Commerce & concessions

The sale of products and services by participants is strictly prohibited. The sale of handmade items and food is not allowed. There is no participant vending. Bring what you need. Tend to your own survival. This is not a consumer event.

Logos & branding

Black Rock City is a decommodified zone where branding is not welcome. Advertising? Hell no. Launching a product? Not in Black Rock City. Burning Man is not a place to promote your business, website, or product. Got a van from work with logos? Cover it up. Got a rental truck or RV? Alter the logos. Taking pictures of a product on playa to promote it online? Not okay.

Decommodification & social media

As a citizen of Black Rock City, you help create a decommodified zone for one week a year. The playa is free from advertising and transactional relationships, not beholden to corporate influence. It’s one of the most important ways the Burning Man experience is different from other events, and that the event is different from the other 51 weeks of the year. We all play a part in keeping our city unique.

This continues when we’re off the playa too! Recently we’ve seen an increase in people posting photos from BRC on Instagram, tagging the brands they’re wearing or promoting products they brought with them. A lot of people use art pieces as scenery for their photo shoots. The playa and its art are not a backdrop for your business! The names “Burning Man,” “Black Rock City,” and any imagery from the event may not be used to promote a product, service, or brand. That means furry coats and sparkly boots, hats and headdresses, necklaces and glasses. It also means that BRC art pieces may not be used on commercial websites or in conjunction with marketing campaigns.

Using Burning Man for marketing purposes is not just a violation of Burning Man’s Principles, but also of our ticket terms and conditions (to which everyone agrees when they go to Black Rock City), and federal regulations. More importantly, it’s offensive to the thousands of participants who built this city and the art, and who did not give permission for you to use their work to grow your following or promote your product. It is our collective responsibility to educate and prepare Burners about this important and unique aspect of our culture. Please help us by acculturating your campmates about Decommodification. If you encounter examples of commodification on playa, you’re encouraged to have a conversation with the person and/or notify a Black Rock Ranger or come by Media Mecca in Center Camp. If you see examples off-playa (on social media, etc.), please report them to ip@burningman.org.