A question for people who have gone to Burning Man, how can it cost so much to participate in a gift economy?

Question

OK, I have not ever been to a Burning Man Festival, though I have looked at the information and thought it sounded cool. However, I have a real hang up about it costing up to $350. If BM is truely trying to create a "gift economy," shouldn't it start at the gate? Is there really that much cost to hold this out in the middle of the desert? If only 10,000 people showed up and each paid only $250 to attend, the event would rake in $2,500,000 and yet the event draws many times that number of people, most of whom pay more than $250. Where does this money go? Rainbow Family Gatherings are another example of a gift economy, yet it costs nothing to attend and all of the food is free. Could people please share their experiences, opinions, and/or knowledge with me about why BM festival is so darned expensive? I have been to lots of gatherings/ festivals that weren't of a gift economy nature that cost a lot less than this supposedly free (once you get in) gathering. Thanks!

Answer 1

There are two answers. Burning man is about GIVING gifts not receiving them. It costs money to give gifts. It not about freeloading on the gifts of others. In other words - it's about keeping you out of burning man. All the "free food" you eat at the rainbow festival cost others a lot of money. In terms of where the money goes - burning man is not the rainbow festival any more than the Taj Majal is a public restroom. Black Rock is a city with medical station, fire department, police and lots of insurance. Further description is virtually impossible. It's a better product and it costs more.
This understanding of a gift economy - others should pay for me - is not what's intended at all by the term. Think of Christmas - that's a day with a gift economy and it's only free if you give no gifts.

Answer 2

I've been wondering the same bloody thing! :-o And not even to mention the fact that you have to somehow get yourself there (cost $ for gas, airfare, whatever), bring all your own food + water (more $).Plus, most of us would still have to have saved the money to still pay our at home bills, and we'd have missed many days from work, therefore $ from our paychecks (-ching!$) . You also have to haul out and dispose of all your trash (cost $ if you're ethical. Lot of residents of the first towns ppl hit coming out of "Black Rock City" have complained that ppl left many bags of trash almost literally at their doorsteps instead of paying at a Dump, leaving the homeowners to foot the bill for the Excess Trash Removal charged by their respective city waste collection agencies.)Looks like an at least $1000 trip to me. Wish I were rich enough to go enjoy a festival that claims to show what a non commercial,"gift society" looks like.

Answer 3

This article touches on the infrastructure of Burning Man and what the people who host it have to deal with every year. Also a lot of the money and projects involved go to help the economy and schools of local communities. You won't ever really understand until you participate.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/09/01/MNQ1RP7VN.DTL