Want to see the Man burn in 2023? It'll take some planning.
The next release of tickets, dubbed the "Stewards Sale," takes place on Wednesday, March 8 at 12 p.m. Pacific — that is, if you're already registered with the site. If you missed out, register now at tickets.burningman.org, and read on to learn when the next rounds of ticket sales will be.
When and where is Burning Man 2023?
Burning Man is set to return to the Black Rock Desert in Pershing County, Nevada (about two hours north of Reno) from Aug. 27 through Sept. 4. It'll be the second official edition of the event in the post-pandemic period; the 2020 and 2021 editions were canceled due to the threat of COVID-19, but "rogue" events were held in the official event's absence both years.
What will ticket demand look like? Last year's event generated more Google searches for Burning Man tickets than any year since 2014, and Google Trends predicts an even bigger spike this year.
When is the next ticket release for Burning Man 2023?
Thirty thousand tickets and 10,000 parking passes will go on sale Wednesday, March 8 at noon, but only to registered participants. If you planned ahead and signed up with the site, jump on the site well in advance of the on-sale event to improve your chances. Each buyer may only buy two tickets and one parking pass. Tickets are rarely available for more than a few minutes.
If you miss out this time around, fear not; the Main Sale is set for Wednesday, April 12, with another 15,000 tickets and 5,000 vehicle passes available.
The last-chance OMG Sale is set for Wednesday, Aug. 2 for the final 3,000 tickets and 1,500 vehicle passes.
Registration is required for all sales through burningman.org.
How much will tickets cost for Burning Man 2023?
Tickets sold during the Stewards Sale, Main Sale and OMG Sale are $575 each, while parking passes are $150 each.
That's a bit of a jump from last year, when Stewards Sale tickets were $475. (Prices for the Main Sale and OMG Sale were $575 last year, and will stay at the same price for 2023.) Vehicle passes have increased from $140 to $150.
What if I can't afford full-price tickets for Burning Man?
Burning Man sells 5,000 tickets each year for low-income attendees at the reduced price of $225 through its Ticket Aid Program. But be prepared to show documentation.
The organization requires three documents to prove low-income status — tax documents from 2022, tax returns from the past two years, disability or unemployment benefits statements and student loan statements, among others. Full details are at tickets.burningman.org/ticket-aid-program-2023/.
Registration for the Ticket Aid Program begins March 15 and continues through May 24 or once all tickets have been distributed.
What other ways can I get into Burning Man?
1. Work on a project: The most admirable way to get a ticket is to earn one. Burning Man is issuing more tickets than ever to arts andvolunteer groups. Every year, Burning Manissues ticketstocritical theme camps, art installation crews, mutant vehicle crews and other core Black Rock City infrastructure providers. Help build a stunning sculpture, or perhaps volunteer your time to building the city itself.
If you're in the Reno-Sparks area, check out theGenerator maker space, where they have built countless Burning Man pieces, and, if you're in the Bay Area, check out any one of the maker spaces in the San Francisco-Oakland area.
2. Secure Ticket Exchange Program: The Secure Ticket Exchange Program (STEP)is an online system that facilitates the safe resale of face-value tickets and vehicle passes that have been purchased directly from Burning Man. It's designed to avoid scammers and scalpers. Dates haven't been announced yet for STEP for 2023.
3.Purchase a ticket from a friend or stranger: The closer it gets to the Burn, the more people realize they cannot make it so buying from someone you know or don't know is always an option. By then, however, STEP has closed so you have to figure out how to protect yourself from swindlers. Craigslist hasticket sales ads (both ones wanting to buy and sell), but figuringout how to not fall for a scam is on you. eBay is also known to have tickets for sale, but they're often sold at astronomical prices and you don't know who you're dealing with.There also are Burner groups on social media (such as the"Burning Man Ticket Begging" group on Facebook) where you can make your case. Sometimes the best option is to get on social media and throw a net, hoping that one of your coworker's friend's cousins has a ticket.
What alternatives are there to Burning Man?
Official Burning Man events take place year-round on every continent except Antarctica, so chances are there's an event with the spirit of the original Burning Man somewhere else near you.
The organization currently lists 59 events on the official regional event list at regionals.burningman.org.
What's the theme for Burning Man 2023?
Burning Man announced the 2023 theme last October: Animalia.
The initial reaction from online commenters was that the theme would attract a lot of furries — people who have an interest in or dress up asanthropomorphic animal characters — to be in attendance at this year's event.
"This year’s Burning Man theme will celebrate the animal world and our place in it — animals real and imagined, mythic and remembered—and explore the curious mental constructs that allow us to believe that imagined animals are real, real animals are imagined, and that somehow, despite all evidence to the contrary, mankind is somehow not part of the animal kingdom," wrote Stuart Mangrum, director of Burning Man Project's Philosophical Center.
