Burning Man Tickets, Explained: STEP, OMG, and the Sale Phases
How Burning Man's ticket system actually works -- the phases, the prices, and when to buy so you don't end up scrambling in July.
·4 min read
This Isn't a Normal Festival On-Sale
Most festivals sell one batch of tickets on one day. Burning Man runs a multi-phase system spread across several months, and each phase has different prices, different odds, and different rules. Missing the timing on any one of them is the single most common way first-timers end up either overpaying or not going at all.
Here's the system as it has run for the last several years -- treat exact 2027 dates as provisional until Burning Man Project announces them (they typically confirm in late winter), but the phase structure itself has been stable.
The Sale Phases
Directed Group Sale (January)
The earliest tickets go to registered theme camps, art projects, and Department of Mutant Vehicles-registered art cars, who get an allocation to distribute to their crew. If you're joining an established camp, this is often how veterans get their tickets -- ask your camp lead early.
Main Sale (February)
The one most people use. A randomized queue system (not first-come-first-served in the traditional sense -- you're assigned a random position in line once the sale opens) sells the bulk of the ticket allocation. Prices are tiered, with a limited number of lower-priced tickets and the rest at the standard price. This sells out, often within hours.
OMG Sale (Roughly April-July, staged releases)
"Oh My God" sales are smaller batches released periodically after the Main Sale, usually as Burning Man Project finds additional allocation. These sell out fast and are announced with short notice via the Burning Man Journal and email list -- if you missed the Main Sale, this is where to watch.
STEP -- Secure Ticket Exchange Program (March through August)
The official resale marketplace. If someone who bought a ticket can't go, they list it here at face value (no markup) rather than reselling on the open market. This is the safest way to get a ticket after the Main Sale if you're not in a camp with a group allocation -- and the only resale channel Burning Man Project actually endorses. Anything bought outside STEP (Craigslist, Facebook groups, random resellers) carries real fraud risk; verified STEP tickets don't.
What It Actually Costs
Beyond the ticket itself, budget for a vehicle pass (required if you're driving in, sold separately and capped in supply -- it can sell out independently of the ticket sale), and remember Black Rock City runs on radical self-reliance: there's no vendor infrastructure to buy food, water, or supplies once you're there. Everything you consume, you bring in and pack out.
The Practical Timeline
- Now through winter: decide if you're going, find or start assembling a camp, watch the Burning Man Journal for the 2027 sale calendar announcement.
- When Main Sale dates are announced: create your Burning Man Project account well in advance -- you need one to enter the ticket queue, and setting it up on sale day costs you time you don't have.
- Main Sale day: be logged in and ready at the announced open time. The random queue means arriving early doesn't guarantee a better spot, but being late guarantees a worse one.
- If you miss it: watch for OMG sale announcements and check STEP regularly starting in spring.
The Mistake First-Timers Make
Buying a ticket and assuming that's the hard part done. It isn't -- radical self-reliance means the real planning (water, shelter, dust prep, getting yourself and your gear 100+ miles into the desert) starts after you have the ticket, not when the event begins. Start that planning the same week you buy the ticket, not the week before you leave.