Jenny Kane

jkane@rgj.com

Hey broke Burners, your dream announcement just came true.

As Burners worldwide are at ethical odds over whether they should secretly drop a desperate $1,000 on a ticket to Burning Man this year on eBay, the cheapest tier of tickets seemingly has gone untapped.

On the arts nonprofit's website Tuesday, the staff had "fantastic news" for its constituents.

"There are lots of $190 low-income tickets left, and we want — nay, need! — more people to apply for them," Burning Man organizers wrote.

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Since 2011, Burning Man has sold out its tickets.

This year, Burning Man sold 30,000 $390 tickets in only 30 minutes in March. They also sold out of the thousands of group sale tickets (reserved for artists and camps), pre-sale tickets at $990 each and da Vinci tickets at $1,200 each. Prices do not include taxes and fees, nor the $80 flat rate of a vehicle pass.

Yet, Burning Man does not have enough applicants yet to sell out the 4,000 low-income tickets. To give out 4,000 low-income tickets, the ticketing department needs to receive at least 8,000 applications. Thus far, the department only has received 6,000.

Applications are a bit of leg work, requiring that Burners write a lengthy personal diatribe about how they will participate and about the dire straits of their finances. They also encourage evidence of your financial situation, including W2s, pay stubs, disability or unemployment benefits statements, student loan statements or mortgage statements.

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There is no eligible income bracket, so - technically - woefully indebted Kanye West could even qualify.

"We look at each person’s situation holistically to evaluate everyone’s needs. We can’t have a strict set of rules about how much a person can make to qualify for this program. We even take into account global economic fluctuations. Case in point: This year we’re putting additional effort into ensuring that Canadian Burners are represented in the program due to the current instability of the Canadian dollar," Burning Man organizers wrote on the Blog.

Things you should know before applying for a low-income ticket:

The program will close as soon as there are enough applicants. Submit your application as soon as possible.

If you have already purchased a ticket to Burning Man 2016 in any sale, you are not eligible to apply for a low-income ticket.

If you are approved for a low-income ticket and purchase a Burning Man 2016 ticket in any later sale, your low-income ticket will be revoked, even if the ticket was purchased for someone else or you let someone else use your credit card.

If a ticket to Burning Man 2016 is transferred into your name, you are no longer eligible to receive a low-income ticket, and your award will be revoked.

Applications are one per person. No couple or group applications. Feel free to reference each other in your applications if you wish.

Applications are one per email address. Applications with duplicate email addresses will not be considered.

You may not submit an application on someone else’s behalf unless the applicant has a disability that prevents them from submitting it themselves.

You must use your legal name on your application. If you are awarded a ticket you will be required to show legal photo ID in order to collect it at the box office of the Burning Man event.

You must provide proof of your income and expenses; applications without documentation will not be considered.

We will not request additional documentation or clarification, please ensure your application is complete prior to submittal.

Low-income tickets are held at the box office for will call pick up, no exceptions.

Low-income tickets cannot be picked up or paid for until the box office opens.

Tickets purchased through the Low Income Ticket Program are completely non-transferable.

If you are accepted to the Low Income Ticket Program you will be given the opportunity to purchase a vehicle pass when you pick up your ticket at the Box Office.

It may take between 10 and 12 weeks to review applications after submission. You will be notified of your application status regardless of if your application is approved or denied.

Another 1,000 tickets also will be made available during the OMG sale in early August. Tickets also are available for sale and purchase via Burning Man's Secure Ticket Exchange Program through mid-July.

For more information about Burning Man's low-income ticket program, visit BurningMan.org.