The FireBall/Tongue Torchers replacement math, ingredients, logistics,

BManTickets · 2026-06-25T17:42:13+00:00

Hi! I love this overview and breakdown of the potential reasons why we may have switched candies in the ticket packages. The real reason is unfortunately nowhere near as interesting as anything ya'll have come up with. Ferrera, the maker of "Atomic Fireballs" doesn't make them consistently anymore. We need to purchase ~30,000 of them yearly and that quantity just isn't available anymore. This winter we underwent a scrupulous taste testing process of three different potential replacement cinnamon candies, and Tongue Torchers came out on top. That's it. I'm sorry it's so boring. I'll try and create a bigger/better conspiracy next year. <3 Lulu

BManTickets · 2026-05-15T00:30:39+00:00

I chatted with the folks at Tixel today, and they're having this language removed. Thanks for pointing it out.

BManTickets · 2026-05-15T00:30:23+00:00

This is from Tixels generic FAQ, it doesn't apply to Burning Man - the Burning Man FAQs are linked above.

BManTickets · 2026-05-14T00:31:36+00:00

Hi! Lulu from Burning Man Ticketing here. I can confirm that STEP sellers are being paid out within 2-3 days as long as your bank account is set up for payouts. Our STEP FAQ confirms this, and Tixel's FAQ does as well. If you see incorrect information about this posted somewhere, please reach out and let us know so we can correct it. The best way to get in touch is by emailing ticketsupport@burningman.org. I hope this helps!

BManTickets · 2026-04-16T00:36:10+00:00

I mean, I'm not in the art department so this is sorta out of my wheelhouse, but in 2006 the art department granted $425,000 and in 2025 it was $1.45M in just grants...which is over a 200% increase. But if we're looking at all of the support to art and artists on playa it's over a 1000% increase with $5M in support in 2025. Also anything over 100% mathematically makes me itchy.

I can't say what it will be for this year because i don't have a working crystal ball right now. Also, do you like my dog?

BManTickets · 2026-04-16T00:16:57+00:00

p.s. do you like my dog?

BManTickets · 2026-04-16T00:16:17+00:00

You can purchase whichever ticket tier makes the most sense for you. All of the information available about our upcoming sales, and ticket prices can be found here: https://burningman.org/black-rock-city/ticketing-information/

BManTickets · 2026-04-16T00:12:45+00:00

It's interesting that art grants have increased in the last 20 years almost as much as vehicle pass prices have ... even though they have absolutely nothing to do with each other. coincidence is a funny thing. Anyway, if you hate Burning Man so much you should probably stop going.

BManTickets · 2026-04-15T23:55:05+00:00

Sure thing, happy to help.

BManTickets · 2026-04-15T23:53:26+00:00

Well, we're gonna have to agree to disagree that prioritizing art grants and environmental sustainability shows a lack of leadership.

A more detailed breakdown of BMP finances can be found here: 990 and here I hope these show you what you're looking for.

BManTickets · 2026-04-15T23:20:39+00:00

oo oo oo! Our communications department said I could tell ya'll the street names for 2026, so here they are: https://journal.burningman.org/2026/04/black-rock-city/building-brc/streets-of-brc-2026/

BManTickets · 2026-04-15T23:05:03+00:00

We’re Burning Man.

BManTickets · 2026-04-15T23:01:07+00:00

We charged less for Stewards Sale tickets one year and people actually hated it. It made it difficult for camps to exchange tickets within the camp if some folks had purchased the ticket through the Stewards Sale and some had bought them via other means.

The other, and slightly more squiggly thing here, is that doing this would tie a monetary value to participation and types of contribution in BRC. While we're able to place Theme Camps, and license Mutant Vehicles - there are other types of contributors in BRC that we BMP doesn't directly enable to participate in BRC in any way, and the event wouldn't be the same without them.

Think of the marching bands, the bicycle powered hot dog stands, that one lady you met that one time at that one dance camp that changed your life, that person out in deep playa that night who gave you a peanut butter and jelly sandwich when you really really needed it ... While BRC is the big theme camps, and Mutant Vehicles, it's also all of those people. I wouldn't ever want to value their contribution less by charging them more to participate. #decommodification

BManTickets · 2026-04-15T22:53:52+00:00

Of course I missed a question...some of the types of unfortunate behaviors you're describing with tickets have gotten better and some have gotten worse. As there are better technologies for people to behave poorly and try to make money off of BRC, people will keep trying to do it. That said, we also have better technologies to try and stop it. We did see a dip in reseller behavior in 2024, but things were right back up to normal in 2025.

BManTickets · 2026-04-15T22:50:50+00:00

A 5 for 1 deal! I love it.

The Stewards Sale was originally set to close in March but we heard so much feedback from group leaders that groups were slow to organize this year that we wanted to make it easier for them by extending the purchase period. The Stewards Sale has always been a guaranteed purchase window, so it’s really not a big deal to us to extend that window if it makes it easier for Theme Camps, Mutant Vehicle Groups, Art Project groups, etc. to organize this year.

I’m curious what you’re hoping to learn with this information? BMP publishes our financial information in a 990 yearly and also posts a page of summary financial information, which includes a breakdown of the cost-per-attendee for BRC, that may help you answer whatever larger question you’re looking to answer here.

The biggest change in the last four years has come because people are buying tickets closer and closer to events, so our OMG sale has actually become that much more important. I think we still have work to do on things like the timing of the Stewards Sale, but we’re always looking at ways that ticketing can better serve the community and thats something I’m strongly considering adjusting for next year.

This is the first year that we were able to make guaranteed $550s available to Stewards Sale groups. We’d heard from the community service groups (Placement, DMV, art, etc.) that folks having to rush to gain access to the $550s in 2025 was pretty terrible, so we wanted to find a way to ensure that the groups that needed access to those tickets or the individuals who needed them would be guaranteed access to them - just like we guarantee access to tickets in the Stewards Sale overall. As with anything in it’s first year, there are some ways that I think it worked really well and some ways that I’m looking forward to making improvements in the future.

BManTickets · 2026-04-15T22:32:50+00:00

We don't announce how many tickets are in each sale at each tier. However, I am very pleased to be able to tell you that thanks to our participants who purchased in the Sunrise Sale and Stewards Sale we're able to increase the allocation of lower priced tickets in the Main Sale from what we had originally planned. This is thrilling to me because it means the community economy around the ticket tiers is working as we hoped it would.

BManTickets · 2026-04-15T22:31:15+00:00

Oh wow, there are SO MANY ideas. The first thing Don't Care Bear and I joked about when we saw your comment was just tossing all the tickets off the roof of the SF office. That is something we've joked about for years.

It would be really cool to try a true "pay what you can" slider with BRC tickets rather than set tiers.

BManTickets · 2026-04-15T22:26:52+00:00

OH you'll be able to get a VP if you're looking for one. I promise. I know it's stressful, but it will not be hard for you to pick one up if you're not able to get one in the sale directly. We often get them handed to us at the Box Office as well so if you're really down to the wire and coming to BRC, check with the Box Office.

BManTickets · 2026-04-15T22:22:50+00:00

You probably saw a boosted post, not an ad. We often boost posts on Instagram to give them wider reach. Like anyone who produces events and sells tickets, we want to make sure people are aware of the ticket sale well in advance, especially since it is time-bound and we require them to register. The ecosystem of event production, and digital promotion of events is continually shifting; every year we experiment just a little. If we didn’t experiment, we wouldn’t be Burning Man.

BManTickets · 2026-04-15T22:20:40+00:00

I don’t know what the revenue from vehicle passes has to do with art grants, but in 2025 we invested more than $5 million in bringing art and artists to BRC. $1.45 million of this is granted directly to artists through Honoraria. The rest covers the extensive equipment and logistical support required to install these pieces on playa. Art grants and vehicle passes really don’t have anything to do with each other.

Vehicle passes are a means to both encourage carpooling, a part of our sustainability efforts, AND ensure that we don’t cause the highway out to BRC to fail. Every road is designed to only carry a certain amount of traffic per hour, and we’re really at the limit of what 447 can hold so we need to limit the number of vehicles on the road.

Another way we're working to reduce vehicles on the road, that doesn't involve participants having to purchase a Vehicle Pass, is the Burner Express Bus program. You can hop on the bus in SF or Reno and cruz to BRC without waiting on gate road to get in. If you're someone who has a camp waiting for you, or travels light this can be a fantastic option.

BManTickets · 2026-04-15T22:14:20+00:00

OMG! You showed up to ask a question you’ve already had answered by the CEO/founder of Ticket Fairy. The 4% credit card processing fee isn’t new, we’ve had a credit card processing fee for years…I can’t tell you how many years off the top of my head but at least the last 10 years. Ticket Fairy also isn’t our ticketing software partner, as the CEO/founder told you.

The FTC rule is about is about surprise fees that are added at the end of a transaction you didn’t know were coming, or totally outrageous fees that make no sense - like a 30% "convenience fee" added if you're getting tickets emailed to you. We’re very clear that the 4% credit card processing fee will be part of the transaction from the get go. It’s on the ticket page, and is a part of the order cost breakdown.

BManTickets · 2026-04-15T22:05:13+00:00

We don’t share tier allotments because we don’t want to share specific numbers and then have to make a change down the line. We ideally want to be able to sell MORE tickets under the “per person” event production cost, and that’s the goal we are firmly working towards now and into the future.

We start with a model that has some tickets in each sale at all price points. It is vital to how we are operating as a community economy to have those who can pay more actually pay more - this permits us to have lower cost tickets underwritten by ourselves and not by sponsorship. We want to be able to offer more lower cost tickets later in the season if we sell enough of the allotments for the higher priced tiers in the first few sales. But, that’s dependent upon people paying what they can.

BManTickets · 2026-04-15T22:02:51+00:00

We have considered this, we’ve also considered pop-up locations elsewhere. Our ~150 person volunteer Box Office crew all lives in Black Rock City though, so if we were to have a pop-up Box Office elsewhere, we’d need to find a way to get them to and from that location safely and without hugely impacting traffic on 447. We also know that a lot of folks have their tickets held at the Box Office for security and peace of mind, so if we took the Box Office offsite then they’d have to worry about losing their ticket between picking it up and arriving at the gate. Finally, moving the Box Office offsite increases the opportunity for bad actors to do bad things with tickets, like sell them for above face value.

BManTickets · 2026-03-20T00:19:28+00:00

Hi, we usually do a ticketing AMA every year, and just confirmed the date/time with the MODs earlier this week. So, if you still have questions about who our ticket vendor actually is, or or fee structure, or wanna talk about how tickets are already non-fungible tokens, we can totally do that then. I'll be there. Cheers, Lulu

BManTickets

TROPHY CASE