Latest news with #BurningManProject
The Guardian
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Can Burning Man survive the financial desert – and keep its soul intact?
Burning Man has faced its share of challenges in recent years. There were the Covid years when organizers cancelled the Nevada festival entirely, the sweltering record temperatures of 2022, and mud created by heavy rains in 2023 that trapped tens of thousands of attenders on the playa. Then last year, Burning Man tickets failed to sell out as they had every year since 2011. It was an indicator of a deep trouble for the week-long desert celebration in the form of a $20m revenue shortfall that meant 'everything is now at risk', Marian Goodell, the Burning Man Project CEO, wrote last fall. Burning Man has been trying to find its financial footing and figure out how to ensure the longevity of a festival that has become an institution, Goodell told Bloomberg in an interview this week, a month ahead of this year's festivities. The festival must succeed as a business, she told the outlet, while adding: 'I am loath to look at Burning Man as a product, where the goal is to sell as much of the product as possible.' Burning Man, which started in 1986 on a San Francisco beach, is held each year in Nevada's remote Black Rock desert, where as many as 73,000 people travel to partake in the revelry and performance art. But over the years it has increasingly become a playground for the wealthy and Silicon Valley elite, such as Elon Musk. Meanwhile, rising ticket prices have coincided with a decrease in attenders making less than $50,000, Bloomberg reported. Wealthy attenders, the outlet noted, have provided a 'lifeline' to Burning Man over the years, with five people responsible for two-thirds of the $60m the festival has raised since 2014. Despite its explosive popularity over the years, in 2024 Burning Man fell short of its fundraising goals and saw a reduction in ticket sales. The organization does not have corporate sponsorships to support its operations, and the sale of tickets, which cost anywhere from $550 to $3,000, do not alone cover those expenses, Goodell said in her October note. 'Ticket revenue alone does not fund all that Burning Man Project does to bring Burning Man to the world, including the production of Black Rock City, and in fact has not since 2014.' The organization has turned to Burners for support, writing that a monthly contribution of $20 'will help to keep Burning Man programs alive'. While it received millions of dollars in support, it still fell short of its fundraising goal last year. But this year's tickets have so far sold well, according to Bloomberg, allowing organizers 'to keep moving forward'. Last year's decline in ticket sales prompted some outlets to ask whether the festival was past its prime, but Goodell argued in the Reno Gazette Journal in June 'the values that guide the Burning Man creative culture are more relevant today than ever. 'It's not a partisan project. It's a cultural one. It's creative. And creative culture, especially when rooted in shared values rather than political ideology, is what holds people together when everything else feels like it's falling apart,' she said.
Bloomberg
22-07-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Burning Man Is Burning Through Cash
If you've ever encountered a Burner, chances are you've been schooled on a few things: the packing lists that rival military ops, the degree of enlightenment achievable through libertine excess and the revelation that in Black Rock City, Nevada, money is virtually useless. The annual Burning Man gathering forbids commerce, so for nine days each late August, almost 80,000 people get by on supplies they've brought and gifts from fellow attendees. There might be a two-story fire-spewing octopus or a jetliner fuselage tricked out like a rave cave, but except for a few authorized sites where one can buy ice to keep food from spoiling in the heat, not so much as a dollar bill is exchanged. Money, however, is something Burning Man Project, the nonprofit that runs the event, can't do without. And lately it's been an increasingly urgent concern. Last year, after Burning Man Project spent around $59 million throwing the bacchanal, tickets failed to sell out, putting the year's revenue on track to fall $20 million short of expenses. Its leaders stumbled out of the desert and found themselves staring down a financial cliff. 'Everything is now at risk,' Chief Executive Officer Marian Goodell wrote in a series of online missives sharing the news last fall.
Associated Press
08-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
BURNING MAN IS BACK! 2025 TICKETS ARE COMING SOON
SAN FRANCISCO, April 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Burning Man 2025 is officially on, and now is the time to claim your place in the dust! This year's theme, Tomorrow Today, challenges participants to explore the intersection of imagination and reality, inviting them to bring the future into the present through creativity and innovation. Burning Man Project has just announced the details for its highly anticipated Tomorrow Sale, giving more people the opportunity to participate in the wildly participatory culture that is Burning Man at its signature Black Rock City gathering in Nevada's Black Rock Desert. While many think Burning Man is only for the initiated, the truth is it's for everyone—lovers of art, music, culture, and community who may have never even considered it. Each year, through the heat, the dust - and yes even the rain sometimes - participants overcome obstacles together, embodying resilience, communal effort and the spirit of radical self-reliance. Burning Man 2025 promises to be another unforgettable chapter in this ever-unfolding story! The Tomorrow Sale—Burning Man's second major ticket sale—is the best chance to secure lowest price tickets to the annual gathering in Black Rock City, where participants co-create a temporary metropolis dedicated to art, culture and community. Burning Man 2025 – What You Need to Know Event Dates: August 24 – September 1, 2025 Pre-Registration Required: April 21 – April 29, 2025 Tomorrow Sale Ticket Release: April 30, 2025 Ticket Prices: Tickets at all 2025 price points will be available in limited quantities — including at the gifting ($950 and up), pay your way ($750), and receive the gift ($550, $650) price points. How to Buy: Visit to learn more. Don't be intimidated! Let's Connect: Aren't sure where to start or how to plug in? Shoot us a note at [email protected]. Burning Man is a community–let's connect to help out. All are welcome! Join Us in the Dust! Many people may not realize they belong at Burning Man. If you're drawn to large-scale art, immersive soundscapes, mind-expanding performances, and an unparalleled sense of community, Burning Man welcomes you to be a part of something bigger than yourself. Compared to this point in time from previous years, more tickets have been sold than ever before and already tens of thousands of excited participants have committed heart and soul to creating the Best Burning Man ever. Say yes to adventure. Yes to self-discovery. Yes to an experience that will challenge and inspire you. Take your first step toward an unforgettable journey. Tomorrow starts today. For all questions, email [email protected]. About Burning Man Project Burning Man Project is the nonprofit in service to a global cultural movement that is advancing a more creative, connected, and thriving society. The nonprofit fosters Burning Man culture year-round through arts and culture, educational, civic and social enterprise programming. Black Rock City, Burning Man Project's signature annual gathering in the Nevada's Black Rock desert, convenes people, ideas, and resources in unexpected ways to move organizations and communities forward. With over a million participants in 75 countries, Burning Man events have sparked a thriving community of innovation in art, technology, and urban design. Dominique Debucquoy-Dodley
