It’s been a rather tricky year for Burning Man. It recently reported that it failed to sell out for the first time in over a decade as ticker holders took major losses to unload the unwanted passes. In an effort to boost numbers, organizers opened up last-minute ticket sales to the general public, which doesn’t require pre-registration. Ahead of the event in the Black Rock Desert, there have been a few rule changes regarding its future events, all in an effort to salvage attendance.
Burning Man sent an email to all the leaders of the festival’s music camps and owners of the iconic ‘mutant vehicles‘ about a policy change on August 10th. In prior years, guidelines stated that the lineups for the various stages were announced just a week before the first day of performances. That’s because the music lineup is a perk for people going, not THE reason to go. The ethos of Burning Man is to attract people who share the ethos and the vibe of the event, not just people who want to see certain DJs. This year, however, the organizers have allowed the lineups to be revealed two weeks before the festival starts on August 25th.
“We’re trying this out this year in the spirit of greater transparency and providing the community earlier information”
Email sent by Burning Man organisers
Announcing the lineups much earlier allows the possibility for fans to come to Burning Man for the artists. This detracts from the journey of self-expression and community the event has come to offer. Artists like Carl Cox and Rufus Du Sol are among those who will be performing at this year’s event and are equally names that would look at home on the mainstage of any major festival.
It will be very interesting to see if this new policy will be popular with fans and how it might affect ticket sales and the makeup of attendees. It’s still unclear why tickets aren’t sold out as they usually are. Last year’s running was marred by extreme weather, which may be a cause for a decline in interest. Tickets are still available for this year’s Burning Man, which you can purchase here.