Burned Out? Desert Debauchery Festival ‘Burning Man’ Fails to Sell Out for First Time in a Decade
The Burning Man Festival, traditionally known for its rapid sell-out, is struggling to attract attendees this year. With the festival set to begin on August 25, tickets remain available for the first time since 2011, a development noted by Alysia Dynamik, the executive director of a maker space in Reno. The festival, held in Nevada’s Black Rock desert, has faced challenges in recent years, including cancellations due to COVID-19 in 2020 and 2021, and unfavorable weather conditions in 2022 and 2023. Attendees were significantly affected last year by extreme heat and overwhelming rains that rendered the festival’s site muddy and difficult to navigate.
Many potential attendees are reportedly prioritizing more immediate concerns such as food and housing, which has led some to opt out of attending this year. The cost of participation, which extends beyond the price of a $575 ticket, is also a concern, particularly for those wishing to bring large art installations, which can be very costly. Declining sales have been noted across the festival culture, with other major events like Coachella experiencing similar issues. Feedback indicates that many are taking a break due to economic factors, job considerations, and the overall cost of attendance.
The Burning Man Festival is a hard sell this year.
The annual raucous weeklong immersion in debauchery held in Nevada’s Black Rock desert usually sells out quickly, sometimes in minutes, but days ahead of its Aug. 25 opening, there are still tickets to be had, according to The Guardian.
This is the first year since 2011 the festival has not sold out, Alysia Dynamik, executive director of the Generator, a maker space in Reno, said.
Burning Man has had a rocky few years. It was canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19.
In 2022, record-setting heat fried the allure of days spent on the desert. In 2023, massive rains turned the playa around the Burning Man site into miles of impassable mud, leaving many who attended stranded for days.
“The last few years have been tough for weather and being able to properly plan,” Kaden Sinclair, president of the Idaho Burners Alliance.
“The rain last year got a lot of people freaked out about it,” Dynamik said.
Sinclair said the issue goes beyond weather.
“With food and housing making more immediate concerns a priority, many are choosing to skip a year or two in order to solidify their living situation,” Sinclair said.
Although Burning Man tickets are $575, the cost of attendance can be far higher.
“Many of us greatly enjoy bringing large art. That is almost entirely self-funded and can cost tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars,” Sinclair said.
Dave Carr, owner of Kimono Dave’s in San Francisco – which usually sees a sales spike for Burning Man – said this year has seen slower sales, according to CBS.
“Sales have been down this year period,” Carr said.
“For anyone that does anything that I do, for anything related to festival culture has been down. Major music festivals around the country have been struggling, canceling or postponing,” he said.
According to Billboard, the Coachella Music Festival sold about 80 percent of its tickets this year.
“Most of the feedback I get is: ‘I needed a year off,’” Marian Goodell, the chief executive of the Burning Man Project, which sponsors the festival, said, according to The New York Times.
“The other feedback I get is the economy; being laid off; the cost to not just buy a ticket, but to get yourself there; the cost of fuel; the cost to be away from your job,” she said.
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