Burning Man festival is infamous for its wild desert antics – but only one thing can be sold for the entire week.
The sex-mad shindig is not for the faint-hearted. And that’s because for nine days in the US desert, attendees will be essentially ‘roughing it’. With an aspiration for radical inclusion and leaving no trace, attendees share everything and buy nothing.
It turns out that you can only purchase one thing at the scorching location in Black Rock Desert, close to Nevada, and it might come as a surprise.
READ MORE: Burning Man hosts ‘virgin sacrifice parties’ and ‘revenge of horny alien scientists’
You’d think that would be bottled water, right? Well, not quite. The only item that you can buy at the festival is ice.
Venturing to be anti-capitalist, Burning Man is free of corporate sponsorship, and encourages community over everything else. But why is ice the anomaly?
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
A regular Burning Man volunteer spoke to SF Gate to solve the frosty mystery.
Sasha Sommer explained: “It feels like a basic human necessity in order to survive when it’s that hot. It’s something that you couldn’t make otherwise.”
All ice is sold from the customer-dubbed “Ice Dome” each day outside of Black Rock City are ‘Arctica’ tents, staffed by volunteers.
The ice is reportedly sold in huge 10-pound blocks for $7 (£5.30), or crushed in 16-pounds bags for $12 (£9.14). Burning Man attendees, nicknamed ‘Burners’, don’t have another option for ice, as any brought into the festival won’t survive more than a day in the sweltering climate.
Some burners have complained about the price of the necessity, especially in comparison to previous years.
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Burning Man regular, Karl Handelsman, added: “I brought 20 kegs of homemade beer and homemade kegs of spicy ginger lime vodka, and this is the only way to cool it. So there’s no way I could serve that gift to everyone without the ice.”
According to the Burning Man website,festival-goers need to bring all supplies for the “harsh environment.”
It reads: “You need to bring ALL supplies, food, water and tools you will need for survival in a harsh environment. No food or sundry items are sold anywhere in Black Rock City.
“If you forget something vital, your best bet is to make friends with your neighbours.”
The Burning Man website maintains that any proceeds from ice sales go to local charities and community groups.
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