The Answers to Your Pressing Questions About 2017 Burning Man Tickets

Article by: Joe Kukura|@ExercisingDrunk

Thu December 22, 2016 | 00:00 AM


With the hectic holiday season now in full effect, it was easy to miss the news that Burning Man announced their 2017 ticket dates and pricing tiers earlier this week. For early Burners who want to get a leg up on setting aside ticket money and registering to buy tickets the moment they go on sale, we’ve produced this handy guide of all your important dates and relevant changes to the 2017 Burning Man ticket buying process.

In their 2017 Ticket Sale Preview blog post, the Burning Man organization announced that “The biggest change you’ll note is that the price of regular-tier tickets is increasing from $390 to $425”. That’s not really a change at all. The price of a regular-tier Burning Man ticket was also $425 in 2016 — but the face value of that ticket was $390. That’s because last year, Burning Man was haggling with the Nevada state legislature over the additional 9% Live Entertainment Tax the festival hoped to have repealed. That haggling set the ticket sale process back by a few months, but this year’s ticket sale timeline contains no uncertainty.

Let’s take a look at all of the important dates, price ranges, and advance planning considerations for your 2017 Burning Man tickets.

Burning Man 2017 Ticket Dates

Burning Man 2016 Galen Oakes    16 Of 50
Photo by: Galen Oakes

Official dates were announced this week for 2017 ticket sales, and the important ones are coming up soon. The big ones to mark on your calendar are the Main Sale registration dates (Wednesday, March 22 - Friday, March 24) and of course, Ticket Day itself, when tickets go on sale Wednesday, March 29 at 12 Noon (PM) PST. All start and cut-off times for these sales and registrations are 12 Noon (PM) PST, an important fact to keep in mind if you live outside the Pacific Time Zone.

It’s also important to remember that you need to complete a Burner Profile before registering for or buying tickets.

“Ticket Day” is not your only opportunity to buy a Burning Man ticket. Most notably, the Burning Man Secure Ticket Exchange Program (STEP), an online ticket resale program that allows Burners to buy and sell spare tickets at face value, runs from mid-April to July 21. STEP also requires a Burner Profile, and buyers and sellers should check the Burning Man ticket page for the deadlines of their respective registrations and sales.

Burners also have the option of the last-minute OMG Sale on August 2, 2017, during which 2,000 tickets will be made available just weeks ahead of Burning Man (OMG Sale registration is also required, running between July 26 and 28). Burning Man also makes 4,000 tickets available through the Low Income Ticket Program. Those tickets cost just $190, but an application is required and you’d better sound pretty impressive if you want that Low Income Ticket. Applications for Low Income Tickets will be accepted beginning February 15, 2017.

Those $1,200 Tickets

Burning Man 2016 Andrew Jorgensen Art Of Burning Man 14

Photo by: Andrew Jorgensen

On the other end of the spectrum, there are also high income tickets. These Pre-Sale tickets are substantially more expensive, but they help subsidize the Low Income Ticket program. And ticket buyers at this price level can secure their Burning Man ticket as early as February 1, 2017.

Last year’s rumors of tickets costing $1,200 were technically correct, but referred to just a tiny number of these Pre-Sale tickets priced at $990-$1,200 for those who feel they can afford that cost. The $990-$1,200 tickets are just a voluntary patronage deal for those who can pay a little extra to support the Burning Man arts scene, and come with no additional perks other than just the ability to secure your Burning Man tickets six weeks before everyone else.

Registration for these $990-$1,200 Pre-Sale tickets opens at 12 Noon PST on Thursday, January 26, 2017, and closes at 12 Noon on Saturday, January 28. You still need to complete a Burner Profile to buy Pre-Sale tickets, and these cannot be resold on the STEP ticket platform. (People, it’s not as if somebody’s going to buy a $1,200 ticket on STEP when the going rate is $425.)

Vehicle Passes

Burning Man 2016 Galen Oakes    16 Of 50
Photo by: Galen Oakes

Yes, you will still need a vehicle pass, and vehicle passes can only be purchased in conjunction with Burning Man tickets. In other words, you cannot buy a vehicle pass without also buying a Burning Man ticket.

Vehicle passes remain $80 per vehicle this year, in an ongoing effort to encourage carpooling and reduce Burning Man’s carbon footprint. If you’re really into alternative transportation, the Burner Express program will now offer flights to Burning Man in addition to buses to Burning Man. Flight information has not yet been announced, so pay attention to the Burning Man Journal for upcoming announcements.

The Live Entertainment Tax

Burning Man 2016 Galen Oakes    31 Of 50
Photo by: Galen Oakes

The infamous Nevada Live Entertainment Tax, that 9% tax that last year increased the cost of your Burning Man tickets by $35 apiece, remains in effect for 2017. The only real difference is that the extra $35 is now factored into your ticket price directly, as opposed to last year’s system wherein the tax was charged separately because Burning Man hoped to challenge the tax and ultimately refund the $35 to ticket buyers. That challenge was unsuccessful, and it looks like the 9% Live Entertainment Tax in Nevada is here to stay.

There are couple other changes to this year’s Burning Man ticket sales. Most notably, the number of last-minute OMG Sale tickets is being doubled! The aforementioned Pre-Sale tickets are also going on sale much earlier, and Pre-Sale buyers will need to have their registration in order by the end of January 2017.

Your best bet for keeping up on ticket and tax developments is to subscribe to the Jackrabbit Speaks newsletter , where you'll receive email notifications of any and all Burning Man announcements.

Burning Man 2017 Ticket Sale Dates

Photo by: Burning Man