Burning Man is only a few weeks away and for the first time since 2011, tickets are still available.
In fact, one local business in Reno is selling them in person, The Melting Pot World Emporium.
Since tickets became available this past weekend the owner says they have sold about 20 of them. He believes the reasoning behind slow tickets sale this season might have something to do with how the previous festival went.
You may remember us reporting the heavy rain that occurred last year. This caused the playa to be completely covered in mud and the Bureau of Land Management having to shut down the entrance of the festival due to flooding, trapping visitors in and others out for days. And now ticket outlets such as The Melting Pot is saying people this year are taking a break.
"Well last year the flooding was surely trying on people and that may have led some people to take a year off,"Â said Eric Baron, owner of the Melting Pot.
This is the first time in 13 years The Melting Pot is selling Burning Man tickets.
Even though tickets are selling at a slower rate, Baron says he's super excited to be involved in the ticket outlet again. It makes him feel nostalgic and he says it's a good way to end the final months of his business.
"We don't have an official date yet. Sometime in Fall," he said. "To be honest it's really hinged on selling the building, and so when there's movement there, we'll make further announcements about when the store will actually be closing."
The Melting Pot has been open for 28 years selling a wide range of items for festivals, holidays, and other special occasions.
They have also served as a ticket outlet for not only Burning Man but also Bruka Theatre, Fresh Bakin' Productions, and countless fundraisers and shows.
And although business has never been the same since the major road construction in midtown followed by the pandemic, Baron says he's still proud of the important role they played in the community.
"It's been fun to be so knitted into the community and that's what's really driven us is being a source for the community to expand and to be a cultural hub with diversity, and it's been very gratifying for us," he said.
Just because the store is closing doesn't mean you can no longer buy products from them.
Baron says you can continue to shop through their website and a few times throughout the year they will be opening pop-up shops so people can still easily access them around festival times.
