Business Insider India has updated its Privacy and Cookie policy. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the better experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we\'ll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on the Business Insider India website. However, you can change your cookie setting at any time by clicking on our Cookie Policy at any time. You can also see our Privacy Policy.
"Burning Man is not a festival. Burning Man is a community."
So reads the official Burning Man website. At the end of every August, everyone from "hippies" to billionaires - who all call themselves Burners - gather in the middle of Nevada's Black Rock Desert known as "the playa" to partake in a global cultural movement based on 10 principles. The temporary city of Burning Man is known as Black Rock City.
This year, Burning Man takes place from August 25 to September 2. Burning Man is a free community inside - instead of booking entertainment, it encourages participants to perform for the community free of charge. It also doesn't sell goods.
The cost of admission to Burning Man depends on when you buy tickets. Pre-sale tickets cost $1,400, main sale tickets run for $425, and late registration tickets cost $550. Kids 12 and under can attend for free.
There are also transportation costs. Bus tickets can average from $75 to $107, plus fees for luggage or bikes. Plane tickets can range anywhere from $384 to $1,195 depending on where you're flying from. Some rich attendees fly in on private planes, which can cost upwards of $14,000.
Many burners fly into the Reno-Tahoe International Airport. Here, the cost of a rental car for the first four days of Burning Man cost anywhere from $25 to $58 a day at the time of this publication.
For those looking to stay in an RV, CNBC estimates a 22-foot RV to cost $7,460 to rent for the week. One Burner said on a Quora forum an RV rental cost them $4,000 back in 2014.
There are also costumes. One Burner told CNBC she spent $108 on costumes, which typically involve goggles, boots, and dust masks. On Etsy, attendees can grab light-up leg warmers for $70 or tie-dye faux fur coats for $350.
The cost to attend Burning Man overall varies greatly. CNBC estimated the total cost of attending could range from $1,300 to camp in a tent to $20,000 to glamp in an RV. That also includes transportation, food, camp fees, costumes, and gifts.
Money estimated a four-day trip to cost $2,218. That includes $227 for camping, $360 for toys and camp decor, $226 for survival supplies, $318 for food and drinks, and $1,087 to get there.
But it's a little different if you're a billionaire — some of Silicon Valley's biggest names have attended. In 2014, a Bay Area venture capitalist created a festival within Black Rock City that featured air-conditioned tents, showers, WiFi, and attendants — for $16,500 a week.
No matter who you are, once inside Burning Man, there are no prices with the exception of coffee and ice (the latter is $3). Burning Man is based on a sharing community and is "commerce-free."
