Burning Man kicked off this weekend in the Nevada Desert, with hundreds of planes descending on the makeshift airport built for the occasion. The festival has become a popular destination for the ultrarich of Silicon Valley, with 88NV, also known as Black Rock City Municipal Airport, handling the influx of aircraft flying in for the event. The temporary airfield is run by volunteers and professional air traffic controllers to ensure the safe landing and takeoff of hundreds of flights during the festival.
During peak days, the airport handles about 500 takeoffs and landings per day, including charter flights, personal aircraft, and free scenic flights for Burning Man participants. Data from FlightAware shows that 88NV has already handled over 230 arrivals since the airport opened for the season, with more planes expected to arrive throughout the festival. Burner Air Express, Burning Man’s shuttle service, connects cities in California and Nevada to the temporary airport, offering roundtrip tickets starting at over $1,500 depending on the departure city.
Burning Man originally started as a small gathering of friends in San Francisco before moving to the desert in 1991. By the mid-1990s, it began attracting attention from the tech elite, including Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page, and Jeff Bezos. The Black Rock City airport was officially recognized in 2008, as the festival gained popularity among both anticapitalist hippies and the technorati. Famous CEOs like Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Ray Dalio have all attended the event, with Musk expressing the sentiment that “if you haven’t been, you just don’t get it.”
The Burning Man experience for the ultrawealthy goes beyond just arriving in private planes. Rich attendees often splurge on extravagant outfits, ride around in lavish art cars, and stay in luxury camps with amenities like electricity and air conditioning. Instead of traditional tents and simple meals, they opt for luxurious accommodations and private chefs in the middle of the desert. While this level of opulence may not align with some of Burning Man’s core principles, it certainly offers a more comfortable and extravagant experience for those willing to pay the price.
Despite the influx of private planes and wealthy attendees, Burning Man’s 10 principles, which include decommodification, leaving no trace, and radical self-reliance, remain at the heart of the event. The celebration of art, community, and self-expression continues to draw people from all walks of life, creating a unique and eclectic environment in the Nevada Desert. As the festival grows in popularity and attracts a diverse range of participants, the spirit of Burning Man remains rooted in creativity, inclusion, and the shared experience of temporary community.
