You may have heard a rumor that Burning Man tickets are more expensive this year. You may have even heard a rumor that this year’s Burning Man tickets cost as much as $1,200 apiece. Or you may have heard a rumor that Burning Man tickets will remain the exact same price in 2016 that they were in 2015. Technically, all three statements are true — or were true at some point in recent weeks. It’s been a banner year for the Burning Man rumor mill, and even the regular readers of the Burning Man Journal may be confused by ongoing developments with ticket prices and the Nevada Department of Taxation. To quell fears and uncertainty, we reached out to Burning Man’s Communications Team to get the real story on the Burning Man 2016 ticket sales and changes caused by that new Nevada tax law.
Many of you are used to already having secured your Burning Man tickets by this time of year. In 2015, the tickets in the largest public sale, – formerly known as the Individual Sale – were made available on February 18 and quickly sold out. Further sales dates for Burning Man 2016 tickets have been announced, and all of the information you need to know is available on the Burning Man 2016 ticket page . But this year’s sale dates have been set back by a dispute over a new Nevada state tax law being applied to Burning Man this year.
The face value, regular Burning Man a ticket remains $390, the exact same price as in 2015. But the Nevada legislature has enacted a Live Entertainment Tax of 9% on top of that face value ticket price, so that new 9% tax will hike the price of a regular Burning Man ticket by $35. Many feel this new tax is targeted specifically at Burning Man, with the Reno Gazette-Journal even nicknaming it the “Burning Man tax.”
The Live Entertainment Tax
Photo by: Galen Oakes
Burning Man has challenged this new tax. “This is the latest attempt by an outside entity to unfairly tap the resources of Burning Man and its participants,” the Burning Man Journal said in a December 2015 post. “Some seem to view Burning Man as the ‘golden goose’ they can turn to when they want money for other projects.”
But the Nevada Department of Taxation didn’t see it that way, and issued an opinion that the tax should indeed apply to Burning Man. “We disagree with the opinion and we’re looking at all of our options,” Burning Man communications director Jim Graham told Fest300. “We won’t be providing any additional comments or interviews until we’ve had a chance to fully examine the opinion in greater detail.”
This indicates a possibility that the tax will be repealed for Burning Man attendees at some point later this year, and Burning Man is planning for this possibility. “If the tax is found not to apply after ticket sales commence, we will issue a refund for the 9% collected,” the Burning Man Journal said in a February 3 post.
Burning Man 2016 Ticket Dates
Photo by: Galen Oakes
Official dates are indeed set for 2016 ticket sales, and some important dates are coming up soon. The big ones to mark on your calendar are the Main Sale registration dates (Wednesday, March 16 – Friday, March 18) and of course Ticket Day itself, when tickets go on sale Wednesday, March 23 at Noon PST. All start times and cut-off times for these sales and registrations are 12 Noon PST, an important fact to keep in mind if you live outside the Pacific Time Zone.
It’s also important to remember that you need to complete a Burner Profile before registering for or buying tickets.
“Ticket Day” is not your only opportunity to buy a Burning Man ticket. Most notably, the Burning Man Secure Ticket Exchange Program (STEP), an online ticket resale program that allows Burners to buy and sell spare tickets at face value, runs from mid-April to mid-July. STEP also requires a Burner Profile, and buyers and sellers should check the Burning Man ticket page for the deadlines of their respective registrations and sales.
Burners also have the option of the last-minute OMG Sale on August 3, 2016, during which 1,000 tickets will be made available just weeks ahead of Burning Man (OMG Sale registration is also required, running between July 27 and 29). Burning Man also makes 4,000 tickets available through the Low Income Ticket Program . Those tickets cost just $190, but an application is required and you’d better sound pretty impressive if you want that Low Income Ticket. Applications for Low Income Tickets will be accepted beginning March 2, 2016.
Those $1,200 Tickets
Photo by: Galen Oakes
And then there are high income tickets. The rumors and reports of tickets costing $1,200 were a reference to this year’s new Leonardo da Vinci Art Tickets, a patronage arrangement for those who felt they could afford that cost. The sale dates for these higher-cost tickets have already largely passed (though it should be noted that 500 more of these tickets will be available via Burner Profiles after the Main Sale), and this not a new idea. Burning Man has offered higher-cost tickets during their Pre-Sale periods in previous years. The $1,200 ticket is a totally voluntary patronage deal for those who can afford it. And despite being called an “Art Ticket,” these tickets look the exact same as a regular ticket and offer no additional privileges or perks to the holder.
The new taxes being levied on Burning Man tickets will not affect your purchase of vehicle pass, but the cost of a vehicle pass is going up to $80 in 2016. The Black Rock City Census has found evidence to suggest the vehicle pass program has successfully reduced traffic and wait times coming in and out of Black Rock City.
With all of the changes this year, your best bet for keeping up on ticket and tax developments is to subscribe to the Jackrabbit Speaks newsletter to receive email notifications of any and all Burning Man announcements.
Source of the article: Fest300
The post THE ANSWERS TO YOUR PRESSING QUESTIONS ABOUT 2016 BURNING MAN TICKETS appeared first on Twenty Five Hundred.