If you arrive before 12:01 am Sunday, August 25, DO NOT park on the side of the road waiting for the Gate to open. Your best option is to proceed down Gate Road where you will be directed to the Staging Lot. This will give you an opportunity to rest, stretch your legs, retrieve tickets from the Box Office, ponder the vagaries of life and meet your neighbors. You will not be penalized for arriving early. (You also don’t get in any earlier).

If you are in the Staging Lot, stay sober — you will need to drive again before you arrive in Black Rock City. Law enforcement patrols Gate Road and they enforce the same traffic laws as they do on the paved streets.

The speed limit on Gate Road is 10 mph. Speeding can cause downstream effects for you and others such as: traffic stops, citations, deep ruts in the playa, and excess dust on the road and in the city. Do not stop on the gravel entrance to the playa.

Use all open lanes! Please spread out to help preserve the playa surface.  

All lanes have the ability to go to Box Office or go directly to the Gate. While approaching the Gate area, do not change lanes in the turn unless instructed to do so by Gate staff. 

Driving on damp lanes helps compact the surface and preserves the playa surface. The only time you should NOT drive on wet lanes is if the playa is sticking to your tires.  

If you need to exit the city during the event (before the main road opens for Exodus), the exit lane is located to the right of the Greeters. Look for the signs. Staying close to the flagline will help preserve the playa conditions. 

Tune in to BMIR at 94.5 FM or GARS 95.1 FM for current travel times and other event info.

Ok, you made it to the Gate… now what?

Be prepared. Make sure you have everything you need to get into BRC — especially ticket and vehicle pass — accessible and ready. 

Tickets are not sold at the Gate. If you arrive at the Gate without a ticket and you do not have a ticket held for you at the Box Office, you will be told to leave or risk citation from the BLM. You must have a ticket in hand or at the Box Office before leaving the paved highway and entering Gate Road. If you arrive at the Gate and anyone in your vehicle needs to go to the Box Office to pick up a ticket, your entire vehicle, including everyone traveling with you, will be directed accordingly. Once everyone in your vehicle has a ticket, you may all proceed through the Gate together.

All vehicles, except motorcycles, require a Vehicle Pass. These need to be purchased ahead of time and displayed in your windshield before you arrive at the Gate. Go to the Ticketing website for more information. 

Stay in your vehicle. If you arrive at the Gate and anyone in your vehicle needs to go to the Box Office to pick up a ticket, your entire vehicle, including everyone traveling with you, will be directed accordingly. All lanes will get you access to the Box Office parking lot where you can retrieve your ticket. Once everyone in your vehicle has a ticket, you may all proceed through the Gate together. 

For everyone’s safety, please do not drive faster than 5 mph while inside the main Gate areas.

Gate staff are required to search every vehicle entering the city for items that could cause harm to our city or its citizens. You and everyone in your vehicle may be denied entry if you bring any of the following:

  • Stowaways
  • Explosives, aerial flares, rockets and fireworks
  • Firearms of any kind including BB guns, air rifles and paintball guns
  • Hand-held lasers (all other lasers must be registered)
  • Items that cause MOOP — wood chips, loose feathers, tubs of confetti, etc.
  • Anything that will break up and/or blow away in the wind
  • Unregistered Mutant Vehicles
  • Unregistered drones
  • Plants, living or dead
  • ATVs and scooters
  • Motorcycles that are not a participant’s transportation to BRC
  • Animals

Please be patient with hardworking Gate and Box Office staff, they are Burners like you. If the weather gets bad, they may have to hold traffic periodically or even close the Gate until it’s safe to drive again. Be prepared with at least 12 hours of food, water, patience, and any other supplies to care for you and those in your vehicle.

After Gate, the lovely Greeters will be thrilled to welcome you to BRC. They will give you and each person in your vehicle a printed city map and other information, including where to dispose of your trash and gray water post-event.

Complete arrival information can be found here. Want to learn everything about the Gate in a concise, entertaining, shareable format? Watch this video. Still have questions? Check out the FAQ.

In & out fee

Traffic in and out of BRC is strongly discouraged. It has impacts on traffic, as well as our sustainability goals and the playa itself. (It also adds to Gate wait time!) Practice being radically self-reliant by bringing everything you need for the entirety of your time in the desert. Participants who leave and return are required to pay a fee.