Burning Man 2012 Tickets FAQ

[theCryptofishist]

Thank you, paulo.

[gyre]

Interesting info about Glastonbury.

Will call has always required photo IDs here, which usually means a state ID.
How does that compare to the situation there?

[paulo999]

Interesting info about Glastonbury.

Will call has always required photo IDs here, which usually means a state ID.
How does that compare to the situation there?

Will-call tickets are still - in theory at least - printed with your photo. So same scenario... no ID needed, just bring your face.

(Generally speaking, Glastonbury doesn't offer will-call as an option you can choose. It's often ended up with terrible lines and got massive complaints, so they've tried to minimise it in recent years. However there are some circumstances where it's unavoidable. e.g. International visitors where the tickets can't be shipped in time.)

[gyre]

I'm wondering if the fake IDs were comparable?

The state IDs are fairly hard to fake.
So I'm just wondering if that kind of system has the issues Glastonbury ran into?

Since 2005 at least, burning man won't accept alternate ID to pick up tickets.

Sounds like the scalpers were fairly determined.

[Marscrumbs]

Interesting info about Glastonbury.

Will call has always required photo IDs here, which usually means a state ID.
How does that compare to the situation there?

Will-call tickets are still - in theory at least - printed with your photo. So same scenario... no ID needed, just bring your face.

(Generally speaking, Glastonbury doesn't offer will-call as an option you can choose. It's often ended up with terrible lines and got massive complaints, so they've tried to minimise it in recent years. However there are some circumstances where it's unavoidable. e.g. International visitors where the tickets can't be shipped in time.)

How do I stop my identical twin separated from birth from coming in in my place?

[paulo999]

I'm wondering if the fake IDs were comparable?

The state IDs are fairly hard to fake.
So I'm just wondering if that kind of system has the issues Glastonbury ran into?

Since 2005 at least, burning man won't accept alternate ID to pick up tickets.

Sounds like the scalpers were fairly determined.

They only ran the ID system for one year, and perhaps were too lenient in allowing non-photo ID (or at least allowing the scalpers to *think* that's how it would be run. My memory is hazy as to what they ended up requiring). There was also a much more prevelant fake photo ID 'industry' in the UK, that had built up solely for the purpose of under 18s buying alcohol. Fake 'student union' cards and so on. So there was a culture, at least amongst that age group, that fake ID was doable (even if, in reality, the gate wouldn't have accepted it). All it need was the perception it would work for the scalping to continue.

The good thing about photos on tickets is that it's faster than checking ticket + ID, and there's no confusion as to what type of ID is or isn't acceptable. In the UK, the possibilities for ID are quite varied. It also means you can't forget the ID, or need to spend time finding it in ones belongings.

A few people still try to resell tickets now, even with photos on. These are naive amateur opportunists (the professional scalpers are long gone.) who get caught by very swift take-downs that happen on ebay listings. With it being so effective, and the festival now being massively over-subscribed (possibly as many as 250k wanted tickets last year), people are now trying to get over the fence again, and people smuggling is on the rise.

(footnote... Unlike the US, carrying photo-ID is still not a complete normality here. It's not needed for using a credit/debit card for example, there's no requirement to carry your driving license when driving, older licenses didn't have photos anyway, and indeed many younger festival goers wouldn't have a license either - private transport is less necessary / pervasive.)

[paulo999]

How do I stop my identical twin separated from birth from coming in in my place?

[gyre]

Interesting.
I would have expected the other direction in UK.

There used to be tremendous resistance to universal ID here, to the extent it was written into law not long ago.
The ss cards read 'may not be used for identification'.

[Marscrumbs]

Or so I think.

You are not the only one to think that!

Some virgin burners contribute fantastic things to BRC and some veteran burners contribute very little.

It DOES sound patronizing, but it's also very true. A newbie is just not going to bring along a fully functioning, LNT-compliant, interactive, fun, week-long project.

Having rescued an unprepared injuried virgin burner abandoned on the open playa by her euro virgin campmates, it is also a safety issue. I'm not a ranger but wonder if many would agree. Seasoned burners are necessary watchdogs.

[ZaphodBurner]

Having rescued an unprepared injuried virgin burner abandoned on the open playa by her euro virgin campmates, it is also a safety issue. I'm not a ranger but wonder if many would agree. Seasoned burners are necessary watchdogs.

YES! Bullseye. We've been there too. Rescuing virgins (or veterans) is fine but it is indeed a safety issue. Mostly they come out at night, mostly, when the drugs wear off and they're freezing because it was still above 40 degrees out when they left camp to go play, and they don't know where they are. Or, in one case, caught out in a night-time dust storm without goggles or mask, protected only by contact lenses, lost on the deep playa.

Hey, the org just increased the STEP purchase max to two tickets!

[catboosh]

So people only qualify for the STEP program if they were entered in the raffle and did not receive a ticket?


Is there any way for me to find a ticket around face value, possibly through the step program, even without having been registered in the January raffle?


i feel so stressed about this, almost to the point where it may be not be worth it.

if i go this year it will be my first, ive been wanting to go this for the past 5 years and this year is the perfect opporunity because i found a group of close friends who all want to go, and i was reluctant to go alone in the past so i never did.

and now that i have an awesome group of friends which include seasoned burners and virgin ones, and this year just happens to work perfectly with everything in my life,

it turns out that this year becomes the most publicized year of the event

and scarcity on tickets being sold out have has become the new problem

depressingly ironic, but ill keep my chin up

[theCryptofishist]

Craigslist or informal sale through your network. How many of your friends got tickets? If most of them didn't are you still ready to go?

[bradtem]

Interesting new item in the FAQ -- BMOrg is letting you transfer the name on a lottery-won ticket (not a STEP ticket) to a buyer today. It doesn't say whether the buyer gets a confirmation, but I would presume they do. This actually lets people sell confirmed tickets now, rather that waiting for paper delivery, and it allows an early scalping market.

Since this would have been a simple thing for them to not do, I presume their judgement is that the number of scalpers is small, and it's better to give burners sellign tickets within their camps and social networks the ability to transfer today than it is to make life hard for scalpers.

[Neris]

"Interesting new item in the FAQ -- BMOrg is letting you transfer the name on a lottery-won ticket (not a STEP ticket) to a buyer today. It doesn't say whether the buyer gets a confirmation, but I would presume they do. This actually lets people sell confirmed tickets now, rather that waiting for paper delivery, and it allows an early scalping market.."

This is kind of connected to my question - my friend who got 2 tickets for both me and him in the lottery can't go now. He can obviously transfer me the ticket, but we'd like to sell one to a friend who may not be coming in at the same time as me. Also, we're in the UK so no posted tickets, just willcall.
Can we do that? Or will it need to go on STEP?

[trilobyte]

You can submit the request, but those requests are not being processed at this time. It's my belief that piece was updated prematurely, and I've got a request in to either fix it or provide clarification.

[Comrade Bunny]

I understand that you want to stop scalpers, but it really screws me. My sister is planning to get married at the 2013 burn. A bunch of family members are planning to go. Now that is on hold because we won't be able to ensure everyone will be able to come. It's been really distressing for us. Is there any way to ensure everyone can get in or do we just plan to go somewhere else (which would suck as this will be my first burn and we are making a theme camp-it's not my sister's first burn)?

[Eric]

I understand that you want to stop scalpers, but it really screws me. My sister is planning to get married at the 2013 burn. A bunch of family members are planning to go. Now that is on hold because we won't be able to ensure everyone will be able to come.

Tickets for 2013 won't even start selling until January 2013- 10 months from now. There is no way to know how tickets will be done then, but it probably won't be the same as this year (might have similarities, might not, but it won't be the same). We won't even know what system they're going to use until probably November (wild guess). Until the ticket problems we're in the middle of are dealt with and this years event is over, nothing will happen with 2013 tickets.

However- in regards to your question about ensuring everyone will be able to come, the honest answer is "maybe, but quite possibly not". If your sister needs to know before next Feb (tickets will probably, but not definitely, be dealt with by then), she should make alternate plans. The demand for the event has so outstripped the supply of tickets that there is no way that eveyone who wants to go will be able to. It's a hard cold fact of the point that Burning Man has evolved to.

[IPBrian]

I am totally new to the concept of Burning Man...I missed the main sale lottery completely and just started reading the threads about the ticketing situation. I understand I am not eligible for STEP and refuse to pay scalpers. Is there any hope of procuring a ticket for this years burn? Do I have any options? My heart goes out to all the people who have attended for years that still don't have tickets.

[Rice]

I am totally new to the concept of Burning Man...I missed the main sale lottery completely and just started reading the threads about the ticketing situation. I understand I am not eligible for STEP and refuse to pay scalpers. Is there any hope of procuring a ticket for this years burn? Do I have any options? My heart goes out to all the people who have attended for years that still don't have tickets.

IPBrain, Welcome to ePlaya!!!

It sucks to have more people who want to burn than the BLM will allow....

Hope? Why HELL YAH! Hope or despair- It is your choice on how you feel.

Lots of people get tickets and then end up not going for a huge number of reasons. Those tickets typically get passed on to people who are able to go.

It helps to get involved with your local burner community. It looks like there are two official groups in your area: http://regionals.burningman.com/us_mo.html

I love my local group. We are small, but resourceful. I have learned so much, grown - as a result. (Saskatoon, Canada)

Never give up, keep your eyes open and your ear to the ground. And if this year does not quite pan out, think of how much better prepared you can be for next year!!

[tamarakay]

I am totally new to the concept of Burning Man...I missed the main sale lottery completely and just started reading the threads about the ticketing situation. I understand I am not eligible for STEP and refuse to pay scalpers. Is there any hope of procuring a ticket for this years burn? Do I have any options? My heart goes out to all the people who have attended for years that still don't have tickets.

Hello there and welcome to the community! I think the best hope for you is to locate your regionals group and start participating. Get to know people in your area and then as plans start falling through (life happens to all of us) and tickets start shaking loose, you are there.

Good luck! And just cause you aren't sure you are going doesn't mean you can't participate here.

*edited to add Stretch80 beat me to the punch!*

[IPBrian]

Thanks Guys...It gives me a bit of a ray of sunshine!

[Comrade Bunny]

I understand that you want to stop scalpers, but it really screws me. My sister is planning to get married at the 2013 burn. A bunch of family members are planning to go. Now that is on hold because we won't be able to ensure everyone will be able to come.

Tickets for 2013 won't even start selling until January 2013- 10 months from now. There is no way to know how tickets will be done then, but it probably won't be the same as this year (might have similarities, might not, but it won't be the same). We won't even know what system they're going to use until probably November (wild guess). Until the ticket problems we're in the middle of are dealt with and this years event is over, nothing will happen with 2013 tickets.

However- in regards to your question about ensuring everyone will be able to come, the honest answer is "maybe, but quite possibly not". If your sister needs to know before next Feb (tickets will probably, but not definitely, be dealt with by then), she should make alternate plans. The demand for the event has so outstripped the supply of tickets that there is no way that eveyone who wants to go will be able to. It's a hard cold fact of the point that Burning Man has evolved to.

Thanks for the reply. I tend to get easily wound up. I will be hopeful, but realistic.