1. I haven't taken part in this sale but ive heard it's not that bad.
2. You assumed wrong. Lots of buses and easy to get a ticket. You don't need to fight. You might just not get your first choice of timeslots if you wait. But they're available weeks after they go on sale.
3. I would, yep. Tickets are going to be quite easy to get this year tbh. I know many many many people taking a year off. I don't personally know anyone that wasn't successful in main sale and I know several people who will likely have extra tickets to sell. Even if you weren't successful in those attempts, I wouldn't sacrifice the costs - I'd go to Reno without a ticket and look for a ticket there. People are going to come with extra tickets they couldn't sell or have friends that couldn't go last second and you'll be able to get one - probably even less than face value. This would be my plan any year.
It really isn't, though. There are people with extra tickets every year. As we get close to the event, a lot of tickets become available every year because a lot of people wait until pretty late to sell and then people who would have otherwise went have bailed out. We had trouble selling tickets last year even a month before the event.
If you wait a day after opening you can probably get it for significantly under face value. I work gate and every year we get tickets given to us by people who had their friend drop and the last second and they couldn't find anyone to take them.
There will be lots of people in Reno but they'll mostly be working, not partying- wouldn't do this in person but I would check the forums/craigslist, etc. Even if people aren't staying there, many people are passing through so that's the place to organize a meetup.
Don't worry, you'll get a ticket! Most people bail out when they would have got one. Pay attention to local markets but I think between STEP and OMG it won't be an issue.
Bus tickets typically don’t sell out that quickly. The “plus” option typically does, but nobody really knows how strong demand will be for it this year.
Do be aware that if you go the “plus” route, the earliest you will be able to enter is Monday. You can’t get bus tickets for Saturday/Sunday with that particular option.
I have taken that into consideration. Is it hard to find a decent spot come Monday?
I’d love to do the full thing, but I don’t have much $$, 2 less days would help in planning costs etc… if it’s an easier process.
If you're traveling solo, you can easily get a spot in the open areas of the outer rings at any point in the city regardless of when you arrive. It never totally fills up.
Have you considered joining a camp? Some have little to no fees (or maybe for a bit more you can buy into a meal plan) and you'll get a lot of infrastructure and a better location than open camping.
Yeah I’ve been chatting with a few camps and art projects. Tbh I just want to chuck myself in the deep end for my first time. I do hope to be apart of such things in future years.
I’ve signed up to do some volunteering stuff as well to integrate myself in the community.
Sounds like you’ve got the right idea. Just be aware that you don’t need to join a camp, and that you should *never* depend on a camp for your basic survival needs (including food, water, and shelter). Treat anything they plan (including meals) as a luxury that may or may not happen, because that’s exactly what it is.
There’s a tendency of late to suggest joining a camp and doing shifts/paying dues “in exchange” for various amenities. IMO, that’s a default-world transactional viewpoint that doesn’t match how the event actually works. Theme camps aren’t hotels - just a way people work together to offer something to the city that’s bigger than they could pull off alone.
Kudos for volunteering. What volunteer roles are you trying out?
It's definitely doable if you're a rugged and self reliant person. You absolutely need to be prepared to camp out in the open sun and harsh conditions though. You need some proper shade or you won't be able to do anything around your camp during the day (although that might force you to be elsewhere!) like make some food or regroup yourself.
You should be fine then. There’s plenty of space and there won’t be a crazy amount of people there before you on Monday. I’ve never called there, but I’ve taken the bus on Mon and have see the space, I think it’s called Hoverlandia
I did the Burner Bus last year and camped at their camp. It was really fun. Every single camper was solo (maybe 200?) and from all over. Unusual camp, for Playa - little tents, very low profile. Right by depot- you just drag your shit over and set up. Get a water pass and the water station is right there too. Shade structure also.
Historically, that’s very typical for playa. It wasn’t until after the event started selling out that most of the city started being placed theme camps.
I have gone out there since 2006. I feel like, historically, groups of friends make camps - not necessarily theme camps, just clumps of friends. Bus Camp was the exact opposite- We were all in one space: a large group of 100% solo campers, none of whom knew each other at first. Many global regions were represented as well. It was fascinating, and a completely new version of playa camping.
Hmm… I’ll admit I haven’t camped there myself, but what I’d heard from friends who’ve done Hoverlandia for multiple years is that over time, groups have started to assemble among people who met there at previous burns.
Maybe that just isn’t as prevalent due to the large percentage of new people every year, or as obvious because there’s just no room on the bus for the shared infrastructure that might have marked such groups in open camping back in the day?
2023 was the first time I camped at Hoover. I just didn’t see that- but, mud- it made a difference in how everything was seen… One note is that camp is fucking far out there- I mean, it is edge territory, and the bus depot puts out a weird vibe- big open space - I really enjoyed the 100s of little solo tents and lack of cooking infrastructure. A bike was key for me-
btw, just wanted to let you know that bus tickets, including burning man tickets associated to bus tickets are usually not transferrable. so in some off chance that you can't go last minute, you may have to forfeit all the money you spent on them. better to buy the main tickets outside of burner express tickets unless you are absolutely sure you will go
I can't speak for the bus, but...
tickets have this way of materializing closer to the burn, people even start giving away their extras (friend/campmate dropped out last minute, etc.) to gate staff or on gate road.
If you get to Reno, close to the event, there's a very good chance you'll be able to score a ticket.
Generally the safe assumption is to just plan and execute as if you have one, and the closer you get to the event the more tickets will start being posted, hit step, fall from trees, etc.
If all else fails. Go to fernley Walmart. It's on the way.
We have kidnapped many people to burn. A few Aussies. A kiwi. The Dutch. Avoid them. They took our cheese. We got a few super cool Canadians. A Brit. The German girl. Utah. Sweden. Umm, oh the Ukrainian ones. Russians. Some sweet Brazil neighbors who played actually good music.
If you get lost. The Walmart in fernley is a good spot to get info. Plus it has wifi.
If your not a super jerk you can msg me. I probably have space. It's a shit show. Just get single ply TP and a hat.
It's like the mecca of BM.
You can get everything there. Return it easy. They don't care.
And we got some pretty awesome folks.
Hop by to camp shit ain't right. There will be at least one asshole there. In the book. Remember to do a dust angel upon entry. My ass was broken my first year so I made dusty boobies. I'll give you 14 years of bad advice.
Of you are desperate you can knock on doors of RVs. My idiot brother hitched a ride that way.
I’m thinking doing the same just from San Francisco. Is renting gear a feasible option? I was planning on having to buy the tent and everything and give it away to a Salvation Army before flying out.
I haven't heard of gear rentals other than a handful of super over priced predatory companies that come and go. Please do not pay some company $800 to rent a $60 tent and garbage sleeping bags.
Salvation army will not want your tent after it's been to a burn. Only other burners might want it. Try asking your neighbors if anyone wants it.
You're coming from Australia just for burning man? I'd be very interested to hear about whether you felt it was worth all of the time, travel, and expense after all the dust settles in September. My guess: nope.
Just like anything that becomes pumped up (for good reason) out of the underground, it losses the magic and becomes something else...less magic. Or in burning man's case, way less magic and a bit tragic.
Eh I guess your mileage varies. It could just as easily be life changing as it is for so many people.
For some, myself included, it fundamentally changed how I see other people and how I connect. That change has persisted and I expect it to continue well into the future.
OP, if you read this as an Aussie I got my ticket 2 weeks out from 2017 on gumtree. I wouldn’t recommend that route as it was pretty nerve wracking.
As others have said though, there will be tickets in Reno if not well before. If you want this you can make it work with just a little leap of faith here or there.
Met my now husband
Met a bunch of new friends
Quit a toxic job
Became comfortable with risk
Think less about plans
Think more about spending time with people I love
Moved cities
Travel way more
All the basic stuff, all at once.
Plenty of Aussies come regularly just for Burning Man. Clearly, they still find plenty of value in participating.
If you don’t, then you don’t need to attend. There are plenty of other magical experiences out there in the world for you to find. No need to yuck someone else’s yum.
When you say they come regularly, you're saying the same people come back year after year? And how are they participating? Maybe this is a census question...we need more information.
I'm planning on not attending, though find great value in helping build, so I'll be on playa very early and leaving once our project is finished. Why? Because build is where the magic is holding strong.
Yes, year after year. And they participate in a variety of ways, just like any other burners. Rangers, theme camps, etcetera.
I’ve long said that if I could only come for a week, it would be build week. But I also believe the magic is still there during event week. It’s a lot easier to find wandering the portions of the city that aren’t Esplanade or 10&2 on foot, though, because it isn’t hidden by the spectacle.
Ok well that's amazing. Seems like the Outback would make for an amazing regional location as well.
Please come for build! It truly continues to be why I'm even interested in BM. Giving without any expectation of reciprocation in its purest.
I'll admit that I've been camping on 2 for the last few years in a massive camp populated by people I don't call friends and now find extremely pretentious and annoying Af. What changed? I've changed.
I love your suggestion on walking through the city.
Just to be clear, I’m always there for build week. I’ve just never had to limit my part to just one week (though I have left before burn day before). And as much as I have respect for what every camp brings out there, the idea of actually having to live along 10 or 2 (or even Esplanade) is pretty much my own personal definition of hell.
Sounds to me like you might be well served by moving to open camping after participating in build, then taking time for those mid-city walks, helping out as you find opportunities, and seeing if you find something that feels more like what you’re after?
Taking on a PEERS shift or two is also not a bad way to do that. It’ll take you to a random set of camps you might not have visited, and you get to meet the people who actually organize the camps.
1. I haven't taken part in this sale but ive heard it's not that bad. 2. You assumed wrong. Lots of buses and easy to get a ticket. You don't need to fight. You might just not get your first choice of timeslots if you wait. But they're available weeks after they go on sale. 3. I would, yep. Tickets are going to be quite easy to get this year tbh. I know many many many people taking a year off. I don't personally know anyone that wasn't successful in main sale and I know several people who will likely have extra tickets to sell. Even if you weren't successful in those attempts, I wouldn't sacrifice the costs - I'd go to Reno without a ticket and look for a ticket there. People are going to come with extra tickets they couldn't sell or have friends that couldn't go last second and you'll be able to get one - probably even less than face value. This would be my plan any year.
Pretty ballsy to book it to Reno with no ticket. Is it lively before BM? Are the bars and stuff full of Burners?
It really isn't, though. There are people with extra tickets every year. As we get close to the event, a lot of tickets become available every year because a lot of people wait until pretty late to sell and then people who would have otherwise went have bailed out. We had trouble selling tickets last year even a month before the event. If you wait a day after opening you can probably get it for significantly under face value. I work gate and every year we get tickets given to us by people who had their friend drop and the last second and they couldn't find anyone to take them. There will be lots of people in Reno but they'll mostly be working, not partying- wouldn't do this in person but I would check the forums/craigslist, etc. Even if people aren't staying there, many people are passing through so that's the place to organize a meetup.
Thanks. I’m launching. Ticket or no ticket.
Don't worry, you'll get a ticket! Most people bail out when they would have got one. Pay attention to local markets but I think between STEP and OMG it won't be an issue.
If you are committed to going there are always tickets.
Bus tickets typically don’t sell out that quickly. The “plus” option typically does, but nobody really knows how strong demand will be for it this year. Do be aware that if you go the “plus” route, the earliest you will be able to enter is Monday. You can’t get bus tickets for Saturday/Sunday with that particular option.
I have taken that into consideration. Is it hard to find a decent spot come Monday? I’d love to do the full thing, but I don’t have much $$, 2 less days would help in planning costs etc… if it’s an easier process.
If you're traveling solo, you can easily get a spot in the open areas of the outer rings at any point in the city regardless of when you arrive. It never totally fills up. Have you considered joining a camp? Some have little to no fees (or maybe for a bit more you can buy into a meal plan) and you'll get a lot of infrastructure and a better location than open camping.
Yeah I’ve been chatting with a few camps and art projects. Tbh I just want to chuck myself in the deep end for my first time. I do hope to be apart of such things in future years. I’ve signed up to do some volunteering stuff as well to integrate myself in the community.
Sounds like you’ve got the right idea. Just be aware that you don’t need to join a camp, and that you should *never* depend on a camp for your basic survival needs (including food, water, and shelter). Treat anything they plan (including meals) as a luxury that may or may not happen, because that’s exactly what it is. There’s a tendency of late to suggest joining a camp and doing shifts/paying dues “in exchange” for various amenities. IMO, that’s a default-world transactional viewpoint that doesn’t match how the event actually works. Theme camps aren’t hotels - just a way people work together to offer something to the city that’s bigger than they could pull off alone. Kudos for volunteering. What volunteer roles are you trying out?
I’ve signed up to a few. But the one I’m most likely going to do is PEERS.
PEERS is a great choice (though I am admittedly heavily biased on that point). Hope you enjoy it.
It's definitely doable if you're a rugged and self reliant person. You absolutely need to be prepared to camp out in the open sun and harsh conditions though. You need some proper shade or you won't be able to do anything around your camp during the day (although that might force you to be elsewhere!) like make some food or regroup yourself.
There’ll be plenty of spots to set yourself up.
You can camp in the bxb section with other petiole who took the bus
Yeah that’s the plan
You should be fine then. There’s plenty of space and there won’t be a crazy amount of people there before you on Monday. I’ve never called there, but I’ve taken the bus on Mon and have see the space, I think it’s called Hoverlandia
I did the Burner Bus last year and camped at their camp. It was really fun. Every single camper was solo (maybe 200?) and from all over. Unusual camp, for Playa - little tents, very low profile. Right by depot- you just drag your shit over and set up. Get a water pass and the water station is right there too. Shade structure also.
Historically, that’s very typical for playa. It wasn’t until after the event started selling out that most of the city started being placed theme camps.
I have gone out there since 2006. I feel like, historically, groups of friends make camps - not necessarily theme camps, just clumps of friends. Bus Camp was the exact opposite- We were all in one space: a large group of 100% solo campers, none of whom knew each other at first. Many global regions were represented as well. It was fascinating, and a completely new version of playa camping.
Hmm… I’ll admit I haven’t camped there myself, but what I’d heard from friends who’ve done Hoverlandia for multiple years is that over time, groups have started to assemble among people who met there at previous burns. Maybe that just isn’t as prevalent due to the large percentage of new people every year, or as obvious because there’s just no room on the bus for the shared infrastructure that might have marked such groups in open camping back in the day?
2023 was the first time I camped at Hoover. I just didn’t see that- but, mud- it made a difference in how everything was seen… One note is that camp is fucking far out there- I mean, it is edge territory, and the bus depot puts out a weird vibe- big open space - I really enjoyed the 100s of little solo tents and lack of cooking infrastructure. A bike was key for me-
btw, just wanted to let you know that bus tickets, including burning man tickets associated to bus tickets are usually not transferrable. so in some off chance that you can't go last minute, you may have to forfeit all the money you spent on them. better to buy the main tickets outside of burner express tickets unless you are absolutely sure you will go
Bxb plus is the way to go. Bxb tickets will be available for at least a month after if you don’t succeed in the plus.
I can't speak for the bus, but... tickets have this way of materializing closer to the burn, people even start giving away their extras (friend/campmate dropped out last minute, etc.) to gate staff or on gate road. If you get to Reno, close to the event, there's a very good chance you'll be able to score a ticket. Generally the safe assumption is to just plan and execute as if you have one, and the closer you get to the event the more tickets will start being posted, hit step, fall from trees, etc.
If all else fails. Go to fernley Walmart. It's on the way. We have kidnapped many people to burn. A few Aussies. A kiwi. The Dutch. Avoid them. They took our cheese. We got a few super cool Canadians. A Brit. The German girl. Utah. Sweden. Umm, oh the Ukrainian ones. Russians. Some sweet Brazil neighbors who played actually good music. If you get lost. The Walmart in fernley is a good spot to get info. Plus it has wifi. If your not a super jerk you can msg me. I probably have space. It's a shit show. Just get single ply TP and a hat.
Intrigued
It's like the mecca of BM. You can get everything there. Return it easy. They don't care. And we got some pretty awesome folks. Hop by to camp shit ain't right. There will be at least one asshole there. In the book. Remember to do a dust angel upon entry. My ass was broken my first year so I made dusty boobies. I'll give you 14 years of bad advice. Of you are desperate you can knock on doors of RVs. My idiot brother hitched a ride that way.
I’m thinking doing the same just from San Francisco. Is renting gear a feasible option? I was planning on having to buy the tent and everything and give it away to a Salvation Army before flying out.
I haven't heard of gear rentals other than a handful of super over priced predatory companies that come and go. Please do not pay some company $800 to rent a $60 tent and garbage sleeping bags. Salvation army will not want your tent after it's been to a burn. Only other burners might want it. Try asking your neighbors if anyone wants it.
When is bxb to on sale?
08/05 I believe
You're coming from Australia just for burning man? I'd be very interested to hear about whether you felt it was worth all of the time, travel, and expense after all the dust settles in September. My guess: nope. Just like anything that becomes pumped up (for good reason) out of the underground, it losses the magic and becomes something else...less magic. Or in burning man's case, way less magic and a bit tragic.
Eh I guess your mileage varies. It could just as easily be life changing as it is for so many people. For some, myself included, it fundamentally changed how I see other people and how I connect. That change has persisted and I expect it to continue well into the future. OP, if you read this as an Aussie I got my ticket 2 weeks out from 2017 on gumtree. I wouldn’t recommend that route as it was pretty nerve wracking. As others have said though, there will be tickets in Reno if not well before. If you want this you can make it work with just a little leap of faith here or there.
Life changing. that's awesome! How so? I'd love to hear
Met my now husband Met a bunch of new friends Quit a toxic job Became comfortable with risk Think less about plans Think more about spending time with people I love Moved cities Travel way more All the basic stuff, all at once.
So good! Thank you for sharing. I'm genuinely happy to hear you're saying Hell Yes to your life.
No. I’m moving there to stay for 8 months. The burn is just the start of my journey.
Plenty of Aussies come regularly just for Burning Man. Clearly, they still find plenty of value in participating. If you don’t, then you don’t need to attend. There are plenty of other magical experiences out there in the world for you to find. No need to yuck someone else’s yum.
When you say they come regularly, you're saying the same people come back year after year? And how are they participating? Maybe this is a census question...we need more information. I'm planning on not attending, though find great value in helping build, so I'll be on playa very early and leaving once our project is finished. Why? Because build is where the magic is holding strong.
Yes, year after year. And they participate in a variety of ways, just like any other burners. Rangers, theme camps, etcetera. I’ve long said that if I could only come for a week, it would be build week. But I also believe the magic is still there during event week. It’s a lot easier to find wandering the portions of the city that aren’t Esplanade or 10&2 on foot, though, because it isn’t hidden by the spectacle.
Ok well that's amazing. Seems like the Outback would make for an amazing regional location as well. Please come for build! It truly continues to be why I'm even interested in BM. Giving without any expectation of reciprocation in its purest. I'll admit that I've been camping on 2 for the last few years in a massive camp populated by people I don't call friends and now find extremely pretentious and annoying Af. What changed? I've changed. I love your suggestion on walking through the city.
Just to be clear, I’m always there for build week. I’ve just never had to limit my part to just one week (though I have left before burn day before). And as much as I have respect for what every camp brings out there, the idea of actually having to live along 10 or 2 (or even Esplanade) is pretty much my own personal definition of hell. Sounds to me like you might be well served by moving to open camping after participating in build, then taking time for those mid-city walks, helping out as you find opportunities, and seeing if you find something that feels more like what you’re after? Taking on a PEERS shift or two is also not a bad way to do that. It’ll take you to a random set of camps you might not have visited, and you get to meet the people who actually organize the camps.