Like the cities of old, Black Rock City is secured by a perimeter fence, and participants enter through a gate. You must have a ticket to enter Black Rock City. The Gate opens in early August for pre-event traffic (only people with early entry passes are allowed in prior to the first day of the event), then opens for all participants at 12:01 am on the Sunday prior to the Man Burn, and is open 24 hours a day throughout the event.

What To Expect At The Gate

Here’s a summary of the process:

1. On your way to Burning Man, please drive safely and be considerate while passing through local towns. Speeding, parking on highway shoulders, and unsafe driving are safety hazards and could threaten the future of the event. We are guests in their community, so be extra courteous and obey the law.
2. Plan your arrival so that you show up at the Gate after opening. We cannot allow people who show up early to wait in town (see #1 above).
3. During peak traffic periods we will be controlling traffic with highway flaggers along Hwy 447 before the Gerlach gas station. Past experience has shown that long lines at the gas station have caused unsafe conditions. Watch for signs and flaggers on the road; they are fellow Burning Man volunteers helping to make your arrival safer! Please fill up in Fernley/Wadsworth (or other areas) and help reduce the traffic backup in Gerlach.
4. As you approach the Burning Man entrance from the highway, tune your radio to 95.1 FM for Gate Advisory Radio Station! We will be broadcasting up to date info about the entry process. Not sure why there is a backup or how to get to will call? Tune in!
5. Drive no more than 5-10mph on Gate Road! We have volunteers working out there and the dust can make it hard for you to see them. Speeding also causes ruts in the road, and that’s a bummer for your suspension.
6. We place signs along your approach to the Gate. They have helpful information, please read them.
7. Stay in your vehicle. We cannot emphasize that enough. Don’t wander along the road looking for will call or exploring the desert. If you need to go to will call, your entire vehicle should go with you. Don’t risk losing your friends.
8. About 1/4 mile before you reach the Gate you will come to a set of small kiosks we call the “Apex”. During busy times there will be Gate staff here to direct you. There is an empty zone just after the Apex that will allow vehicles in any lane to turn into the Will Call lot.
9. Upon reaching the Gate your tickets will be torn and your car searched. Plan ahead for the search and know what items are prohibited.
10. After completing the Gate process we will send you down the road to the Greeters, who will give you a map, answer your questions, and give you a hug if you’re lucky.

In-and-Out Passes

In-and-out passes are available at the gate (per person). You must have your pass, and your ticket stub, to return to the event.

What happens if you show up at the Gate with no ticket?

There will be no tickets sold at the event. In light of that, it’s more important than ever that our community knows and understands Burning Man’s Gate policy. Here’s what you need to know:

• There are no tickets for sale at the Gate. You will be turned away and not allowed entry if you show up without a ticket.
• If you are giving someone a ride to Burning Man, including ride shares and hitchhikers, please be sure they have a ticket or you may end up driving back to Reno to drop them off. Leaving them at the Gate or in Gerlach is not an option. Washoe County Sheriff will be watching out for people loitering in or around Gerlach.
• Harboring stowaways or assisting people sneaking in is as bad as sneaking in yourself. Any vehicle with stowaways or assisting people sneaking in will have the whole vehicle refused entry with no refund of tickets.
• Anyone caught trying to sneak in to the event or causing a disruption at the Gate or Box Office is subject to citation, fine, and arrest by the BLM.

Finally, we expect long lines coming into the event and going out during Exodus, so arriving or leaving at non-peak times — and exercising patience — is advised.

Volunteer For The Gate

To find out more about volunteering for the gate, click here.

Are you great at trivia? Consider yourself an ‘Infomaniac’? Come be a know-it-all at Playa Info, and get all the insider info on all things Black Rock City under our shade in the city center at Esplanade and 5:45! At Playa Info, we handle all sorts of critical stuff that helps make our home in the desert run smoothly, and help educate and advance the principles and culture of the Burning Man project. 

Playa Info is a great place to meet Burners from all over the world. We are Black Rock City’s only official Lost & Found service and Locksmith/Tow operation. Our amazing digital directory helps people find camps and events, burners find other burners, riders find ride-shares, and people find lost stuff. On our bulletin boards you’ll find event lists including The Rockstar Librarian Music Guide, the WhatWhereWhen Guide, and more! 

We have gigs for all kinds of folks – whether you’re uber-experienced and want to answer questions and provide information/directions as one of our famous Oracles or do the same thing on-the-move as a Playa Info Ambassador, or have fewer years of BRC time under your belt and want to wrangle lines (or something in between)! If your plans involve coming early or staying late, we always need extra hands for build and especially for strike/restoration. We have a place for you at Playa Info.

Playa Info is open daily during the event from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and also some evening hours mid-week. Shifts with Playa Info are 5 hours long and feature breaks and snacks and shade and most importantly, a great vibe in the center of the action! 

We’d love to have you join our team, please fill out a volunteer information form and select Playa Info as your area of interest. NOTE: you’ll need to create–and be signed into–a Burner Profile in order to proceed.

If you need more information, send an email to playainfo@burningman.org 

Volunteers are what make BRC great – hop aboard the train…we can’t wait to meet you!

What’s more precious than gold in the desert? Ice, of course!

Arctica and the Ice Caps are the only source for ice in Black Rock City. Arctica and the Ice Caps have what it takes to keep your food, beverages, and heads cool during the long hot desert days, as well as putting an icy tinkle in your evening cocktails. Expanded to the 3 o’clock portal (Ice Cubed) and 9 o’clock portal (Ice-9) and our original spot in Center Camp, we offer ice to Burning Man participants from 9am to 6pm Monday through Sunday of the event, and from 9am until Noon on Labor Day.

Pre-event, ice is available at two locations. Center Camp Arctica: Thursday through Sunday from noon to 6 pm. Ice 9 (9:00 & G): Saturday and Sunday pre-event from noon to 6 pm.

If you’re up for staying cool during the day, while working toward a good cause, check out Arctica’s volunteering opportunities.

Media Mecca is Black Rock City’s press room. At the Mecca, members of the media can find out what’s going on, recharge batteries and file stories. We can point you in the direction of participants from your region, connect you with artists and take you on a tour of the major art installations. We will not baby you, coddle you, suggest story ideas or drive you around on a golf cart.

Media Mecca, conveniently located next to the ARTery at Esplanade & 6:30, is open daily from 10 a.m. (ish) to 5 p.m (ish).

When you arrive, tell the greeters you’re looking for Media Mecca. We’re conveniently located next to the ARTery at Esplanade & 6:30. We’ll get your oriented, give you a cold beverage (if you’re nice to us) and provide a place to hang out when the temperature tops 100 degrees.

Please note: If you are a member of the press, you must visit the Press & Media section and register in advance of the event. Reporters, photographers and video crews who do not connect with us prior to the event will be taken into the desert, staked to the ground and left to fry in the sun.

If you are interested in wearing the coveted silver cowboy hat for the Media Team, check out our volunteer page.

GREETERS HAVE MORE FUN!

The greeters are the face of the event and form a newcomer’s first impression of Black Rock City. Their mission is to orient and educate arriving citizens while spreading wit, whimsy and infectious enthusiasm to carloads of people.

Greeters explain the “Don’t let it hit the ground!” principle, clarify the concept of Community, and answer all questions in offbeat yet helpful (or endearingly hostile) ways. Enlightening new and returning participants alike is a vital role.

If you are interested in volunteering to be a greeter, click here to find out what we need.

Welcome to the Heart of Black Rock City — a bustling crossroads where creativity, connection, and curiosity collide. Entirely reimagined through the spirit of participatory urban renewal, the Center Camp neighborhood is more than a landmark — it’s a living, breathing world of worlds. While the Temple invites release, and The Man calls for transformation, The Heart asks: What will you nourish, cherish, and carry with you?

Wander down the pathways that lead into Center Camp Plaza, and you’ll find a dynamic convergence of theme camps, interactivity, and mythic mischief. At its core stands The Canopy: the largest tensile shade structure on Earth — a circular acre of possibility where something extraordinary is always happening.

Under The Canopy, you’ll encounter a kaleidoscope of experiences, from morning meditations and afternoon adventures to guest performances, curious corners, late-night shenanigans, rejuvenating refreshments, and everything in between. It’s a hub of expression, experimentation, and wonder — and the perfect place to begin (or completely reroute) your Black Rock City journey.

Contribute Your Magic!

The Canopy is a grand stage and intimate playground rolled into one. It’s home to marching bands and mystics, poets and pranksters, tea connoisseurs and tap dancers. From spontaneous pop-ups to curated performance slots, there’s space for you to bring your flavor to the fair.

Want to contribute a performance, installation, immersive game, or pop-up gifting experience? 

Start Here — Fill Out the Collaboration Interest Form

Whether you’re sharing your gifts for a crowd or designing a side-quest for two, The Canopy welcomes creators of every stripe. Previous offerings have included:

• Jazz bands, DJs, and world music ensembles
• Flow arts, dance, and theatrical experiences
• Comedy, storytelling, and improv
• Altars, installations, curiosity cabinets, and dream spaces
• Scavenger hunts, riddles, and live-action lore
• Crafternoon workshops, healing salons, and midnight tea parties

The Canopy stage features scheduled performances by day and themed dance parties by night. Want to bring your crew? Want to host a takeover of the entire canopy space? We’re here to help you plug in. In the spirit of participation, performance art that blurs the boundary between performer and audience is prioritized. Interactivity is sexy! 

Submit Your Offering – Fill Out the Collaboration Interest Form

BRING YOUR ART!

The Center Camp Plaza and The Canopy are rich ground for visual artists. Whether you’re a painter, sculptor, collage artist, digital dreamer, or creator of something uncategorizable, we invite you to share your vision here.

The Canopy includes a curated gallery for hangable art and offers partially sheltered space for installation pieces — perfect for projects that benefit from a little reprieve from the elements and a whole lot of foot traffic.

Submit Your Art Project here

Please read the submission guidelines carefully. Only complete and eligible submissions can be considered. We can’t wait to see what you bring to life!

Let us build the Heart of the City together — a shared space of infinite stories, intersecting paths, and the unexpected beauty of collective creation.

Volunteer with the Canopy Crew! 

Calling All Volunteers, Contributors & Artists

The Heart of the City comes alive through the efforts of a wildly creative crew — artists, instigators, builders, performers, and collaborators who infuse the space with soul and spark. 

Whether you’re wielding a paintbrush, a microphone, a drill, or a dream — there’s a place for you here.

Volunteer Now – Fill out the Volunteer Questionnaire via your Burner Profile

What Are the Teams That Create The Canopy?

SWIFT (Shenanigans Wrangling & Instigation Facilitation Team)

SWIFT is the dream team that helps wild ideas become real. They’re the ones who say “yes, and…” to participants’ weird and wonderful activations, helping facilitate all the surprise-and-delight moments that bloom under The Canopy.

Decor

If you build it, they will play. Join the crew of hands-on visionaries who turn the Canopy into a realm of whimsy, wonder, and delight. Carpenters, sewers, sculptors, painters, designers — this is your call to co-create an environment where anything feels possible. Most of the magic happens during Build Week and winds down post-event — Leave No Trace, and leave a legacy.

Stage Crew

Help the show go on! From lighting and sound to MC-ing and stage managing, this crew keeps the vibes high and the flow smooth. Bring your backstage know-how or your love of performance to support an ever-shifting lineup of musical acts, comedic chaos, and genre-bending storytelling.

Guardians

Our Guardians are the night owls and early risers who keep The Canopy safe, soulful, and sound. During Build, Strike, and throughout the wee hours, Guardians roam the space with presence and care, embodying the ethos of watchfulness without control.

First-year volunteers do not receive tickets, but those who dive in and shine often discover deeper pathways into future participation.

Join the Adventure – Fill out the Volunteer Questionnaire via your Burner Profile

Questions? Feel free to reach out to us at CenterCamp@BurningMan.Org

The Black Rock Rangers are the core infrastructure for the community during the event. Their strength comes from the diversity of backgrounds and experiences; they are communicators, medics, firefighters and concerned citizens. Rangers are the mediators of public safety and providers of information.

The Black Rock Rangers were founded by Danger Ranger in 1992, and are modeled after the Texas Rangers. The key to the organization’s success is that the Rangers are not the “other” guys: they are the participants, and work throughout the city and its perimeters to ensure the collective survival of the community. They respond to the ever-changing environment, and address situations within our community that would otherwise require outside intervention. By encouraging and facilitating communication, the Rangers promote awareness of potential hazards, from sunstroke to tent fires to bad weather.

For more information on this unique organization, visit rangers.burningman.com or email rangers@burningman.com.

To learn more about what sorts of skills and requirements are needed to volunteer as a ranger, visit the Volunteer page.