Cash-strapped Burning Man launches fund-raising campaign with $1.5 million goal

A cash-strapped Burning Man launched a fund-raising campaign on Sept. 17 with the goal of raising $1.5 million by the end of October.

As of Monday morning, the nonprofit that canceled its 2020 arts festival in the Nevada desert due to the COVID-19 pandemic has raised $114,016.

A statement posted on the Burning Man website said the organization has lost more than 90% of its annual budget amid the pandemic, and despite cutting costs dramatically, it could run out of money in December.

"We will not be able to bring back Black Rock City unless we have the support of our community," organizers said.

Burning Man's major source of revenue is the summer festival when a city blooms in the Black Rock Desert with an organized network of streets, a hospital, a post office and even an airport. Some 78,000 people come from across the globe -- arriving in buses, motorhomes, art cars and private jets -- and spend a week romping around in outlandish costumes, building massive art structures, putting on fantastical performances, and zipping across the Playa on bicycles.

Festival-goers pay $475 to attend, plus $140 per vehicle; the cost to operate the event is fully dependent on ticket sales. The organization has made a point of opting out of corporate sponsorship; you won't see company logos at Burning Man events.

Burning Man said the funds raised will be used for everything from retaining critical staff to maintaining infrastructure, especially heavy equipment used to host the festival.

This year, Burning Man hosted a virtual event to replace its week-long festival, but despite the cancellation of the physical event, hundreds of campers and some art cars still showed up at the event site.

"People made the decision to come here during a global pandemic," an event spokesperson told News 4. "So we decided to keep people's camps 200 feet away from one another and to advise wearing masks when meeting others. If people feel safe, then they should make others feel safe."

Burning Man wasn't immediately available for comment on this story.

Amy Graff is a news editor for SFGATE. Email her: agraff@sfgate.com.