Much has been made of Burning Man’s transition from mind-expanding retreat to a sandpit for the uber-rich, but a new plan from the Nevada festival’s organisers could see the event get even bigger. Much bigger.
The Reno Gazette Journal reports organisers are preparing a proposal to the Bureau of Land Management, which would see attendance figures swell to 100,000 in the future.
That’s a far sight more than the roughly 68,000 attendees who currently rock up. It’d also put the festival, which touts itself as a temporary self-contained city, among the ranks of actual cities. Hell, that dusty psychedelic playpen would have a comparable population to Launceston.
The powers that be are also hoping to secure a massive 58 square kilometres of the playa before, during, and after Burning Man to hold that mad band of desert wanderers. That’s a full 200 hectares above their current allowance.
It all comes down to two big factors: an environment impact statement, which will determine whether Burning Man’s expansion would significantly fuck up the region through traffic, water usage, pollution and rubbish, and the go-ahead from the nearby municipalities of Gerlach, Reno and Lovelock.
Burning Man organisers are expected to hand down a draft of the statement in a year’s time, and will consult with people who, you know, actually live in the region about their plans to expand.
The final draft is expected some time in February 2019, which is probably just enough time for you to save the $1,800 needed to cop a general admission ticket.
