Ticketfly Inks
Burning Man Deal

The social ticketing platform has signed on to provide ticketing services and related technology to festival organizers Black Rock City LLC.

The agreement isn’t the first time Burning Man and members of the Ticketfly team have joined forces.

Ticketfly co-founder Andrew Dreskin was part of a group that first brought Burning Man’s ticketing online in the late ’90s through TicketWeb, and he noted that reuniting with the fest holds a special meaning for Ticketfly.

“Ticketfly is home to numerous Burners, including folks who worked on Burning Man’s ticketing in the early days and others who have been part of the on-site team over the past few years,” Dreskin said. “Working with Burning Man comes with great responsibility. Anyone who has been to Burning Man knows that the culture and all it represents must be respected and protected. We are 100 percent committed to being good stewards of the event and all that it stands for.

“Building the software that powers Burning Man’s ticketing and its other technology functions is a monumental task. In just months, Ticketfly is building technology that addresses the unique needs of the event and lays the foundation for future innovation. I can’t promise we will be perfect. However, I can tell you that we will work our asses off to ensure Burning Man has the best technology in the world and the tools it needs to scale into the future.”

Burning Man faced a ticketing disaster in 2012 when organizers attempted to streamline sales by moving to a lottery system.

The move backfired, leaving about 75 percent of core “Burners,” who create the fest’s infrastructure through their theme camps and massive installations, sans tickets because of alleged scalpers and an over-abundance of newbies.

The fest returned to a first-come, first-served system in 2013.

Registration for the first opportunity to purchase tickets to this year’s event Aug. 25 through Sept. 1 begins Jan. 16.

Complete ticket information can be found at tickets.burningman.com.