Comment by flexagoon
16 hours ago
Haven't went myself either, but I've heard from some people that the smaller Burning Man spin-offs retain more of the original vibe and are often cheaper even when you include costs of travel. A lot of people come to AfrikaBurn from all over the world, for example.
That being said, the very nature of the event involves spending thousands of dollars to live in the desert for a week. So the audience is obviously mostly people who have the money to do so.
"That being said, the very nature of the event involves spending thousands of dollars to live in the desert for a week. So the audience is obviously mostly people who have the money to do so."
It depends what standard you need, but I have been to (way smaller) desert gatherings where people with no money came. (Not as remote, though, possible to walk there with a tent). But as far as I know, the main thing you need for burning man is a van and water, or know someone who has one.
You dont need a van. You just need to be comfortable at being uncomfortable.
Yes, tickets are expensive. Yes you need to bring survival stuff like water and food. Yes you will be underslept most likely. But it will be worth it.
> the main thing you need for burning man is a van and water
And $1000 tickets :P
A fully equipped van is also not exactly a cheap thing to own or rent.
I'm under the impression that paying for tickets is not exactly frowned on but isn't the respectable path either. The alternative being to do something awesome at a regional burn and get recruited by an established camp, which comes with free tickets.
I have no idea how common this is. I just know somebody offered free tickets for me and my crew if I joined his camp with my contraption at the big burn.
I like the idea, decommodification being one of the principles and all, but I didn't go because I didn't have time to fix some issues that I deemed critical.