep reloading the private-queue link?

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  • gully says:

    Alexandra, did you refresh at all? Did your page have the error notice the whole time?

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  • Alexandra says:

    I think I refreshed… it was on Google Chrome and earlier it said it wouldn’t connect, so after a refresh it did I think… but the one open in explorer is STILL Rotating with the ‘waiting’ line….

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  • cosmo knoebber says:

    ok.. finally I got the swirly…..I just hope my cookies are on and java and all that……

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  • Alexandra says:

    I think it crashed and they just fixed it…

    use this link! and put your email in… see if that works….
    HURRY!
    http://tickets2.burningman.com/private/index.php?queue=20c8055946c32b87a05c34b238b36afa

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  • Alexandra says:

    If you signed up with an email…. somehow this page came up….

    GO HERE….

    http://tickets2.burningman.com/private/index.php?queue=20c8055946c32b87a05c34b238b36afa

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  • Kristof says:

    and i hope my connection doesnt crap out just before it goes thru :-7

    i have to pee…

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  • LawnDarter says:

    Success! What a convoluted process…

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  • Kristof says:

    people who got the swirly line…about how long did you have to wait before being passed thru to a confirmatoin screen?

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  • Alexandra says:

    It won’t. If you’re in line. You’ll get a ticket… :-)
    See you all there!

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  • SVETA says:

    I DIDNT SEE ANY LINK AT 12PM(((

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  • Haley says:

    You rock alexandra,

    still in queueueueue

    so now the link isn’t posted?

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  • SVETA says:

    I got swirly line, says tickets still available
    !

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  • SVETA says:

    its not a link , I pressed compatibility view. Do I really need Java script later, if I already got swirly line?

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  • cosmo knoebber says:

    I am going outside to feed the chickens now…..I sure hope I don’t miss out while I am gone….If so, then ……that’s the way the cookie crumbles I s’pose……………

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  • SVETA says:

    Kristof, did you made thru? did u got ur tickets finally?

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  • SVETA says:

    “The requested URL could not be retrieved” what I need to do?
    aaaaaa!

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  • cosmo knoebber says:

    GOT IT!

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  • SVETA says:

    Alexandra, could I update this page with swirl if I got The requested URL could not be retrieved” message, ur system crushed too, what are u did to fix that?

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  • Kristof says:

    Greetings Sveta and folks. I did get thru, but was waiting forever on Explorer. I opened another window on Firefox and got thru within a few minutes. The Explorer window had the swirly line for over an hour before giving me a “page cannot be read” message.

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  • Lia says:

    Hey, if you are trying to get a ticket in the Supplemental thingy and you are waiting and waiting, try logging in with firefox too. I got in the cue at 12:00:30 seconds and waited over two hours with the blue barber shop line. Then I tried with firefox and it worked in 4 seconds. I bought the ticket and got a confirmation email. I hear it is a safari browser issue. Good luck everyone.

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  • Kristof says:

    Long process. I hope everyone here trying was able to get in successfully

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  • steve field says:

    Never give up!!! Went through all the hoops,finally got the link at 12:45,held captive in line till 1:15 ,failed at first process because of ” token glitches,” lost the site, got back in line and back on site with success and confirmed order by 2:00pm. What a journey. COSMO I am glad to hear you got yours and that I was not the only one challenged.

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  • Kristof says:

    for some odd reason after waiting so long i feel strangely inclined to get a haircut..

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  • BeeWee says:

    I still have the barber shop pole thingy going on saying I’m in the queue.

    Hope still lives but is fading as fast as the rest of my afternoon. Looks like my week in August may just be spent in the high country of my back yard.

    Cheers

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  • Haley says:

    Got in…Good Luck everybody!

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  • BeeWee says:

    tried with a second browser and got through in 30 seconds. Looks like I am on my way to BRC. THANK YOU ALL

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  • Sean says:

    I am so annoyed right now.
    Did everything as asked, signed up with my email address at 10 am on Wednesday. Tried logging onto the sale site at 12 with my smartphone, waited 45minutes till my battery went dead, rushed home to get on the computer, got through to the billing detail section and then was asked to provide a code, but i was never sent a code.
    Have flown all the way from Cape Town, South Africa to attend, i feel like crying.

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  • Ash Weiss says:

    I have been on since the second the button went live at noon and nothing. Barber shop thingy still swirling…

    Does anyone behind the scenes have any light to shed on this?

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  • Kristof says:

    Sean, were you able to get in at all? That sounds like a complete nightmare. I had issues accessing with Explorer until was able to get ticket easily with Firefox. I would contact the staff at Burningman with your story; if you can verify it then maybe you will get a chance. good luck.

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  • Bill Farmer says:

    Logged on at 12:00 and 10 seconds. Barber pole still spinning.Guess I’ll leave it on all night or I’ll lose my place. Any word on what next?

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  • Kristof says:

    bill i logged on with Explorer and had the barber pole for over an hour. Then logged on with Firefox and got thru within minutes. I kept Explorer active with the barberpole while simultaneously logging in Firefox.

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  • Haley says:

    Sean – could be the code be the 3 digit security code on the back of your credit card?

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  • will says:

    I signed up with no problems, and because im supposed to go home this year, it worked out. I work full time to, its called a lunch break and if you dont have a smartphone by now well you are actually missing out. Didnt go last two hears even though I tried. Im saying, dont take anything for granted, if youre meant to have a ticket you will and if you miss a year its ok their are lots of other good burner things in the world to do like volunteering at an animal shelter or feeding the homeless, both of which are humbling, by the way.

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  • Wendell Hooper says:

    Ok, so lets say miracle happened, I got a ticket on the third.
    Mom got diagnosed with stage four cancer today, what can I do?
    Simple answers are best.
    A link to contact the powers that be at BM would be appreciated.
    Winnie

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  • lookydat says:

    Tickets in Portland (Craigslist) are available for resonable prices $500 – $300 in quantity. Today 14 were available, A friend bought 2 last monday and since recieved an e-mail from STEP for 1 which he will decline allowing yet another burner a chance. So at least in Portland supply is higher than demand, Stub hub has a bunch starting under $500 (hope they all get stuck) a month ago they were $1000. Chin up there’s still time to join the party, SEE YA THERE!

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  • Nicholas Bailey says:

    I bought a ticket on the 3rd and then a couple of hours later I got an email stating that my ticket purchase had been canceled and that my money was refunded. I was given no explanation as to why my ticket was revoked. Before I found this out i booked travel camp arrangements. Can anyone help me?

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  • KiteSurfSnow says:

    Hey guys! Does anyone have 2 tix for sale?

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  • Kypho says:

    @ Wendell Hooper

    I thought I saw that you can give your ticket up to STEP by a certain date. Like the 7th… Hope it is true for your $400. Hugh in this same Blog stated the same. Not sure how to do it exactly. Good luck.

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  • Swetha Jain says:

    Wonderful to know of the events. Do keep updating us, have got to be coming back to know of all the exciting developments.

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