Low income tickets and early entrance

[BlackPaw]

So I just emailed BMORG to find out if people who are awarded low income tickets will be able to get early entrance passes if needed as well, and they won't! According to the lovely email I got back from the org, "Low Income Tickets do not work with Early Arrival passes. You cannot pick up your Low Income Ticket until the box office opens, the wednesday before the event opens. There are no work arounds for this, and we do not make exceptions." This is bullshit. I asked the org about this because this year a few of my camp mates and i find ourselves in financial situations that require us to apply for low income tickets this year, but we also need to get into the playa early to set up our camp (Miso Horny) and an art installation we're working on. Getting in the Wednesday before the event just isn't enough time to set up our camp and an installation just won't work, we'd wind up continuing setup well into the week of the burn. Our camp was selected for the directed distribution, but those few of us who know how to build our camp and set up the art installation are the ones who can't really afford $380 for tickets. So essentially, this situation is making it hard, if not impossible, to participate for some of us who want to come early and put in extra work to help build our great city, yet can't afford a higher price.

I mostly just wanted to post this so that anybody else applying for low income tickets can be aware of this fact that as things are now, you won't be able to come more than four days early to set up the city if you need to. I also wanted to put this out there because I don't appreciate the attitude of the Org here, where they flatly stated that no exceptions will be made. I think this is really against the spirit of the Burn, since the beauty of our city comes from the innumerable forms of participation by thousands upon thousands of people. I really think that the org should change their stance here and instead of refusing to work with people in this situation from the start, they should work with us all to help us find a way to work around this so that we can contribute to the city too. I know they have a lot to do, but I think that it's up to us to let them know how they could be doing things better. If you agree with me at all then I hope you will join me in talking to them and trying to find a solution to this problem with the org, since I know that my campmates and I will be talking to them about this as much as possible.

Hope to see you at home!

Black Paw @ Miso Horny

[ygmir]

how much extra money would you need to get together, to afford a "regular" price ticket?
How about the others?

[FIGJAM]

Taking care of basics before building art or a theme camp comes first.

Tickets first to see how much is left for "extras" is just common sense and radical self reliance.

"I gotta have a LIT so I can afford to bring all these extras, and early entry."

Needing that ticket so you can spend your money on something else?

Realy?

[9ah]

EA and will call have been like that for the past couple years from what I've heard... I haven't used will call before though.

None of your campmates that are buying DS tix can start your build until the rest of you can get there? I'm not sure what type of installation you are bringing, but you have half a year to get them up to speed on the build unless none of them have the ability to help build your camp/art.

I definitely understand where you are coming from. You also have to keep in mind that there are going to be 60k+ (in total) folks in BRC at the end of August. If they make an exception for one person then everyone else will complain. Some folks may ask for WC to be opened past Noon on Saturday because they can't get in any earlier. Folks will then start asking for the ability to change names at the gate. Over the past couple years it seems that the WC on Wednesday has worked. Many of the build crews that are on the playa before WC have worked out a way to acquire a ticket.

Keep in mind if you and your crew aren't awarded LIT you will still need to find the funds to get a ticket and at that point you won't have to worry about the WC issue, unless you ask for them to held there.

[Eric]

Our camp was selected for the directed distribution, but those few of us who know how to build our camp and set up the art installation are the ones who can't really afford $380 for tickets.

In my opinion, and if I'm reading the highlighted part correctly, you have a much bigger problem than not being able to get early access. It sounds like you're relying on your core build-team all getting LIT, and that probably won't happen. If I remember right (and someone correct me here), I think something like 4 times as many people applied then there were tickets last year, which gives you lousy odds to get your team in.

You have a couple of choices - as mentioned above, you have 7 months to train a team to get the basics started before you get on playa the Weds before Gate (assuming you get a LIT). The other is to pull a fundraiser out before tickets go on sale to make up the difference from what you can afford & they cost. You could also, of course, clean house & sell stuff to try to make the money (something I'm having to do for another reason).

Do not depend on the Low Income Tickets. It's a guaranteed way to end up miserable.

[theCryptofishist]

Sorry, I'm not buying it either...

as for the attitude of the llc... fuck, they go all out to put the party together. I'm no big fan of theirs, but they do a good job. Some of that job includes setting the limits for the rest of us--because if they don't we'd just take until BLM had to use drone strikes to get us off the playa. Adjust your set-up to something that will work with the limitations you have. We all do that, too, whatever the pertinent limitations are.

[BBadger]

So, uh, why don't you just pool your finances to ensure that the core/art people in your camp can afford DD tickets and be eligible for EA passes? Typically, the people who are provided EA passes are those who are important enough for the camp to provide for. For all the other non-essential people, they can take their chances with the LIT program, and/or find tickets later in the year.

The policy is not bullshit. There's an expectation that anyone requiring EA passes for a camp/art project will have their finances together to -- at the very minimum -- pay for the ticket. If that's not the case, there is serious doubt that the person even has the means to fully utilize such a pass. Also, why should a person be considered for the LIT program when, somehow, he/she can pool enough time and money to spend an extra half week in the desert?

[Rice]

seems like you want BM llc to:

[junglesmacks]

Last year's self-entitled, whiny, LIT system abusers were better.

At what.. I'm not sure. But they were.

[trilobyte]

This is not a change from last year (and affects anyone heading to the event with a will call ticket, not just low income). Hopefully you and your campmates will be able to juggle the logistics so that another member of your team who's able to have a physical ticket in hand can help out in the time before you're able to get there.

[Corvus]

I'm a little confused here. I had the impression that early arrival for all of the theme camps and major art installations have always started the Wednesday before the event. DPW and a handful of other people who are actually building the infrastructure are there long before that, of course, but for building "your own thang" -- most of who's there -- it's five days before the official start.

[KestrelSF]

I'm a little confused here. I had the impression that early arrival for all of the theme camps and major art installations have always started the Wednesday before the event. DPW and a handful of other people who are actually building the infrastructure are there long before that, of course, but for building "your own thang" -- most of who's there -- it's five days before the official start.

That is my understanding as well, Corvus. For theme camps, at least, the earliest you can get a pass for is Thursday (it may have changed this year) so Will Call opening on Wednesday before gate isn't an issue. The poster may be getting worked up over a non issue.

[theCryptofishist]

The poster may be getting worked up over a non issue.

First time it ever happened on this board.

[trilobyte]

If a camp or project can demonstrate that they have a good reason, they may be able to get early entry for some team members prior to the box office opening on the Wednesday before the start of the event. However, those participants need to have physical ticket in hand (since the box office doesn't open before then). This is not a change from 2012.

Yes, that means that if you're on a low income ticket, the earliest that you may arrive to Black Rock City is noon on the Wednesday August 21st (the Wednesday before the start of the event). Providing of course that you have an early arrivals pass that clears you for arriving that early. Just like last year. You have a little less than seven months for your campmates/teammates to plan accordingly.