ePlaya

Hi, hokusai09 (M/70) here.

I am finally making an attempt to go to my first BM!

I've been reading a lot about the process of getting tickets and getting into a camp. Would love to hear some stories about how You went about it. Curious in AZ.

Hi, welcome.
Have you read any of the information posted here? Or in the blue links at the bottom? You may find a lot of answers, or be able to more specifically target your questions after reading. If nothing else, eplaya is FULL of stories. Check out any year's ticket sale thread on the day the main sale ocurred for anecdotes. Tickets are difficult to get, not impossible.
https://eplaya.burningman.org/viewforum.php?f=565
https://eplaya.burningman.org/viewtopic ... =main+sale
https://eplaya.burningman.org/viewtopic ... 95&t=81691

2023 is offering twice as many stewards tickets (30000) as mainsale (15000). A big core with little apple on the outside. If you aren’t in a camp already there will be tickets commodified by camps for services and materials. They will recruit campers with things or skills that the camp needs. Have a sound system, be a welder. Get a big truck with a tow package or apply for a cdl course asap. If you own property, clean your yard for yearlong rv storage to rent, dust off your old golf cart to exchange. Look into electrical certifications for running and wiring multiple ac units off big generators, small engine repair for small generators, harnesses for climbing scaffolding. Try and be useful when looking for a ticket.

hoku_sai09 wrote: ↑

Mon Jan 02, 2023 8:01 pm

Hi, hokusai09 (M/70) here.

I am finally making an attempt to go to my first BM!

I've been reading a lot about the process of getting tickets and getting into a camp. Would love to hear some stories about how You went about it. Curious in AZ.

If you can afford it, buy the fomo ticket and then look for a camp or camp on your own. If you really want to camp with a theme camp having a ticket in hand will give you a leg up

Welcome to ePlaya. I entered the Burning Man ticket wash and rinse cycle in 1999 taken by a friend in real life.

Today it is estimated there are 2 people who want to go for every 1 ticket.

Do you know about https://regionals.burningman.org/? From them, you can find burner friends face to face in real life and explain why you want to participate in 2023 and where what they are building and your potential participation meet together.

I've bought tickets for friends, provided transportation, built things for camps, managed greywater, and cooked. Others build or assist in art and sculptures.

It is generally very difficult to sign up for scheduled Burning Man/BRC departments your first year because the event is so overwhelming and stressful. If you are doing well at the event your first year, there are walk up volunteer positions. After a few years of dependable volunteering, it is possible to be offered the opportunity to buy or be provided tickets by your department.

If you look at the https://burningman.org/about/history/br ... nsus-data/, there are tickets that are exchanged between burners. It is common to see last minute ticket exchanges 3, 2, 1 week before the burn.

See you there!

some seeing eye wrote: ↑

Thu Jan 12, 2023 9:12 am

Welcome to ePlaya. I entered the Burning Man ticket wash and rinse cycle in 1999 taken by a friend in real life.

Today it is estimated there are 2 people who want to go for every 1 ticket.

Do you know about https://regionals.burningman.org/? From them, you can find burner friends face to face in real life and explain why you want to participate in 2023 and where what they are building and your potential participation meet together.

I've bought tickets for friends, provided transportation, built things for camps, managed greywater, and cooked. Others build or assist in art and sculptures.

It is generally very difficult to sign up for scheduled Burning Man/BRC departments your first year because the event is so overwhelming and stressful. If you are doing well at the event your first year, there are walk up volunteer positions. After a few years of dependable volunteering, it is possible to be offered the opportunity to buy or be provided tickets by your department.

If you look at the https://burningman.org/about/history/br ... nsus-data/, there are tickets that are exchanged between burners. It is common to see last minute ticket exchanges 3, 2, 1 week before the burn.

See you there!

All of this: perfectly true.

So well said.

How did I get a ticket? Well... Back in the day I just followed instructions, paid attention to dates, made sure my accounts were up to date, bought ticket. Then the tickets became a scarce commodity.

There were several years I failed to get a ticket in the main sale. I was already trollin... involved in the eplaya community. I love camping in the desert, and kicking ass. And I lived close enough to drive.

Continuing with doing all I could for myself, I tried the main sale, then registered for the secure ticket exchange. And one year that was how.

I posted on eplaya begging for tickets. Playing up every cliche. Manifest me your ticket! I see people post, "I want a ticket", and wonder if that's how they sell themselves in romance or on the job. Sell yourself, people!!! What can you do? What can you bring? How will you contribute? Not some weak bs asking how many showers and meals the camp provides. I aggressively asked for a ticket to buy so I could bring it.

My offerings were successful and I was contacted two different years, by two different incredible and wonderful eplaya Burners, with ticket offers. One year they had won a ticket in a raffle fundraising for BIG art, but already had a ticket, do I contributed full ticket price to the art build, and the Australian Burner gave me the ticket they won.

Then I broke down and bought a FOMO ticket one year, I was tired of begging, after hanging out in the ticket que for hours. The event had changed. I had trouble getting tickets, trouble finding a place to camp. Paris Hilton, Plug n Plays, and Airbnb had pushed us off the vary fringe of Black Rock City. The fix was in. So I joined a theme camp and sold my soul.
I learned that tickets are available if you can contribute, and know what to do. Do you have a month free? Live within 1000 miles of Reno? Towing capacity? Work ethic? Enjoy camping? Hell, you got a ticket. Camps and Art need help.

One year when I was flush I sold a ticket to people building the temple because they were building the temple. Being in a camp, participating in art, networking can really open up opportunities for tickets. Once in a camp I realized I could get access to purchasing tickets by becoming a camp. This requires infrastructure, storage, transport, plans, following instructions, etc, but it can be done with very few people. So I jumped thru those hoops and became a camp.

I realized that I could also bring art, or contribute to those endeavors, and, now, with a track record, I could find someone selling a ticket for my help. My help making Burning Man. I learned you can volunteer for various departments and earn access to purchasing tickets to future Burns, with commitment.

So, that's how I got a ticket.

Coming from Europe, and needing time to plan, I decided to take part in the FOMO sale last night.

Link wasn’t working as it got to sale time at 9pm my time. After repeated attempts I got in the queue at 9:02. Waited in the queue for about half an hour before getting through to the sale page. Needed one ticket and one vehicle pass. Unfortunately there were only $2750 tickets left. Decided against it.

About an hour later I was still at my computer working and decided to click on the sale link another time. Went straight through to the sale page and there, in all its glory, was a $1500 ticket available to buy.

After being in the dust in 2015, 2018, and planning on being at the renegade burn on 2021, but wasn’t allowed in the country cos of covid, I will be back in BRC in a few months.

Can’t wait.

Glad you made it!

Dusty hugz

As long as we are here, I heard that FOMO sale had a que, and then sold out immediately. Have those tickets sold out immediately before? I last bought some maybe 5 years ago, though I thought even last year FOMO was a good bet. Has the popularity, bs buzz, limited availability now reached this stage? Just curious if those more expensive tickets sold out on day one any other years, or is this another new normal?

We have figured, around the camp, that the FOMO would get as scarce in a minute because of the plug&play needs. Yes, they sold out immediately. All that was left in a few minutes were the pricier tier.....see you all in the dust. The peace of mind was/is worth the extra cost.

Lonesomebri wrote: ↑

Thu Feb 09, 2023 1:49 pm

As long as we are here, I heard that FOMO sale had a que, and then sold out immediately. Have those tickets sold out immediately before? I last bought some maybe 5 years ago, though I thought even last year FOMO was a good bet. Has the popularity, bs buzz, limited availability now reached this stage? Just curious if those more expensive tickets sold out on day one any other years, or is this another new normal?

The $1500 tickets sold out within 25-30 mins. The $2750 tickets were still available when I checked back 90 min after the sale started. Though as I mentioned above, some folk, including myself, were able to check back in and the odd $1500 ticket was available, I assume cos people either timed out with their baskets or had payment problems.

I was in the que for about 35 minutes, the $1500 tickets showed sold out, but after refreshing 5 or 6 times I was able to get one and a VP. In the past I've gotten presale and DGS/Steward tickets and never had to deal with the madness of the main sale. With the reduction of 5000 Steward tickets this year I decided to go for the FOMO as an insurance policy, but have no intention of selling the FOMO ticket if a Steward sale ticket becomes available. The extra cost will be a gift to the playa.

2018: got a ticket in the OMG sale after failing at the main sale. Found a camp in camps 4 campers Facebook group and rented a pick up truck. Picked someone up from Reno on my way in who had a vehicle pass (my dumb ass didn’t think to buy one in the sale)

2019: got ticket and vehicle pass in main sale

2022: got ticket and vehicle pass in OMG sale

Moral of the story? I dunno…it all comes down to luck