When do gates open?

[playla_wook]

Hi all,

I couldn't find this in any of the literature or in any previously posted threads, so I thought I'd post here. Maybe some fellow burgins also have this question. Sorry in advance if this was already answered somewhere else!

My husband and I are about to buy our plane tickets, and I was wondering when do gates officially open? I am assuming at midnight on monday the 27th? Is this when people are allowed to start lining up for admission? Also, when does the burn shut down? What time of day on the 3rd do most people start filing out? I wanted to get some clarification on this before buying our tickets, as we plan to go a little early to get some shopping done and stay an extra day or two to wind down (we plan on getting a hotel for a night) before heading back to Atlanta.

We can not wait!!! Thanks for your help!

[FIGJAM]

Monday at 12:01 AM!!!

[playla_wook]

Thanks figjam:)

[Elliot]

Monday at 12:01 AM!!!

There is no such time. The gate opens Monday 27 at 00:01.

Official departure day (Exodus) is Monday September 3. But that involves many hours of sitting in line, which is nuts. So I dare mention the open secret that you can stay until Tuesday without any trouble. On Tuesday I always drive straight out.

[theCryptofishist]

Plan to leave Monday and spend the night in Reno, or leave Tuesday and spend that night in Reno. When you leave, especially on Monday, you are subject to too many variables to really be sure of making a flight. Better to have a shower and day of decompression buffer zone than miss a plane because accidents have slowed the line to leave to eight hours long.

[lemur]

too early to say when the gates will open.

dont make too many plans on it !

[Rice]

too early to say when the gates will open.

dont make too many plans on it !

Officially, the gates open on Monday. 1 second after midnight.

The last couple of years there have had soft openings which are earlier on Sunday evening. I would not count on that. (Not saying it won't happen )

Once the terms of the lease have been released, we will know more.

[FIGJAM]

Monday at 12:01 AM!!!

There is no such time. The gate opens Monday 27 at 00:01.

Official departure day (Exodus) is Monday September 3. But that involves many hours of sitting in line, which is nuts. So I dare mention the open secret that you can stay until Tuesday without any trouble. On Tuesday I always drive straight out.

I know, but 00:01 seems to confuse people.

[SnowBlind]

Also, when does the burn shut down? What time of day on the 3rd do most people start filing out?

As the population has grown over the years, the exodus has gotten progressively worse. The road only carries so many people per hour, so if more people try to leave, there is a backup on the playa. Many people try to leave at off times to get out with a shorter wait time. It varies a little each year, it seems to me that if a particular time is very bad one year, people will avoid it next year. Last year it was OK on Sunday and horrible on Monday, so I wouldn't be surprised if more people try to avoid Monday this year. It will still be bad though.

Generally, people start leaving after the Man burn on Saturday night. A good number of people leave on Sunday, even though that means missing the Temple burn. I think there might be an other wave of people that leave right after the temple burn. It then trickles out all through the night, and gets bad in the morning. Most people are gone by Monday evening. Some people stay till Tuesday morning, when you can usually leave without too much traffic.

[gaminwench]

don't miss Temple burn (sunday night)
MOOP Monday, drive tuesday...


best arrival? 6am Monday... playa sunrise (YAY!) and the ability to see where you are...
*don't wake the neighbors*
but DO scope the neighborhood;
park in a likely spot,
get OUT, into the sunrise...
pay homage to the Man, the Temple, the playa...
re-find your spot,
greet your (potential)neighbors...(with BACON, or coffee, or fresh OJ)
and

Welcome Home!!!

[moonrise]

too early to say when the gates will open.

dont make too many plans on it !

Officially, the gates open on Monday. 1 second after midnight.

The last couple of years there have had soft openings which are earlier on Sunday evening. I would not count on that. (Not saying it won't happen )

Once the terms of the lease have been released, we will know more.

I'm hoping someone will spill the beans for a potential soft opening, hint hint....Risky, Rice or a reliable sock will do! <grin>

Also, does anyone know how far the drive is from Fernley wal mart to the gate? I think I will base camp there and then drive in towing my trailer. Luky420, do you know or anyone else? Please do give a shout out...!! Thanks. Moon

[junglesmacks]

I know nothing of these early gate openings! Nothing! If I did I wouldn't be publicly shouting them on the internet, either!

[moonrise]

PM me please, gracias.

[junglesmacks]

[trilobyte]

As mentioned, official gate time is 00:01 on Monday (one minute after midnight). Any early openings are at the discretion of the Bureau of Land Management, and aren't announced in advance. Plan to get to Reno by Sunday, and once there stay tuned to the official twitter feed (and maybe Danger's too, for good measure). As soon as there's something to announce, that's where it would likely be posted.

[ygmir]

:wink:

*stern look*

[theCryptofishist]

No. I wont have twitter enabled devices with me. And I like it like that.

[trilobyte]

I bring my phone along, and then power it off and put it in a plastic bag in Reno. Actually, that's something of a lie. Last year was different, my phone was so smart and had so many fun little photo appy things, I couldn't resist…. So as I passed Reno I put it on airplane mode - that shuts off the wifi and cellular radio which makes the battery last a lot longer. I was still disconnected from the intarwebz, but I got to play with taking a few panoramic and funky-filter pics.

[lemur]

here is some stuff from the Burning Man Dept. of The Interior Bureau of Land Management Nevada 2012 Environmental Assessment

From page 22 of 328.. Proposed Action and Alternatives section 2-1: Alternative 1: 58,000-70,000

The event would last 192 hours (8 days) starting no earlier than 12 PM on the Sunday that falls eight days before Labor Day and ending no later than 11:59 PM on Labor Day. For 2012, the event would commence at 12:01 AM the Monday before Labor Day, and end at 11:59 PM on Labor Day. The Proposed Action would potentially use daytime opening and closing times on a trial basis for the first year to allow for safer ingress and egress to the event for staff and participants by maximizing use of daylight hours.

so yeah! the event would officially 'commence' at 00:01AM on Monday..under this proposed permit alternative

but it looks like theyve left room for it to start no earlier than 12:00NOON PM on Sunday during the day, if this permit alternative is enacted. (one alternative is 'no permit')

They suggest the possibility of a daytime opening and closing.. I imagine that these would not be "Soft Openings" like occured in the past if the intent is to allow for safer ingress and egress by maximizing use of daylight hours... but who knows!

(as for those soft openings.. its not like they are/were a secret..)

The Jack Rabbit Speaks
Volume 15, Issue #2
October 13, 2010

+ THE GATE OPENED EARLY?!

Yep, we opened the Gate at 6pm on Sunday, rather than the traditional midnight. Our intention was to alleviate the pressure on Gate Road, Route 34 and Gerlach by opening the valve and letting our some steam. Our apologies to folks who may have been inconvenienced or unpleasantly surprised by this somehow.

Will this happen again in 2011? We don't know yet. But it's an important issue (we get in trouble with the Nevada Highway Patrol if traffic backs up or stops on Route 34 - the main objective in all cases is keeping that traffic moving steadily) that we need to contend with in order to keep doing our event.

so yeah!! you can plan for 00:01AM Monday but as for the actual time when they start letting people in.. that is still to be determined at a future date.. We will know for sure eventually!

I wouldnt plan on showing up before 00:01AM Monday unless theres something "official" saying to do so...... (edit: unless I had an Early Entry pass! )..... we will for sure get the official word in the coming months.

[Elliot]

12:00NOON PM

The civilian American system of keeping time in 12 hour segments is nuts. The military uses the 24 hour clock. Hospitals use the 24 hour clock. Europe uses the 24 hour clock. Was it something the Revolutionaries did just to spite the English?

[theCryptofishist]

Keep in mind that if you are there too early, you can be sent to wait to D-lot to wait for everybody who got there after you to go in, before they let you go in.

[moonrise]

@lemur, thanks for chewing the fat on this one. Noon Sunday hmmm....

Yea, I can just wait at a buddies ranch up the way a bit. I'm thinking I'll putt through Gerlach sometime Sunday (or maybe wait in wal mart lot in Fernley with the others) and then head out once word spreads gate is open, early or not I got a plan, hang at art car ranch up the road a bit or Fernley wal mart lot & wait for word.

I'd like to go in Early Arrival pass but so far can't swing it. Maybe someyar... I do like staying the extra couple of days...nice to skip Exodust and do some MOOPing.

[lucky420]

HI moonie,
just saw your post. from the Fernley Walmart to Gerlach it is 70 miles and then what 20 (?) to the BRC road. So 90 miles (approx) but that ofcourse does not figure in traffic time. I think I remember leaving my house around 4 am last year and getting to the BRC road at about 6:30 am. So figuring from Fernley it took me 2 hours to reach the BRC road...

[lucky420]

oh and let me know if you hang at the walmart in Fernley. I might be able to meet up with you and we can caravan

[moonrise]

Thanks Lucky420!

[TinkerMom]

Wait!!

I want to hang out at the WallyWorld with you and tailgate pregame, too!!

[lucky420]

We will have the best caravan evehhhhhhhhhhhhh.....

[moonrise]

Sounds do-able Tinkermom and Lucky et al.

We might wanna have some mobile devices with communication lines to the front lines, hmmmm...

[junglesmacks]

Should we all scream about the molly for sale at center camp too? I'll let lemur make a 9 quote deep post about that too complete with pricing and quality info.

[TinkerMom]

Cool beans!
I get Eplaya on my phone. And that's the last place I have it on until I get up the hill some.
As the time gets closer we can PM each other with some digits, so we can find each other.