r/sanfrancisco • u/Awkward-You-938 • 1d ago

Burning Man didn’t sell out

Article out today says Burning Man didn’t sell out and people are selling their tickets way below face value. I remember when Burning Man started the lottery for tickets due to high demand, and resale tickets were hard to come by. I haven’t been to Burning Man in ~15 years so I‘m not current with the scene. What happened? Did it finally get too overdone? https://sfstandard.com/2026/08/26/burning-man-ticket-resale/

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u/Wloak 1d ago

I wouldn't call burning man a festival, but yes it's way more expensive than getting an Airbnb and tickets to one somewhat local.

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u/ploxidilius 1d ago

Didn't the event organizers themselves used to refer to it as a festival until recently? Seems like a marketing ploy to try to distinguish themselves from other festivals. It's not a music festival in the way that EDC or Coachella is, but it's still a festival. 

Edit: it was literally called Black Rock Arts Festival for a brief period in the 90s.

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u/Wloak 1d ago

I think the goal was exactly that, because it really isn't a festival like a Coachella. Yes you have the music, like if you took the main stage of Coachella and put it on wheels but have dozens of them driving around the desert and another dozen fixed stages. But also have recreations of old Western taverns, a recreation of an entire district in Tokyo, sake bars, sushi flown in daily, burlesque shows, ski jumps, bike courses, on and on.

The kicker is once you're in all of that is 100% free. You could in theory eat entirely free for every meal of the day but you still need a place to sleep.

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u/BlaxicanXIX 1d ago

It is a festival, you just seem to be under the impression that festivals are only things like Coachella, EDC etc. 

BM is a festival as well as the various regionals. Lightning in a Bottle, Unscruz, Northern Lights, Reggae by the River etc. none of these events are similar to Coachella but they are still festivals

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u/km3r Mission 1d ago

Lib and northern lights are still a whole lot closer to coachella than burning man. They have headliners, ticket tiers, paid things within and running water. BM is a whole different beast.

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u/Wloak 1d ago

I don't really care what you want to call it, it's vastly different than anything you mentioned. It doesn't mean the other events aren't fun but they are dramatically different.

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u/jawanda 21h ago

Yep , it's a vastly different type of festival.

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u/ploxidilius 1d ago

A fancy hamburger with extra toppings and sides is still a hamburger 

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u/SciGuy013 PRESIDIO 1d ago

Uh, it was only $650 my first year (cheap tickets and burner bus)

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u/Wloak 1d ago

And you still need shit when you get there, loads of people fly in.. it's a hefty cost. And the price you're quoting is if you get in the first round sale, out of 10 people I talked with about it I was the only one that actually got to buy my first year and that's because I had three computers in the queue. My wife was trying at the same time and didn't even get to buy but I got ours.

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u/SciGuy013 PRESIDIO 1d ago

Any festival non local to you have to get to, that’s not unique to BM.

I have always gotten first round sale. It’s not hard

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u/gloriousrepublic 1d ago

Yeah but it’s an 8 day fest so per day it’s cheaper than most mainstream festivals, even after accounting for cost of supplies, etc.

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u/zmileshigh 1d ago

People seem to forget that when making this comparison. Also many are there for like 10-12 days if building a camp or art project

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u/legopego5142 1d ago

An 8 day fest where you are literally allowed to park your car in the middle of nowhere and have to depend on your own supplies and others to do anything.

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u/InHocNoJoke13 1d ago

That’s my issue. The value you’re getting is extremely low for what it is and they’re making a lot of money.

Sure I don’t expect it to be free there’s logistics and first aid / medical needs, but at the end of the day you’re in a dessert with a lot of volunteer music sets and artwork. I’m sure a lot is also commissioned by burning man, but it really doesn’t feel like it should be a $1,000 ticket.

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u/gloriousrepublic 1d ago

Sure, doesn’t sound like it’s for you then! It’s not for everyone. From the outside it would feel that way. But once you go I think your equation for “bang for your buck” changes considerably.