Timeline of The Event
The statistics below illustrate the growth in attendance of the Burning Man event, as well as other facts and figures. The event has experienced significant growth in popularity, changing from a small handful of people to over 49,500 attending the event in 2008. Burning Man 2006 was covered extensively for television for the first time by subscription television channel Current TV which handed out cameras to participants and broadcast daily updates via satellite from the dry lake. "TV Free Burning Man" also provided TV viewers an hour-long live feed of The Burn and was shown without commercial sponsorship. TV Free returned in 2007 and 2008; the 2007 coverage was nominated for a news Emmy Award.
Regarding the height of the Burning Man itself, it has remained close to 40 feet (12 meters) tall since 1989. Changes in the height and structure of the base account for the differing heights of the overall structures.
| Year | Height from ground to top of Man | Location | Participants | Admission price | Theme | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | 8 ft (2.4 m) | Baker Beach | 20 | Free | None | Larry Harvey & Jerry James build & burn wooden man on Baker Beach on the summer solstice, following a ritual bonfire tradition begun by Mary Grauberger |
| 1987 | 20 ft (6.1 m) | Baker Beach | 80 | Free | None | |
| 1988 | 30 ft (9.1 m) | Baker Beach | 150-200 | Free | None | |
| 1989 | 40 ft (12 m) | Baker Beach | 300+ | Free | None | First listing of Burning Man in the San Francisco Cacophony Society newsletter, "Rough Draft" under "sounds like cacophony." |
| 1990 | 40 ft (12 m) | Baker Beach & Black Rock Desert |
500 / 120 |
Free | None | Figure erected at Baker Beach on Summer Solstice (June 21) but not burned. Man is invited to San Francisco Cacophony Zone Trip #4 on Labor Day weekend in the Black Rock Desert, Nevada. |
| 1991 | 40 ft (12 m) | Black Rock Desert | 250 | None | First year of neon on the man. | |
| 1992 | 40 ft (12 m) | Black Rock Desert | 600 | None | ||
| 1993 | 40 ft (12 m) | Black Rock Desert | 1,000 | None | Theme camps: 1— "Christmas Camp" | |
| 1994 | 40 ft (12 m) | Black Rock Desert | 2,000 | None | First year of wooden spires and lamplighting | |
| 1995 | 40 ft (12 m) | Black Rock Desert | 4,000 | $35 | None | Unofficial theme was "Good and Evil". |
| 1996 | 48 ft (15 m) | Black Rock Desert | 8,000 | $35 | Helco | Theme featuring Dante's Inferno/HELCO (a satire on corporate takeovers). First year the man is elevated on a straw bale pyramid and guns banned in central camp. First fatality in motorcycle collision. 3 people seriously injured in a tent run over by a car. 10 of 16 BLM stipulations violated, putting BM on probationary status for next year. An injury claim drives liability coverage up by a factor of 6. Featured in an article in Wired magazine. Theme camps 130+ |
| 1997 | 50 ft (15 m) | Hualapai Playa | 10,000 | $65 | Fertility: The Living Land | The BM org. forms management structure, the DPW to meet strict permit requirements newly imposed. First year the city has grid streets and driving banned. Washoe County officials impounded gate receipts to ensure payment after the fire and protection fees along with more than 100 new fire and safety conditions are imposed before the event. Registered theme camps: 400+ |
| 1998 | 52 ft (16 m) | Black Rock Desert | 15,000 | $80–$90 | Nebulous Entity | Burning Man returned to the Black Rock Desert although much closer to Gerlach than before. The "Nebulous Entity" was Harvey's satirical concept of alien beings who thrive on information—who consume it but do not understand it. |
| 1999 | 54 ft (16 m) | Black Rock Desert | 23,000 | $65–$130 | Wheel of Time | Listed in the AAA's RV guide under "Great Destinations." Registered theme camps: 320 |
| 2000 | 54 ft (16 m) | Black Rock Desert | 25,400 | $200 | The Body | First active law enforcement activity, 60 Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and police arrests and citations. Most are for minor drug charges following surveillance and searches. Registered theme camps: 460 |
| 2001 | 70 ft (21 m) | Black Rock Desert | 25,659 | $200 | Seven Ages | See Seven Ages of Man. Over 100 BLM citations and 5 arrests. Registered theme camps: 466, placed art: 150 |
| 2002 | 80 ft (24 m) | Black Rock Desert | 28,979 | $135–$200 | The Floating World | First year for FAA approved airport. 135 BLM citations and 4 Sheriff citations. Registered theme camps: 487, placed art: 120 |
| 2003 | 79 ft (24 m) | Black Rock Desert | 30,586 | $145–$225 | Beyond Belief | Dogs are banned for the first time. 177 BLM citations, 9 police citations, 10 arrests and 1 fatality. Registered theme camps: 504, placed art: 261 |
| 2004 | 80 ft (24 m) | Black Rock Desert | 35,664 | The Vault of Heaven | 218 BLM citations, some issued from decoy 'art car'. Camps giving away alcohol subjected to state law compliance examinations and 1 arrest. Pershing County Sheriff's office: 27 cases, 4 arrests, 2 citations. Nevada Highway Patrol: 2 DUI arrests, 217 citations, and 246 warnings were issued. Malcolm in the Middle used burning man in one of their episodes. Registered theme camps: 503, placed art: 220 | |
| 2005 | 72 ft (22 m) | Black Rock Desert | 35,567 | $145–$250 | Psyche: The Conscious, Subconscious & Unconscious | The Man, perched atop a "fun house" maze, can be turned by participants, confusing those at a distance who use it to navigate. Dream related art work. 218 BLM citations, 6 arrests and 1 fatality. Registered theme camps: 485, placed art: 275 |
| 2006 | 72 ft (22 m) | Black Rock Desert | 38,989 | $185–$280 | Hope and Fear: The Future | The Man goes up and down reflecting a hope/fear meter. Voting stations were set up around the playa, allowing residents to cast a Hopeful or Fearful vote for the future of Man. If the vote was hopeful he would burn with his hands in the air- not- hands down. They voted hopeful- and his arms were raised till the end. 155 BLM citations and 1 arrest. Pershing County Sheriff's office: 1 citation and 7 arrests. Nevada Highway Patrol: 234 citations, 17 arrests, and 213 warnings. Placed art: 300 |
| 2007 | 65 ft (20 m) | Black Rock Desert | 47,366 | $195–$280 | The Green Man | The Man set on fire around 2:58 am, August 28, during full Lunar eclipse. A repeat Burning Man prankster, Paul Addis, was arrested and charged with arson, and the Man was rebuilt for regular Saturday burn. Addis pleaded guilty in May 2008 to one felony count of injury to property, was sentenced to up to four years in Nevada state prison, and was ordered to pay $30,000 in restitution. 331 BLM citations. Registered theme camps: 681, placed art: 300 |
| 2008 | 100 ft (30 m) | Black Rock Desert | 49,599 | $210–$295 | American Dream | First year that tickets are not sold at the gate. The size and layout of the city is enlarged to accommodate a larger central playa and a longer Esplanade. Because of excessively high winds and whiteout conditions on Saturday, the burning of the Man was delayed for over an hour and a half and the fire conclave was canceled. Many longtime contributors opted out allegedly due to the chosen theme, jailing of dissenter Addis, and the founders' rift. The perimeter of BRC extended to 9 miles. The BLM made 6 arrests and issued 129 citations. Registered theme camps: 746, placed art: 285 |
| 2009 | 66 ft (20 m) | Black Rock Desert | 43,435 | $210–$360 | Evolution: A Tangled Bank | Tickets sold at the gate once again. As the result of some criticism, the size and layout of the city was returned to roughly the same as the 2007 event. The BLM officials said that as of noon Saturday, 41,059 people were at the festival, and the crowd peaked at 43,435 at noon Friday, a noted decline after years of steady attendance growth, due mainly to the 2008 stock market crash. BLM issued 287 citations and 9 arrests. Registered theme camps: 618, placed art: 215 |
| 2010 | 100 ft (30 m) | Black Rock Desert | 51,454 | $210–$360 | Metropolis: The Life Of Cities | Attendance over 50,000 mark, for first time. The gate opened early, at 6 pm Sunday, for first time. Coincided with the inaugural Black Rock City Film Festival. BLM issued 293 citations and 8 arrests. Registered theme camps: 700, placed art: 275 |
| 2011 | 104 ft (32 m) | Black Rock Desert | 53,963 | $210–$360 | Rites of Passage | According to Black Rock LLC, 27,000 tickets (all discounted tiers) were sold by midday the day following the opening of ticket sales. For the first time in Burning Man history, tickets sold out before the event on July 24, 2011. |
| 2012 | N/A | Black Rock Desert | 52,385 | $240–$420 | Fertility 2.0 | Due to the sellout of the event in 2011, the BMOrg opted for a complex multi-round, random selection system of ticket sales with a separate low income program. On January 27, BMOrg announced that the number of tickets requested in the Main Sale was around 120,000 vs the 40,000 that were available. In consequence a significant number of registrants would not be awarded tickets in the Main Sale. The Main Sale was originally planned to be followed by a secondary open sale of 10,000 tickets. However as the huge demand from the Main Sale left many veteran burners and theme camps without tickets, BMOrg opted for a "directed ticket distribution" instead, i.e. "manually redirect them to some of the vital groups and collaborations that make up Black Rock City" rather than an open sale. |
| 2013 | N/A | Black Rock Desert | ? | TBA | TBA |
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