Every year round this time, greater than 80,000 individuals from all corners of the world make their option to Nevada’s Black Rock Desert to quickly populate Black Rock Metropolis. There, they enthusiastically take part within the eccentric, artwork, music and offbeat desert tenting occasion that’s Burning Man.
This 12 months’s Burning Man occasion formally runs from Aug. 27 to Sept. 4.
Which means proper about now, about 20,000 occasion attendees, often known as “burners,” are making their option to and thru Reno-Tahoe International Airport (RNO), the closest industrial airport to the occasion web site. From RNO, the burners will make the 135-mile trek to the distant desert occasion web site often known as the Black Rock Metropolis playa by bus, automobile, rideshare or constitution airplane.
Because it has prior to now, the RNO airport staff is able to welcome the onslaught of burners with artwork, lovable canines, data and instructions on the best way to get from RNO to the playa. And when Burning Man is over, RNO might be able to welcome burners again to the airport and ship them on their manner house.
For those who’re heading that manner, listed below are some instruments and tidbits about what you will discover on the airport.
Arriving in Reno
Each RNO and the Burning Man occasion web sites have pages devoted to airport logistics and floor transportation. Here’s a hyperlink to the “Welcome Burners” web page on the RNO web site. And that is the hyperlink to the “Preparation Resources” web page on the Burning Man Undertaking occasion web site.
Each pages have details about attending to and from the RNO airport, and transportation choices to the playa. Choices embody rental automobiles, ride-hailing providers and the Burner Express Bus (the station is a couple of four-minute stroll from the terminal). Additionally, Burner Specific Air (an eight-minute drive or an hour stroll from the primary terminal) presents constitution air transportation from RNO out to Black Rock Metropolis Municipal Airport (BRC).
Constitution flights from RNO to BRC take about 45 minutes. They arrive and depart from a big tent adjoining to the Atlantic Aviation constructing that serves because the terminal for Burner Specific Air. In line with the Burning Man Undertaking web site, “Atlantic Air not permits Burning Man passengers into its facility, partly because of the mud tracked in over time.”
Inside RNO, arriving burners might be greeted by the lovable pups from the airport’s remedy canine program, Paws 4 passengers. They will additionally admire the Burning Man-themed artwork exhibition titled “A Dream Made Actual.” There may also be details about the best way to get to Black Rock Metropolis (and the place to get provides) on the Air Playa Information welcome desk within the airport terminal foyer (pre-security) between the ticket corridor and baggage declare.
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Bye-Bye burners
When Burning Man is over, the 20,000 or so dusty, drained and partied-out burners who arrived by airplane will begin making their manner house.
And RNO airport is prepared for that, too.
“Burning Man brings fairly a little bit of playa mud to the airport and our airline companions are prepped with clear plastic luggage to wrap baggage and different checked gadgets to make sure the mud is not being tracked by means of the terminal,” RNO’s Nicolle Staten mentioned.
Many burners convey or purchase bikes to get round on the playa. “And we’ll even have a motorbike corral to take bike donations to assist remove undesirable bikes being left across the metropolis,” she mentioned.
The airport may also have a donation station — Burner Gear Giveback — to maintain undesirable tenting tools out of the trash. There might be a big trash receptacle on the Burner Specific Bus drop-off location to assist decrease trash left behind.
It is plenty of further effort for airport workers, however value it, in line with Staten. Along with serving to 20,000 Burning Man pageant goers have a easy journey, the occasion is useful to the airport’s backside line, she mentioned. In 2022, RNO operators (concessionaires, gaming and rental automobile operators) generated roughly 20% extra income throughout August and September in comparison with annual month-to-month averages, in line with Staten.
For its half, the Burning Man Undertaking web site makes a degree of asking burners heading house to not convey their trash to the airport. It additionally reminds vacationers that there are not any showers or storage services at RNO and that gadgets corresponding to propane, fireworks, nitrous oxide canisters (‘whippits), and knives usually are not allowed in carry-on luggage.
Burners are additionally suggested to “clear up and gown absolutely” earlier than attending to the airport or boarding a airplane as a result of “many individuals are from different walks of life and it’s normal courtesy.”
