Maximize your chances of getting tickets
NOTE: This was published last year, 2016. Updated with 2017 dates.
Hey
So, here’s a handy article I came across from last year posted on Burners.me on how to maximize your chances of getting tickets. I’ve taken the liberty of editing it so the dates are current:
How can you maximize your chances to get tickets?
1. Create your Burner profile beforehand.
2. Create a Ticketfly account beforehand.
3. Register for the individual sale – opens Wednesday, March 22 at noon (West Coast USA). Registration is open for 48 hours, ie. closes noon PDT Friday March 24.
4. On Wednesday March 29, the day the sale begins, log in as soon as possible after noon. Getting there before 12:00:00 to be in the queue early didn’t seem to help last year. Use this timezone converter to help you if you're not on the West Coast.
5. Instead of going through the web site, if you were emailed a link, click the link in the email, a few seconds after it turns noon.
6. If the link does not work, or the site crashes, don’t be disheartened. Keep trying. Even if it says “no” or “sold out”, try again a few minutes later.
7. Reboot your computer shortly before noon, and don’t have a whole bunch of other browser windows open – this may help avoid technical issues.
8. You could try using a few different browsers, if you have any technical issues. Safari, Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer – all seem to work fine.
9. Have the right debit or credit card. They accept only VISA and Mastercard, not Amex. They don’t accept PayPal or Bitcoin.
10. Make sure there is enough money in your account, or credit left on your card.
11. Notify your bank in advance of the transaction, in case it triggers a fraud warning (some Burners have reported this problem).
12. Use a US credit card if you have the luxury of choosing. Some Burners reported problems in earlier sales for overseas buyers
13. Don’t listen to Burners giving you advice on the ticketing system based on their past experiences. Ticketing changed 2 years ago to Ticketfly, so the current system is relatively new. What worked in the past, may have little bearing on your chances to get tickets today.
14. This is a strange piece of advice, take with grain of salt but the stats are intriguing enough for us to keep this in: When asked how many times you’ve been to Burning Man, say “0”. Statistically, Virgins are the largest group who get tickets – for the last 3 years, somehow there have consistently been 40% Virgins. Whether this is a pure fluke (3 times in a row and always about the same ratio), or whether the system has been designed that way, the fact is the people who say they have been to Burning Man 0 times are in the group that gets the most tickets every year. Chance favors the Virgin, in this “random” distribution.
Important Ticket Information
Are you planning on coming to Burning Man this year? Even if you are just considering it at the moment, you'll need to register for the sale. Please read on:
IMPORTANT DATES
Wednesday March 16 to March 18: Registration for the ticket sale opens at noon. Quite simply, if you’re not registered you won’t be eligible to enter the sale the following week. And you'll need a Burner Profile. Maybe a few of them... to maximize your chances.
Wednesday March 23: Tickets go on sale @ noon and will sell out very very very very very quickly!
Use this timezone converter for the main sale to make things easy wherever you are in the world.
There are approx 30,000 tickets going on sale about about 300,000 people wanting them (approx!!), so you’ll need to be super organized and ready to go at noon (read below). Also, please remember that it’s not a proper Burning Man ticket sale unless the servers crash, you’re held in a waiting pattern for half an hour, it all feels hopeless etc etc. It’s part of the ‘fun’ of getting there and in our experience everyone who wants to go pretty much always ends up with a ticket.
DON'T FORGET
You will need a Burner Profile. If you don’t have one, make sure you create one. And if you already have one, please make sure you can remember all your login details ahead of time! DO IT NOW!
You will also need a Ticketfly account. Again, make sure you have this set up before the sale date.
Tickets are capped at 2 per person. We encourage you to buy two tickets, even if you only need one, as there will always be someone in our family who may not have been as successful and will be more than happy to purchase one from you at face value. Ditto vehicle passes. You’re allowed one and there never seems to be enough to go around.
And if you’re unsuccessful there are plenty of other opportunities to get tickets:
* from our camp surplus (at face value only, of course)
* from STEP program (April 27)
* from OMG sale (August 3)
More information here:
This is going to be an amazing year...make sure you don't miss out!
Ticket Information
You'll be dancing for joy once you get your tickets. Read here for more information...
Just over 6 months til the Man burns. Just how many months, weeks, days, hours, minutes to go? Check it out here.
So what do you need to know to get yourself ready? First off, you'll need to get yourself a ticket and there are some important dates you'll need to know:
FEBRUARY 25 - MARCH 4. DIRECTED GROUP TICKETS - REGISTRATION
Our camp is invited to participate in this sale which happens ahead of the main sale. We are allocated a limited number of tickets to ensure critical members can attend. Once we have been told by BMOrg how many tickets we are allocated, we will be sending out an email to all past camp members to find out who is planning on camping with us again this year. Then we draw up a list of members who will be in this first sale and send this to BMOrg, who in turn will send you a unique code for when the sale commences. You must have a Burning Man profile set up in order to participate.
MARCH 9 @ NOON. DIRECTED GROUP TICKETS - SALE
This year BMOrg are saying they are confident they will have enough tickets to cover all invitees, however given that they are still opening up the ticket sales at a specific time, we should be vigilant and make sure that if you are an invitee, that you are by your laptop the minute they go on sale. You will likely need a Ticketfly account set up ahead of time. And you'll need this very handy timezone calculator to ensure you don't miss out! Please make sure you buy a car camping pass...we always run out and they're easy to sell on (at face value only please) closer to the time.
MARCH 16-18. MAIN TICKET SALE - REGISTRATION
If you didn't get tickets in the Directed Group Ticket sale, then this is your next opportunity. Please make sure you register beforehand though! VERY IMPORTANT. And yes, you'll need a Burning Man profile set up if you haven't already.
MARCH 23 @ NOON MAIN TICKET SALE - ON SALE
Every year this is a shit fight. Servers always crash, laptops freeze, tensions run high, disappointments run low. And every year, somehow, everyone who wants a ticket always gets one! Admittedly there have been times when it's been just one or two days before the event, but there are ALWAYS enough tickets...and you should NEVER have to pay more than face value for it either.
Also, if you're looking to buy just one ticket, may we request you buy two please? This way we can pass on (at face value) to another camp member who may not have been so blessed in the sale. Please buy a car camping pass (see above).
Lastly, here's the always useful timezone calculator to make sure you're on time.
There are other dates to keep track of too such as Low Income Ticket sales, STEP sales (where you can buy/sell your tickets on the open marketplace - face value only), and the OMG sale. You'll find all that information here.