How To Go to Burning Man For The First Time

When / How do I get tickets??

  • First try to find a camp through your existing network that you can join, they usually have a number of tickets pre-allocated each year.
  • Second, bookmark tickets.burningman.org and check for the schedule, typical years sell tickets between February through April.
  • Third, if you fail to get tickets in general sale, you can sign up for their waiting list called STEP.
  • Fourth, get on a Craigslist search (SearchTempest) and hit refresh once tickets start shipping over the summer around July/August. Stay on top of Craigslist in your area + reaching out to your network CONSTANTLY and you WILL find a ticket. It is just a matter of HOW MUCH YOU WANT TO GO.

Black market prices jump 2x but BurningMan will invalidate tickets sold above Retail, so you will still be able to find them at cost without scalpers.

How much does it cost to go?

$2000-$2500

This assumes you are tenting/camping. You can RV but is $$$, probably $1k-$2k per person.

Here’s a breakdown:

  • Flights from NYC to SFO or Reno: $500
  • Bus in / out of Burning Man: $300 (Recommended)
    • OR
  • Car Rental + Vehicle Pass: Assume $1000 total cost, can be split with friends
  • Ticket: $500
  • Hotel Before + After Burning Man: $200
  • Bike / Bike Rental: $150
  • Camp Dues: $400-500
  • Misc: $500-$1000 for first-timers

What Gear Do I Need?

Everything between snacks, alcohol, camping equipment, eyewear, glow gear, accessories, warm clothing. Remember that Burning Man takes place in a desert: Temps range from 100 down to 30. IT SNOWED ONE YEAR (yup).

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Vv0HSXmxZnio1JwsYJbZ5MFitrmnUzX5IRepYAq-R-A/edit?usp=sharing