Photo Credit: popten.net
The organizers of Burning Man have asked the BLM to up their permit to allow for 20k more Burners. The request comes on the heels of the first ever sell-out for the internationally known festival, which previously had been known as a festival that was “open to all”.
With this years sell-out that’s not the case anymore. With a current cap set at 50k people, this proposed increase by 2016 would push the population of Black Rock City, the home created by Burning Man in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert, to 70k.
Will Roger is one of the board of directors that helps run the event. He spoke about wanting to grow the event recently, but doing so at a slow pace.“For everyone concerned, slow growth is better than big growth. We’re looking for something in the 5 to 6 percent range. That would be ideal for everyone.”
Burning Man, which just opened its doors a few hours ago, gives the BLM a reported 1.2 million dollars in permits each year. That figure accounts for about 3% of ticket sales for the event. In total, it cost somewhere in the vicinity of 5.5 million dollars to make Burning Man happen last year, with “the Man” costing a reported $156,000.
The BLM has been involved in giving Burning Man permits since 1992, which has continued every year since with the exception of 1997. In 1997 the festival took place on private land near the Black Rock Desert, but not on the same area where the BLM has jurisdiction. Since the BLM has been a partner in Burning Man, ever year has seen more and more people come to the event. In 1992 it was 600. Last year was about 51k.
The Burning Man organizers hope that the new BLM permit would allow the attendance to increase to 55,000 people for next year, with a 6% increase every year through 2016. The cap would be set at 70,000.
“We’re hoping to have a decision for the next five-year permit signed by the spring of 2012,” the outdoor recreation planner for the BLM in Nevada, Cory Roegner said.