Improving How You Get Home: Traffic Management On and Off Playa

The journey to the playa often begins many months before you physically leave home. Buying tickets, planning your travel, building your art (whatever that may be), and then finally getting on the road. In 2025, that last bit was tougher than usual, as the weather threw everything it could at us for multiple days in a row. If you were among those impacted, we’re sorry it was so hard.

All those already on playa or in the city felt it too, including Gate, Perimeter, and Exodus (GPE) — the team responsible for getting you safely into the city. So, looking forward to 2026, we’re working hard, reviewing what went wrong, learning lessons, and updating plans and protocols to make entry into Black Rock City smoother for all.

Here’s How:

We’ve convened a dedicated team to take a thorough look at how we move the community in and out of Black Rock City — especially when weather forces closure. This group brings together GPE veterans, external transportation engineers, large-scale event logistics experts, and informed community members. Together, we’re conducting a full review of staffing, layout, operations, communications, and coordination across Burning Man Project departments.

What We’re Working On:

• Four-Hour Travel Time: We’re aiming for a maximum ingress travel time — from the gravel to the Gate — of four hours whenever possible, with safer vehicle management on Gate Road during delays.
• Volunteer Recruitment: We’re bolstering our team rosters and shift design to ensure we have the people we need when we need them.
• Real-Time Information: We’re improving traffic data collection so we can give you accurate, timely guidance — whether you’re heading in or heading home.
• Faster Response: We’re updating contingency protocols to staff up, reroute, and adapt more quickly when weather or emergencies hit.
• Regional Coordination: In partnership with Government Affairs, we’re reviewing plans with local agencies and event leadership to better manage traffic in surrounding towns and reduce the impact on our neighbors.

A Note on Preparation — and Participation

To everyone who came prepared and arrived in good spirits in 2025 — thank you. You embodied the self-reliance and communal care that Burning Man is built on, and it made a real difference to the people around you.

Having all your tickets and passes IN YOUR HANDS is the best way to help Gate move quickly. Even an extra 30 seconds per car can add many hours to the processing time. YAY for having all the things ready to go!

And if you’d like to be part of the solution more directly, join the team! GPE volunteers have the privilege of being the first face our Burner family sees when they arrive at the best place on Earth. GPE is a volunteer-powered machine (75%, in fact!), and needs helpful, eager, and awesome humans to make the wheels turn. There is a stellar crew ready to welcome you in, teach you the ropes, and there is a killer social hub where you can celebrate after your shifts. It’s a hoot, we promise!

Sign up for YOUR Gate Experience Here

Thank You to Our Gate Crews

To every volunteer and staff member who worked at Gate in 2025 — thank you. You held the line through some of the most difficult conditions GPE has ever faced, and your dedication to the community did not go unnoticed. We’re committed to ensuring you have better tools, better plans, and better support in 2026.
We’ll have more to share this summer. Until then, take care, and happy planning.

Louder, Charlie!
BRC Event Director

Cover photo: Axis