What makes BM better than a Regional?

[The CO]

Better still, to organize an event that can't even be classified as a "festival", come back and tell your friends that it's something they've never heard of and probably wouldn't understand.

I did that 12 years ago!

[JCarter]

I'm posting this question here, without first indicating my own opinion, so see what others think. The question came up in our lively debate in the ticket forum.

So I'm asking YOU, what draws you to Burning Man, rather than just going to your regional event?

I'll have to answer that question with a question. Do you know of a regional(or any place other than the playa) where you can construct a 20 foot tall fire breathing duck that can be admired by people in unusual costumes(or none at all) and then go to a bar someone else made and have a shot of jack daniels that hasn't already been selling out since 2005(I'm looking at you, Burning Flipside)*?

If you do I will happily concede that there is a regional better or as good as Burning Man.

*Please note I'm using this as an object example for all of the things that regionals, especially east of the Mississippi, have issues with. Local laws, nudity laws, liquor laws, or extreme space restraints. At this point I don't see any way that most regionals can get around any or all those issues.

[oneeyeddick]

A lot of regionals have fire restrictions because of all the damn trees where they have them.

[SageV]

BM is bigger and there is more of everything. If one place sucks, there's plenty of other places to go.
BM has more stuff that will take your breath away.
BM also has more things that suck, especially music.
BM is also more anonymous, more overwhelming, and perhaps less friendly at times.
A regional is more intimate, less overwhelming, and generally more friendly.
People tend to act like asses less because they realize on some level you might, just might, live down the street from them.
The porta-potties at regionals are unspeakable horrors that make the BM porta-potties look like gold plated luxury boxes.

[moonrise]

What makes orpahn burns better than BM and regionals? I don't know yet, 'cause I'm going to the Big Burn!

[knowmad]

BM
Because ours well, let's just say sensitive to criticisim, Cliques, and... screw it I've said too mutch.

[Herring]

I'll have to answer that question with a question. Do you know of a regional(or any place other than the playa) where you can construct a 20 foot tall fire breathing duck that can be admired by people in unusual costumes(or none at all) and then go to a bar someone else made and have a shot of jack daniels that hasn't already been selling out since 2005(I'm looking at you, Burning Flipside)*?

If you do I will happily concede that there is a regional better or as good as Burning Man.

*Please note I'm using this as an object example for all of the things that regionals, especially east of the Mississippi, have issues with. Local laws, nudity laws, liquor laws, or extreme space restraints. At this point I don't see any way that most regionals can get around any or all those issues.

I wasn't at Flipside before 2005, but now I'm wildly curious, how has it sold out?

Edit: oh wait you mean sold out of tickets, and implementing their own lottery, don't you? I thought you meant it became commercial somehow. I've never had a problem with tickets, I guess, but it would be fun if it could get bigger.

[JCarter]

I wasn't at Flipside before 2005, but now I'm wildly curious, how has it sold out?

Edit: oh wait you mean sold out of tickets, and implementing their own lottery, don't you? I thought you meant it became commercial somehow. I've never had a problem with tickets, I guess, but it would be fun if it could get bigger.

I was referring to tickets. And as it sells out every year population concerns are a problem. However, the best example re; population concerns is Playa Del Fuego which sells out in a matter of no more than 5 hours(most likely closer to 2) and it only takes that long because they have a super complicated internal queueing system that stretches it out a bit.

Re; becoming commercial selling out, I can't say. I haven't been to Flipside at all, I'm afraid.

[Ugly Dougly]

I'll have to answer that question with a question. Do you know of a regional(or any place other than the playa) where you can construct a 20 foot tall fire breathing duck that can be admired by people in unusual costumes(or none at all) and then go to a bar someone else made and have a shot of jack daniels that hasn't already been selling out since 2005(I'm looking at you, Burning Flipside)*?

You can't do that at Flipside? Then go where you can or start your own!

[Herring]

I'll have to answer that question with a question. Do you know of a regional(or any place other than the playa) where you can construct a 20 foot tall fire breathing duck that can be admired by people in unusual costumes(or none at all) and then go to a bar someone else made and have a shot of jack daniels that hasn't already been selling out since 2005(I'm looking at you, Burning Flipside)*?

You can't do that at Flipside? Then go where you can or start your own!

You can totally do that at flipside, but it does sell out of tickets every year because the population cap is around 2.5K
It can feel a little vacant on the dance floor, but overall I like the small-town feel. More room in the river that way.

I haven't had an issue with the flipside ticket lottery, but maybe that's a fluke. Even if you miss the lottery window there's always not bob's list for ticket resales, or you can be an essential volunteer and they make sure you get tickets. I encourage any Texas-area burners who didn't get BRC tickets to join us in May.

http://www.notnotbobslist.org/

[poosie_kat]

I'll have to answer that question with a question. Do you know of a regional(or any place other than the playa) where you can construct a 20 foot tall fire breathing duck that can be admired by people in unusual costumes(or none at all) and then go to a bar someone else made and have a shot of jack daniels that hasn't already been selling out since 2005(I'm looking at you, Burning Flipside)*?

Scorched Nuts in Ohio could. Easily. Both the 20 foot fire breathing duck AND the shot of jack daniels. Lots of large open land, ringed by trees. It's the reclaim top of an old mountain top removal site. Remote, far from shopping malls. Beautiful and serene. You should definitely check it out. http://scorchednuts.com

[Ugly Dougly]

And the list of other options will continue to grow this year. (My prediction.)

[SageV]

I'll have to answer that question with a question. Do you know of a regional(or any place other than the playa) where you can construct a 20 foot tall fire breathing duck that can be admired by people in unusual costumes(or none at all) and then go to a bar someone else made and have a shot of jack daniels that hasn't already been selling out since 2005(I'm looking at you, Burning Flipside)*?

Idaho's unofficial regional featured a cow that farts fire and plenty of jack. Close enough?

[Thorormr]

Scorched Nuts in Ohio could. Easily. Both the 20 foot fire breathing duck AND the shot of jack daniels. Lots of large open land, ringed by trees. It's the reclaim top of an old mountain top removal site. Remote, far from shopping malls. Beautiful and serene. You should definitely check it out. http://scorchednuts.com

Thanks for posting that. It's in my launch window and I like the extended weekend it offers.

[Ugly Dougly]

Knowmad, I love it! She's so bad!


The best sort of "festival" is one in which the unexpected happens and the expected never does.

[C187]

Scorched Nuts in Ohio could. Easily. Both the 20 foot fire breathing duck AND the shot of jack daniels. Lots of large open land, ringed by trees. It's the reclaim top of an old mountain top removal site. Remote, far from shopping malls. Beautiful and serene. You should definitely check it out. http://scorchednuts.com

But a bunch of land doesn't mean jack if their isn't anyone to fill it up.
One of the benefits to the real deal over a regional is you can, if you want to, talk to anyone, and never see them again during the event. While at a regional you could talk to each person, and run into half, if not all of them again during the event time. Some times you don't want the whole "festival" to feel like one extended family pot-luck.

edit: And to be fair, other regionals have large settings. Or what seem like large settings.

[Ugly Dougly]

Fill it up? Is that the point?

[stinkyfoot]

Keep jiggling around Stinky. We're all jiggling around looking for alternative sites.

Alternative sites and alternative formats too. We do this thing in San Jose called Bike Party that has this essence of Burning Man, despite being an urban event, largely attended by an ethnically diverse group of 20 somethings from the South Bay. But, holy crap, people here make bikes like mutant vehicles. The great benefit of this mobile party is that it doesn't need to be on a site for more than an hour, at most. Although, the cops have definitely been trying to interfere with it the entire time it's been big because they just hate the idea of hundreds of people in a group anywhere without some official business.

I don't now if in some distant future I'm going to mastermind some new kind of event, but I will always be looking for new types of Temporary Autonomous Zones that need participants.

[Sail Man]

I do both TTITD and Lakes of Fire in Michigan and I like both equally. The big burn just offers more, of everything. Plus an opportunity to view parts of the country i don't get to very often as I meander my way westward.

[Ugly Dougly]

Beats the fuck out of whining about tickets. Only Larry and the Man himself are entitled to attend TTITD.

[TomServo]

Currently, I'm debating which is better..TTITD or juplaya (TOTITD)?

[Ugly Dougly]

TITTY is always better.

[Age]

I'll have to answer that question with a question. Do you know of a regional(or any place other than the playa) where you can construct a 20 foot tall fire breathing duck that can be admired by people in unusual costumes(or none at all) and then go to a bar someone else made and have a shot of jack daniels that hasn't already been selling out since 2005(I'm looking at you, Burning Flipside)*?

If you do I will happily concede that there is a regional better or as good as Burning Man.

I know of several great regionals where the first two happen regularly, although most have cap issues already due to land size. The largest regional at this time is Alchemy, over in Georgia (near the Tennessee border). They haven't capped in any previous year, but are likely to this year because the land can't handle more than 5k people or so...

But in terms of fire, they light their effigy with explosives. Don't have stats on 2011, but the 2010 final boom (there was a whole show of fireworks and bombs) was this mushroom cloud and was estimated to be about 150 feet in the air when this shot was taken by the uber-talented Photognome...

[AntiM]

The Vegas regional, Singularity, had explosions that large. We had sonic shockwaves which were amazing. Unfortunately, Roach Lake is within visible distance of I-15 and people were pulling over, calling 911. So much for Vegas.