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How much does it cost to go to Burning Man? We did the math

By Brittany Anas

Black Rock City — a pop-up metropolis in the Nevada desert that hosts the multi-day Burning Man gathering — is a commerce-free zone with an economy that runs on bartering and gifting. While music and art festivals are typically synonymous with corporate sponsorships and branded vendor booths, there's none of that on the playa. In fact, the only thing that's for sale is ice.

So, does that mean Burning Man is a budget-friendly gathering, untouched by inflation and devoid of capitalism’s pricey pitfalls? Not quite. While there's a stretch of no-spend days in the scorching desert in which 80,000 or so festivalgoers experiment with communal living, veteran Burners will tell you there’s a lot of prep associated with "radical self-reliance" — one of the core Burning Man principles — and that the costs add up.

Partially overlapping with Labor Day weekend, Burning Man 2023 will take place Aug. 27 to Sept. 4. In the days bookending the festival, Reno-Tahoe officials expect the event will pump $60 million into the northern Nevada economy. The economic boost comes from Burners flying into town, staying at hotels, picking up last-minute supplies and costumes and then boomeranging back to wash their dust-coated cars and check into hotels to shower and get some air-conditioned rest before returning home.

Curious about the Burning Man cost to attendees? Here's a breakdown of the upfront costs as well as some surprise expenses to factor into your budget, according to those who have attended the eclectic festival.

Burning Man tickets: $575 to $2,750

Burning Man tickets are hotter than the Nevada desert in the summertime. In the months leading up to the event, festival organizers stagger ticket sales, with a limited number released during each window. 

Burners paid a premium to get their hands on the first-release FOMO sale tickets in February, when they sold for as much as $2,750 apiece. At that price, you can think of Burning Man tickets as costing about $305 per day, because all tickets cover the entire nine days of festivities, regardless of how many days you plan to be there.

One more ticket release, the OMG Sale, is currently scheduled for Burning Man 2023. Registration closed on July 28 and the sale starts at 12 p.m. on Aug. 2. Those tickets cost $575 (about $64 per day).

There is no difference in the pricing tiers, in terms of what you get. All tickets grant the same level of access.

Parking: $150

In addition to buying tickets, you’ll need a $150 vehicle pass displayed on your dashboard to get into Black Rock City. Motorcycles and towed vehicles don’t need a pass. Vehicle passes are also released in limited quantities during Burning Man ticket sales.

You can't drive your regular car around Black Rock City, and new restrictions are in place this year for electric bikes. But many Burners register art cars with the Department of Mutant Vehicles and roam around on coveyances like gigantic solar-powered trikes, a bus-turned-dragon or a combination golf cart-tiki bar.

Camp fees: $0 to $5,000 and up

Most attendees attend Burning Man as part of a "camp," a collective of people who band together for the duration of the event. Camps distinguish themselves on the playa with flags, banners, props, decorations, themed costumes and instruments.

Camp fees can vary tremendously, with the scale sliding between free and $5,000 and higher, with a premium on cushy digs like an Airstream or RV, estimates Brandon Dorsky, a former Burning Man attendee who is an attorney and the co-founder of the California-based edible cannabis brand Fruit Slabs.

Camp fees can vary based on several factors, he says. Those who are volunteering or doing work for the camp may pay a lower rate, for instance. Other factors that can drive up the costs include an accessible bathroom or shower at the camp or contributions to the camp's art.

"Camp fees can be anywhere from free to thousands of dollars depending on your set-up and how turnkey it is upon arrival," Dorsky told SFGATE.

Supplies: Varying costs

Supplies are probably the biggest Burning Man budget wild card. Costs are dependent on what you’ve already got on hand and what will be available at your camp versus the items you’ll need to stock up on.

Online you can find comprehensive packing lists, like Burner List, which recommends bringing things like hydration backpacks, lip balm with SPF, moist towelettes for cleaning the grit off your face, goggles for sandstorms and a backup set of keys in case your original set gets lost in the sand.

Daniela Pauli, of New York City, attended Burning Man in 2018, splitting RV expenses with a group, and she estimates she spent $4,000 — which would have the same buying power as $4,840 today, when adjusted for inflation.

"Focus on having enough water, electrolytes, sun protection and, if you have a tent, fans," said Pauli, who leads business development at Microdose Psychedelic Insights. "Always have a backup headlamp and make sure to bring lights to decorate your bike or lights for your clothing or wear clothing that has LED lights. It’s dark at night and hard for people to see you if you are not lit up."

Burning Man even has a special term for attendees who who don’t illuminate themselves at night: "darkwads."

Bike rental: From $100 

Burning Man is a BYOB (bring your own bike) event and you’ll probably want a set of wheels to get around because the playa is a vast place. 

A popular option: Reserve a $100 bike, aka human playa vehicle, from the Reno Bike Project. The bike is guaranteed to have a working gear, a working brake, two tires that hold air and safely adjusted bearing surfaces. If you want access to a cruiser-style bike, you need a $140 Burner membership and bike reservation.

Since a lot of Burners don’t want to haul the bike home after wheeling around in the desert, many donate them back to the Reno Bike Project, which then refurbishes the rides for the following year's festival.

Transportation: $100 to $710

About 120 miles from Black Rock City, Reno is the last major metro for many en route to Burning Man. 

Nonstop flights are available between San Francisco International Airport and Reno-Tahoe International Airport, with travel dates bookending the festival — for example, you can fly to Reno on Aug. 26 and return Sept. 5. At time of publication, costs range from $490 to $710 per flight.

Gas prices in the Bay Area are around $5 a gallon and they’re about $4.57 in Reno. It depends on whether you've got a fuel-efficient vehicle or a gas guzzler, but the route between San Francisco and Reno is about 370 miles. If you're making the drive, expect to pay in the ballpark of $100 round trip. But to get a more customized estimate, you can plug your data into a fuel-cost calculator.