We keep hearing about prices going up and more and more rules. Has Burning Man outgrown the benevolent dictatorship of Larry Harvey? Should Larry be encouraged to change the organizational structure to make it more accountable to the participants? Personally, I liked the event more when prices were cheaper (not over $60 per person) and the organizers just took care of the basics like toilets, permits, and limited organization of festival events. What do you think? Add your comments here.

-- rich (burn@zpub.com), February 27, 2000

Answers

This thing is clearly larger than larry. The location is beautifull but I bet there are many other sites that might be more welcoming to BM. As for the money and control, I do have issues with the BM brand controls, folks making more than their effort is worth. I'm not sure if that is happening or not. It is clear that as it grows new problems will develope and will need to be confronted and delt with. I think there should be a group of trustees who get to decide how to handle rules and regs. The group shouldn't be apointed fat cats with oversized egos but a collection of folks who have a firm grasp on the basic principles that give BM it's spirit. The idea of people coming together to share: Art,music,food,booze,drugs and sex with money out of the way is very powerfull. The question is how do We(the collective) find our trustees to insure that the growth susanable and fair to all. Larry and others who are in control now will have to give it up eventually. If they try to hold on to it, as if the idea of getting together to share is theirs, they are sure to turn it into something less than it has been. The folks who give the most seem like good candidates for leaders. If we don't find a way to keep the price of the tickets down and the brand dictatorship crap out we will all loose. I do know that the higher the ticket prices the more it will become a festival for wealthly white artsy elitists. Open it up or it will go down in flames.

-- Temo (keilt@sbcglobal.net), September 26, 2004.

Just hate to see these "i was there in '96 and it was cool then but now that im not going its no longer cool" responses. so you went in 1996 and it changed your life. let us go now and have a good time already. if you dont want to go... THEN DONT GO... your not wanted.

peace

-- jordan (blah@blah.com), September 24, 2002.

OK I hope that all of you people are not terribly disenchanted by this whole situation. The burning man project was, probably at one time a great spectacle. Now I am sure it has turned into a great debachle. The person talking about the idiot quotient is probably on the very low side. I'd estimate it at about 50 percent not 5. Case in point: The lawsuit with voyeur video. I mean how are we supposed to be "free" if we have to watch our backs the whole time. If I wanted to do that, I would stay home. I want to see real art, real people, not spacey hippied out weirdos who cant function, nor do I want to be with people who think its cool or people who go because they think they are going to get ass. Corporate sponsorship doesnt mean crap. There is no way to keep the jerkoffs out of these types of events, especially when they are of this magnitude. Of course the hippies with their ridiculously ideal ideals, and the radicals who are less radical than my grandmother, and the self proclaimed freaks who ironically love the society that they claim to hate, will be there, causing their usual mishaps. Is there anyway to work around this. Of course not, because we are all a part of this. Every single person attending the event has characteristics of all of these scenarios. So do we think of the event as some "underground art festival" or do we think of it as a big party that is going on? I believe the latter is the way to go. If we try to be humble about what is happening, intelligent,(which is harder for some than for others) and realize that we are all going there for the same reason.... which is of course to fuck hookers and see tits and get in fights, then we can all have fun and get laid..... out

-- charles dumass (cdumass@dumass.com), August 21, 2002.

i think you people should stop smoking pot all day long and think a little bit about what it takes to put this thing on... and by theway the trip is not really that cheap... for some of us who have to fly to the desert, get a vehicle, food, water, hookers, booze, coke, etc, it takes a lot of money... so as it is not that cheap, it is sure alot of fun to snort lines off of hookers tits in the middle of the desert

-- charles dumass (charlesdumass@dumass.com), August 20, 2002.

hi fuckers

-- jc (Dirtbike_King_111@hotmail.com), July 09, 2002.

i think this site is fuckin gay. LOSERS

-- Jullien Riches (blab@hotmail.com), July 09, 2002.

lots of level-headed responses on this board, and also quite a few irrational fuckwads who would rather ride on the conspiracy-theory bandwagon because they like to think they're going to uncover some big mystery.

this event takes loads of cash to put on. everything is expensive. BM is charged loads of cash for land use, law enforcement, fire protection, medical protection, insurance, porta potties... the list goes on and on. yes, a few top people make mediocre salaries off the event because it's a YEAR ROUND PROJECT and it takes ALL THEIR TIME to keep everything running and prepared from one year to the next. a couple hippies don't sit in their living room putting this thing together over a joint and tofu-burgers, nor would they have the mental capacity to do so. the logistics and effort involved are of mammoth proportions... to the degree of such that major concert promoters would run away screaming at the thought of putting this thing on.

like circusboy, i've worked inside this event for 5 years now. i have never seen so many people devote so much of their free time outside their normal jobs to keep an event running, many of which are paid little to do so, with hundreds of volunteers under them that at most are compensated for their hard work with little more than free meals on site and some special priv's. the event has it's problems, but it's bullshit to think this is all some scam by the BM LLC to get all your cash and go hog-wild with it in some southern hemisphere tropical island.

if you don't like the prices, either find a way to help out so you can defray your attendance costs or don't fucking show up. better yet, start your own event on federal land of the same proportions and see how far you get without begging for corporate sponsorship or hanging yourself when you find out you're $5mil in the hole after giving away tickets to all your stoner friends.

fucking whiners.

-- ... (ei_le@hotmail.com), April 08, 2002.

if you want to get an idea of where that ticket money is going, than check out this site, it links to all the various costs and financial stuff that makes lets burningman rise from the desert each year. http://afterburn.burningman.com/financial_intro.html

-- skyhawk (skyhawk000000@aol.com), April 04, 2002.

If I wanted to park my camper at Yosemete for 7 nights, it would cost me more than the $175 I'm paying to attend Burning Man. So the way I see it, the art and the experience are free! It does seem kind of expensive but when you look at the costs involved in putting Burning Man on, it's reasonable. It's cheaper than a vacation almost anywhere else. Not only will I pay to attend,I will gladly volunteer my EMT experience to contribute to the community. Will the money and the time be worth it? I hope and expect it will.

Dawn (Seattle, WA)

-- Dawn (dawnmb@oz.net), March 21, 2002.

After working as a DPW manager for six years(two months in the desert per year) i think i got a pretty good grip on what's up with the Bmorg. Basicly it boils down to a deciscion being made to be a centraly organized thematic top down structure versus the decentralized TAZ type of thing it was concieved as by its participants. Larry Harvy had actually very little to do with any of it- he was just at the right place at the right time and took credit for the work of many many many people over the years.Obviously being top down gives him a reason to live. It is not his conceptualization nor does he have much real control over its day to day operations. I've nothing against him personaly (other then him being a bit of a snob sometimes) but I'm really sick of people calling burning man Larry Harvy's progeny. Its simply not true. It is a wondeful party, it is not nor could it ever be the same event it was pre 1996 though there are many of those type events around for anyone in the know.(and they are elitist thank god!) Burning man is not particularly unique,most atendees have a smaller view of whats going on in the world then they'd admit to themselves. It is a great place to play and have fun. Its target audiance is more monied and less actually alternative and certainly not for anyone making less than 35 grand a year- It has been accused of virtualy raping the creative and artistic energy of San Francisco. It is curated by people with no particulare talent. Many of the senior staff think much more of themselves then they really are. Lots of mediocre artists taking credit for the work of any real artist they can snare. It is just like any company in that managment inevitably takes credit for the work of others and gets paid even while asking others to do the work for free. Burningman ALWAYS wants something for nothing and will take everything one can give it and ask for more, not unlike a non profit. But thats just par for the course if one has a clue in the first place and one can compensate for and get around all those things if one has a clue and enjoy the experiance.Well thats working for BM anyway. I do not think its all bad, I commend anyone wyho successfully sneaks in as embodieing the origenal ethos of the event.I encurage it. There is censorship within the org. There are a lot of people wearing blinders and much denial, there are also many incredible amazing people I have tremendous respect and love for. I have no idea whose forum this is having stumbled accross it. It is likely that i will not be offered a job this year for what I have said. That is sad.(though not sure i want to go anymore anyway-looking at a corpse is never easy especially when you were talking to the person less than an hour before, at least two this year, y I was literaly there both times, no rumor- the toll would be five at least if one counts the highway deaths due to bm traffic so if you go drive safe eh?) Anyone who hasn't gone I would say go- do your research, be safe etc but go. Buy a ticket now or budget for it. If you are disgruntled- don't go- find other things, check out the rest of the world. Its ok its not the end all be all but its ok. The BLM rangers are indeed shitheads though and between us, they NEVER gave us ANY shit when we could carry guns, but thank god thats not allowed becouse the idiot asshole moron qoutiont increases with the population. (if only 5%, well what's 5% of 35000? Lots.) Before was indivigual responcibility, now is group or"community" responcibility which means more folks can slack on the work of others.No judgment really but it is true. If anyone out there can make money off burning man- Do it. The guy talking about bringing his gun and sneaking in obviously has no life or he'd be living it instead of griping. I could go on. The death toll has gone up. I pity the people who make it their entire life since there is so much more out there. True believers of any sort can do horrible things. Rave music has da

-- you couldn't pronounce it (circusboy@lycos.com), January 07, 2002.

Having just read all the responses, I think I am about to pass out and come to with vomit all over my keyboard...

It makes me very sad to see what could, and probably should, be an ever growing human experience being brought down to the level of disfunctional, fragmented humanity it is trying to escape. Larry Harvey has assisted many people to break their limitations through Burning Man for which he should be acknowledged, but a new form of community should not belong to any one person - it should be for all living entities. A collective effort of sorts...the sort that Larry points to in the collaborative, giving, welcoming, inclusive experience that Burning Man was founded on, but which is not dictateable by any one person. If the original foundations of Burning Man still stand, it is having some serious teething problems by the way everyone is behaving. The purpose of BURNING MAN HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH MONEY! Or, at least, it shouldn't. If Larry is actually out for a heap of cash, then it's a true shame. Let's hope he's greatly more advanced than that. Nearly everyone's response shows me a serious flaw in our present community - Money. That is the current hurdle people are trying to beat each other up with. Just get rid of the damned stuff! Think about it... No money... No ticket fees... No transportation costs... No taxes... No permit fees... No fees for using hired equipment... Just a whole lot of people doing whatever it is that people do...which seems to be the the "LIFE CHANGING" experience that people are getting from Burning Man. With, or without money, the sun will still shine; Earth will still have clean water and plentiful resources( only for a little while longer though ); people will still feel the need to live and will continue to use the resources for whatever purposes they conceive...

Fix the problem by ~

Hang on a second...I'm communicating with a monitor right now...and an auto-response mailing system or something like that. If a fellow human being is interested in my ideas, then they are invited to email me @ freelovintokyoboy@hotmail.com

Peace.

-- Irrelevant (freelovintokyoboy@hotmail.com), November 14, 2001.

Burning Man LLC also has legitamate employees. People whose income is derived from planning and office work. Accountants, secerataries, engineers... they put in full time hours all year getting this thing together. Volunteers who put in hard work get reimbursed for your ticket. Building the Man costs money, building the mausoleam costs money, building the cafe costs money, and having all those EMTs out for a week costs money. You know the cafe doesn't even break even? Don't forget that a LOT of people need to be fed. DPW needs to be fed 3 squares a day for the HARD work being done, and for about two months there are a good 100-200 people being fed and watered. Feeding people also means that kitchen trucks have to be rented along with refrigerator trucks. Don't forget how much lumber it takes to build the site. Or hardware for that matter. And eqipment rentals... cherry pickers, flat-beds, forklifts. A lot of gas is expended too in all of this. Don't forget about the generators for the power tools. I'm only scraping the surface here by listing a FEW things that no one else has mentioned yet. I could go on listing expenses for a couple of pages, but I'm hoping that those of you who moan over prices are getting the point right about now. And just think, even if you bought the MOST expensive ticket, if you saved up, you would only have to put away $.75 per day. Stop buying coffe in the morning, and your BM experience is payed for (with at least $90 to spare).

-- Wensday, the Cafe Chick (mothtoaflame@hotmail.com), September 29, 2001.

I'm proud to pay for an expensive Burning Man ticket. Despite what the uninformed here claim, Burning Man is not going corporate... quite the contrary. They have set up an alternative economic model where we the users bare the whole expense for for our experience... both in terms of the hard costs (infrastructure), and entertainment (we entertain ourselves).

If Larry Harvey wants to line his pocket with a little extra dough, all the power to him, but I don't actually think this is the case regardless. I think $300 (I'm Canadian, so this is how much I paid for a ticket this year) is a small price to pay for an experience like Burning Man.

Frankly if a few parasites come along for the ride, no harm done I suppose, but listening to their pathetic little excuses for not wanting to pay their fair share does get a tad annoying at times. I just wish they'd show us scumbag capitalists how to do it right, and go off and create their own free festival. I don't think I'll hold my breath.

-- JP (sugarlarry@hotmail.com), August 14, 2001.

none of us are paying either. we know the where to go to slip in no problem.

-- anonymous (anon@anon.com), August 10, 2001.

It all went to hell once someone died and tried to sue them - then every federal & local agency wanted some of that 'yuppies on acid' money that they saw rolling into the desert every year.

Hell yeah it was great back in 95 even 96

I don't think it would be wise, personally for Larry to change the organisation to anything but a llc given the litigious nature of the usa

-- mak (makkagee@yahoo.com), August 08, 2001.

uh-huh.where does the money go? to harvey, a lame-ass wanna be hipster who is getting rich off dummies forking over big money to camp on public land,land that is yours and you pay taxes on. he rewards his friends and kicks back on the money that stupid people pay to get in. been goin' 5 years, and will never pay--i don't subsidize harvey or any of his flunkies.

-- bo turner (bo@z.pub.com), August 07, 2001.

Cool so you feel good about sponging off the others who do pay for the services and the infrastructure and the art. I guess you're special?

Getting rich off of Burning Man would have been so easy years ago when the sponsorship offers started pouring in.

-- action girl (actiongrl@yahoo.com), August 07, 2001.

we've gone 3 years in a row, usually 10 of us and we NEVER pay. NEVER will either. You people fool yourselves so much. Let me tell you a little secret that's obvious to anyone who isn't deluded in their precious little bubble-like world---BM only exists to line the pockets of a few elite. We'll never be a part of that. Show your resistance to these greedy capitalist pigs and don't pay to attend! We'll be damned if they try to tell us we can't bring our guns to the desert where no federal laws prohibit it.

-- f off (noneof@yourbiz.com), July 10, 2001.

Maybe it is easier to not worry about the money if it is easier to come by, which it obviously is for some of us. However, it does seem like the price is where it's at for a reason, most of which have been stated. And it doesn't seem like much for week-long event. I guess I kind of follow like "like-it or lump-it" line of thinking. There are plenty of avenues for speaking out about issues regarding Burning Man and they should be used if the need is felt. It does suck that money can be a stopping issue for some, but this is America and money is the blood that greases the squeeky wheel. If I have to throw down a chunk of money to experience a crazy bolt of energy and artistic expression, I am willing to do that. I was so blown away by my first-time experiance last year that I have been pumping most of my spare time and cash into little projects for this year. And if that means not getting some new shoes, or going to less movies, buying fewer cd's throught the year, or just curbing my spending in general, all just so I can oooze out of my shell for a week, I will do it.

-- sponge monkey (dredmonke@yahoo.com), May 29, 2001.

Hey now!

I am one of those BRC who asked for some kind of control for people who show up late and show no respect for this community. One of the ways BM LLC motivates people to buy tickets early. The BLM costs have yet to peak at $500,000.

The Tickets purchased later suplement the cheaper tickets.

If you don't like the rules why weren't you present (physically or electronically) at the Town meeting? I feel much safer at the event without the firearms and the having the cars park. Don't you?

Take the experience with you. Start your own festival. But you're going to have to take resposiblity for what you do. All these rules and fees you despise are a part of being a huge event.

Peace, Love and Reinventing The BM Experience.

Spyral

-- spyral (spyral@pacbell.net), April 17, 2001.

Burning Man is one organization. You each can start another one that embodies your own set of values. If Burning Man costs too much, or has gotten to big, or isn't the same as it used to be, rent your own desert. I hope to see you at Burning Man, though, embracing change like the rest of us.

-- Mike (gnomon@gumnballpoetry.com), March 14, 2001.

BM is a growing, evolving ball of energy. Needs are changing, responsibilities growing. Fees seem to be necessary to make it happen. There can be $200 tickets as long as there are ways to subsidize tickets for folks who just can't afford it (many of whom are the heart of BM). The other obvious revenue-builder is to go for the big rig corporate sponsors. Going to be hard to keep them out of this. It is almost impossible to keep anything pure in America. Too many of the "greed breed" vulturizing off of remaining culture. Will be a sad day when "Entertainment Tonight" is hosting their show from BM, interviewing actors and models out for a taste of the hedonistic BM culture.... "Wow, look at Kim's dessert gown and pumps, really has that burningman flavor"... YEEECH!!!!

-- DD Bay (vegas_or_bust@hotmail.com), February 06, 2001.

The largest problem I see is a lack of communication between the BM organization and the community of Burning Man - I trust the BMO because I choose to, but I would sleep a little better with a specific account of the expenditures made yearly. What is the breakdown? Then again, who the hell cares? Does anyone really think Larry is going to be getting a Lexus out of this this year? And even if he were to, where is the law that an event born of his idea cannot bring him a comfortable income, lest th event be deemed rotton and spent? We pay to join his vision, dedication, and organization. As well, the price serves as a deterent - as the word spreads, a natural increase in the barrier of entry may not be such a bad idea.

But why does certain money go to certain artists? Do they "deserve" this money? why is their art worthy and not mine? It may very well be foolish to imagine BM as anything other than a benevolent dictatorship - it is not a democracy, nor, perhaps should it be.

-- mark reveley (mark_from_ark@hotmail.com), December 19, 2000.

I spent $125 for my b2k ticket and the only time I saw another dollar during the fest was one I found in the trash fence. Not too bad for a weeks solid entertainment. At some point Blackrock city became the 4th largest city in Nevada... dont think that comes without a price and enjoy it while you can.

-- (hylo@wormhole.org), September 29, 2000.

It's important to note that the bigger the event gets, the more it requires year-round employees; to coordinate volunteers, media abuse, legal crap, and provide pay and benefits for the people who gave up other career options, in the o-so affordable San Francisco, to work full-time for Burning Man.

Other places the money goes:
1. providing RVs for some of the core folks/volunteer groups who need to have a private, sandstorm free place to decompress onsite between interviews that will ultimately represent all of burning man to the world. Think about how moody the bad weather can make you when you have no refuge. Now imagine being in that mood while being scrutinized by CNN.

2. feeding, reimbursing and sometimes even paying some of the more hard-core full-time volunteers, e.g. rangers & dpw, cafe staff... and since people have the attitude of "I paid for the privilege of Leaving Trace for some other attendee, (who may have paid as much as I did, but has a soul), to pick up", clean-up costs keeping going up and up.

3. fighting the constant legal battles against conservative Nevada folks who think we're either satanists or eco-terrors or some other unsavory community.

and plenty more...
but I am a participant/volunteer not an organizer/volunteer, so I only know that which should be obvious.

-- cthulhia (cthulhia@lse.org), September 29, 2000.

2000 was my first year attending the festival. It was awesome, all seven days. The enjoyment we all wallowed in was enormous. Where else can people speak and dress and act so freely. There is no other event in the world that can even come close. I would pay $500 to attend. I am already making plans for next year. Tell your best friends about Burning Man so they can each plan on attendng this life changing event. We want this vibe to spread.

-- Stephen Hoffman (stephen@aspecialplace.com), September 19, 2000.

this year.. poo! i was around the burning man area (lake tahoe) and i was MAD i couldn't swing by. i went and paid for tickets 3 times in the past 5 yrs.. 96, out in the middle of the moon.. 2 deaths.. 97 heLLicoptors & bugs and weeds, 98....mud stilts for shoes and sunburn as wellll..... i dunno... i wish i felt welcome but hey! it's not as sweet as it used to be

-- lotsa m. hair (lllFAIRYHAIRlll@A0L.COM), September 16, 2000.

As a first timer this year, I did question the $200 cost for a ticket, but I was mainly concerned where the money went and not so much the cost in general. I would hate to think that someone is capitalizing on the efforts of so many gifted contributors who made the experience truely amazing. It's people like me who will not only return next year, but will undoubtedly convince others who have been reluctant to try something new. I must admit, I spent two nights at Lake Tahoe following the burning in a very expensive, comfortable, yet incredibly boring condominium on the Lake. I really missed all the energy provided by the people on the Playa. To answer the question; I can't speak from past visits to the Burning Man, but from what I experienced, it was truely a life changing event.

-- Steve Allen (steve@verisity.com), September 06, 2000.

People are way too concerned with whose pockets are being stuffed!! Burning Man is a working Project in experimential community living which simultaneously creates a arena for the unique creativity that only BM can support, who cares about the $$$$, the experience changed my world and serves as a model for everyday life...Did that answer you question?

-- laurie jacobs (lj2sublime@yahoo.com), August 24, 2000.

Come on guys its cheaper than a hotel for a week and why shouldnt Larry and his buds make a little green for the time they put in. It was his idea and its a full time job running this thing.Thank you Larry! If all we are asked to pay is a measly 125 to 200 bucks per head well thats a cheap weeks vacation. Lets see you go to the beach for that!

-- elb (csm000@aol.com), August 10, 2000.

hey whoever checks all this junk hm.. i dunno.. i am just bummed. i have no tickets, i put off buying them months ago.. since i got some weird BM postcard that didn't make much sense. for whatver it's worth with all you people, i was at BURNING MAN 96, 97, and 98.. and payed my way at the door each time. after my first time, 96.. i was so inspired i wanted to donate a bunch of money to help keep ya going. i wasn't rich evough to do that though.. this year i would love to attend with all my heart of course. i wanna be there, but before it happens i'll be on a 3 week road trip (canada, etc)with a friend from europe, and depending on what goes on.. who knows how many days we will be up to it? 2 people forking up OVER 400 dollars just to get IN to burning man 2000 is weird. i feel like it changed as far as now i have pressure. pressure is dangerous. i don't get it.

-- doll head (xxdollheadxx@aol.com), August 08, 2000.

I am a BM virgin but very interested in attending this year - any advice/help out there? Because I'll be flying in, my supply list will have to be short - I am especially interested in getting a ride to the site and perhaps renting/buying a bike while there. As for the price, it seem reasonable to me, given that this is taking place where no man was ever intended habitate. The cost of putting on such an event (not to mention F***ing with Mother Nature) grows with the number of participants. Sounds as if there is a pretty good level of services and organization, I'm thankful so many people are going to the trouble of making it happen.

-- John Brady (johnbrady@prodigy.net), August 06, 2000.

Ok, I am a BM virgin. I had hoped to go this year, but sickness in the family prevents this. My take on the prices?

Porta Potties for 15,000 people Emptying above Porta Potties Water Truck to keep road from getting too dusty RV "Gray Water" removel (probably)Provide Security (Local Cops) Bandwidth & Hosting for BM Site Attorney Fees (they'd be foolish to run this without the sharks)

I am sure there are more costs (Hidden or otherwise) and I realize the lump sum of a 3 million dollar intake is high, but honestly, Id pay more than $200 to attend the full week without hesitation!!

-- Eric (er1c@aol.com), July 17, 2000.

someone said that the prices are so Larry harvey and friends dont have to get "real jobs" well what is a "real job?" the prices that go up will exclude many people and the only way to trim down the burning man experience is to make this the last one and then start secretly something else to keep it pure. whatever "pure" means. i propose that, the ones with all the money...put together a theme camp fund and offer maybe ten to five people a year free travel and ticket for the "most interesting" theme camp or something. that way you can include people who may be poor and who may have some great ideas. whoever the people with all the money may be. - Frater DesVelados

-- Frater DesVelados (jshepard@fcpma.caredev.org), July 17, 2000.

The problem isnt Burning Man, the problem is the Bureau of Land Management who feels they are within the letter of the law by gouging everybody to be out in the middle of the desert. I mean, how much have permit fees been raised since all of this started? 500% or so? That is crazy. And NOW they are charging PER HEAD for every person that goes out there. I guess its a free country, so long as you dont step foot out your front door.

Its a big, blank desert. Doing nothing but being big and blank for 90% of the year. The other 10% of the time, its covered with water, or the Land Speed record guys are out there. So I guess the money generated by the casinos isnt enough for the State of Nevada. They need MORE money. To me that is just greed. plain and simple.

Its crazy to have to charge the kind of money they are charging to run this event. But god bless Larry for sticking to his guns and NOT going commercial with all of this to make up the difference. We sure as hell dont need another woodstock.

-The Judge Temple of Atonement

-- The Judge (vitiare@hotmail.com), July 14, 2000.

I'll tell you the REAL reason the tickets went up.

Greed. The BMOrg WANTS the cash. The BLM is only charging $4.00 per person, per day. O.k. so, for one week, that is $28.00. But the fee went up more than that! Because the BMOrg is running a bit of a....ummmm....."charity".

You know all those "grants" they give out? Well, usually they go to buddies of Larry and other BMOrg people. Sometimes in the realm of $60,000+ (The Nebulous Entity cost $60,000!!!!). Most of this goes not to "art" but to keep their buddies from having to get real jobs.

If the BMOrg wanted to be "fair" about the daily usage fee, they charge people $4.00 per day extra. So, you'd buy a 7 day ticket and pay, say $128. It would be good on Monday and any day after. A 3 day ticket would cost $12 extra and be good starting Sat.

But don't expect THAT to happen.

It should also be noted that Larry and Marian brought this on themselves. They often lie in the media about their relation with the BLM! Check out the article on Reason.com. Marian claims the BLM "tricks them" with "hidden fees". Turns out, ALL BLM fees are posted WELL in advance of the permit being issued.

But then, nobody would send the poor, hurt, picked on BMOrg any extra cash.

-- Robert Kennedy (AKA The Devil) (robertk@edgecharterschool.com), June 27, 2000.

oh happy day!!! i got my 2 $125 tickets today. i'm giving one to my 21 year old son as one of his college graduation gifts. (he went last year and had a blast.) last year he bought his at the gate for $100 we paid $80 (linda + I) we where there for the whole event 8 days worth, it was so cool and crazy and wild. more later perhaps......zanner

-- Don (zanner69@webtv.net), June 08, 2000.

tickit prices are high but it is worth paying up to $200. me,i sent in 4 my tickits early. i got mine for $125 ...well will be gitting in a day or 2 i'm told. linda' my roommate got 2 tickits also, she only paid $95 4 her 2 tickits. we did a experment in human behavior and sent for 4 tickets (we were aloud 2 per person) so we sent 2 $95 checks for lindas 2 she got hers right away. but lhey lost my 2 $95 + 2 $30 checks + my order tho they cleared the bank same day (me and linda have a joint banking account ) see when we got this idea to test burningman on its honest ticket priceing polices of your being bumped up to the next level and if i would get my 2 $30 ckecks back with my 2 $95 tickets and linda also would get her 2 $95 ticket..as i stated linda got her 2 $95 ....me i'm happy now with my invoice # after 20 phone calls in a 2 month period of f***king hell tring 2 striaght out my ticket order...seech man what a real drag..should have gest sent 2 $95 and f**ck the other people we where tring to help out cus they are poor and powerless in the eyes of other 2 by their tickets early. this event is so wild we love it. anyway i was not impressed am i am still not impressed with this ticket pricings bull about getting a "refund" if you get the cheeper ticket price. so at this point i gest hope and pray i get my 2 $125ers soon....any other people have similar stories to tell?????? tho at even $200 it is the place to be for 8 glories days and nights. watch your back ....peace..... zanner

-- Don (zanner69@webtv.net), June 07, 2000.

I wanted to point out to all of those who have said 'why don't you get you ticket early' and 'it's just money' that it is these very comments that tell others that you are one of those who has $165 or $185 laying around and no bills to pay. I still plan on going this year, but I don't happen to have the extra cash to get my ticket cheap. Perhaps it's not right to complain about the prices at this point, but the main concern seems to be 'where will it stop?'. So maybe those who have made such callous remarks should remember that not everyone has the same income and monetary freedom that they do. There are people who save all year to go. I am one of those. On behalf of those who don't have the silver spoon or the *really* good job, please don't forget that poor people like art too, and we tend to MAKE most of it.

-- Adam (silverbear37@hotmail.com), May 26, 2000.

I'm still a Burning Man virgin but am starting plans for attending my first one this year.

Seems to me that in light of all the rising fees that the government and the land owner/maintainer's charging them... they have to raise it this high!

I plan to pay the full $200 even though the cheaper tickets are already available now... I'm a dot commer with the cash but I'd like to help subsidize people who are more full-time artists that doesn't have as much.

-- Megalion (megalion@chickmail.com), May 24, 2000.

I think that $200 is completely worth it to go to Burning Man and I think critics of the price are being naive about the changes that are happening now that the event has grown. It used to be under $60 when there were under 10,000 people participating in the event. The cost of managing a relatively small event was very different from managing an event for over 20,000 people. And more money is being raised to contribute to all of the events at Burning Man. Many of the raves last year, for example, received grants from Burning Man to build their sites. But the bottom line is, the event is easily worth the money. There is nothing like Burning Man in the world. It is one of the most amazing cultural, artistic and community experiences around. I've been to Burning Man since '94 when it was less expensive, and I would happily pay $200 for something that great. (and they give low- income tickets for people who buy early, so what's all the crying about?)

-- Nathan Purkiss (npurkiss@mindspring.com), May 14, 2000.

I pay money to camp at a National Park, and Burning Man is worth that much. What is the big deal with spending a little money? How about those leather shoes or the sunglasses your wearing. Give me a break with the money issue, it's just money. And in this society money is commitment. If your committed to keeping Burning Man in some kinda population control, your gonna have to pay a bit more. I'll keep paying as long as I feel it is being spent well and so far I do.

-- Linka Odom (linkannie@hotmail.com), May 01, 2000.

Kitsch certainly has a limited value--which is far below $200.

-- bmiller (bmiller345@aol.com), April 29, 2000.

Hi to all o you... Burning Man is a wonder of this world...If you carry on with this (tickets overgrown) is gonna be just like all the commercial festival we've got around the world. Then how can you still ask volunteers if you want us to pay all this money for a ticket and don't pay this people that offer their help...There is no reason to do that and if there is is just lucrative.........Respect...A...

-- Antonio Pagano (pagan_000@hotmail.com), March 26, 2000.