27 April to 3 May
Stay tuned for ticket information
Art: Conduit II, Time To, Scratch, Twisted Davinci, Triple Bypass, Fossil Clan, Sudara, Palm to Soul, Loki, Benchmark
Photos: Richard Ahlstrom, Kim Steinberg, Jonx Pillemer, Reza Assar
Art (from Left to Right): Scratch by Nathan Victor Honey, The Soft Mother by Neil Car, Ubuhlanti Stage by Thulani Headman, LuminEssence by Carmel Ives
When we ‘sell’ tickets, we try to do it consciously, not to the highest or lowest bidder, but to the person who’s going to take part in the event properly and not sit back and be a bystander. AfrikaBurn tickets are limited (to about 10,000 people), so if you want to come and burn with us next year, you’ll need to mak ‘n plan now, and jump through several flaming hoops to do so.
As we are a community and an event, held in a remote location, we ask everyone to give us a bit more information than their credit card numbers when applying for AfrikaBurn tickets. We want to know how we can make your AfrikaBurn super-awesome, and we also need to know if you have any allergies, etc., just in case you have an unexpected visit to our medic tents.
Taking the time to apply properly and give us proper information makes a huge difference when our team is trying to find you in the suburbs of Tankwa Town because your cat has just had kittens. It also ensures that you know what you’re getting into well before you hit the R355 and drive all the way to the Tankwa Karoo without any sunscreen.
Getting a ticket to AfrikaBurn involves six clear stages:
A Burner Bio is a basic user account that allows you to access creative projects, ticket registrations and (in the future!) much more. Initially, it just requires your name, contact information, and the necessary permissions so we can communicate with you electronically. Everyone who comes to AfrikaBurn will need to create one of these accounts.
Our new Burner Bio is super-secure and built with multiple layers of protection for your precious information, including data encryption at rest and in transit, robust access controls, and features like clickjack protection. However, your Burner Bio information is only as secure as the password or sign-in method that you use. We encourage you not to use PASSWORD123 or AFRIKABURNisAWESOME and to come up with something a bit more secure when creating your Burner Bio account.
Once you have a verified Burner Bio, you’ll then be able to access the application process for tickets to AfrikaBurn, which is a teeny bit more involved than creating your initial Burner Bio account. This is where we’ll ask you for a bit more information about yourself, who your crew is and who to contact when you decide you don’t want to go home because you had such a rad time. Not all of the information we ask for at this stage is compulsory, but all of it is very, very useful.
After filling in the information and uploading a selfie (optional), you’ll be taken through a few questions to make sure you know what participating in AfrikaBurn really entails. Please pay attention! All AfrikaBurn tickets are non-refundable, privacy is non-optional, and proper preparation is advisable.
You’ll then be offered a few options of tickets to choose from. You’ll most likely be offered a choice of one of the following:
6200 Tickets @ R3099 (€150ish or U$180ish)
This ticket is priced at the amount it costs to build Tankwa Town and have you participate in the AfrikaBurn experiment.
6200 Tickets @ R3099 (€150ish or U$180ish)
This ticket is priced at the amount it costs to build Tankwa Town and have you participate in the AfrikaBurn experiment.
6200 Tickets @ R3099 (€150ish or U$180ish)
This ticket is priced at the amount it costs to build Tankwa Town and have you participate in the AfrikaBurn experiment.
You may be asking why we have three different ticket types when they’re all exactly the same underneath? Well … ever since a ragtag bunch of people got together and started AfrikaBurn, we’ve always wanted to do more than just host a week in the desert. In recent years, we’ve done some really cool shit outside of the event, hosting Hammerschools, RISEs, Streetopias and all sorts. The donation that is made with the more expensive (yet identical) ticket goes a really long way to supporting these initiatives. Have a read of this, or this and then make a call on whether you want to donate or not.
Looking at this year’s Burning Man tickets, the majority of them were sold at $750. Twenty years ago, they were $200 … Everyone who’s been to the Gerlach Regional says that AfrikaBurn is a bit like Burning Man twenty years ago, and our 2026 tickets are still cheaper than a Burning Man ticket was in 2006!
Click the tabs below to see all the different ticket types
This ticket is priced at the amount it costs to build Tankwa Town and have you participate in the AfrikaBurn event.
Tankwa Town Tickets are sold online on a first come first served basis, with a maximum of two tickets per purchaser.
Last year, General Sales (Tankwa Town) Tickets sold out within about 15 minutes. We also expect AfrikaBurn 2025 tickets to sell out very quickly. If you are determined to attend AfrikaBurn in 2025, please consider buying the Blue Sky or New Horizons Ticket option ahead of the Tankwa Town Ticket Sale.
New Horizon Tickets are the second batch of AfrikaBurn event tickets to go on sale and also includes a donation. The donation to Afrika Burns Creative Projects (the Non-Profit Organisation) helps to support our year-round programme of arts, social development initiatives, and new projects that are designed to facilitate the growth of our community.
While this ticket also comes with a huge ‘Thank-you’ from our community, it’s important to note that this ticket type does not come with private bathrooms or any additional benefits to you as a ticket holder.
Blue Sky Tickets are the first limited batch of AfrikaBurn event tickets to go on sale and include a sizeable donation to Afrika Burns Creative Projects (the Non-Profit Organisation), which helps to facilitate the community who actualise all the amazing creative projects you see at AfrikaBurn, as well as subsidising tickets to promote radical inclusion for all who want to attend.
While this ticket comes with a huge ‘Thank-you’ from our community, it’s important to note that this ticket type does not come with VIP passes or any additional benefits to you as a ticket holder.
These tickets are designed to make our event accessible to those who can’t afford the full ticket price but can afford a reduced-price ticket subsidised by the community.
Applicant categories include students, single parents, individuals on a low income, and others who could only participate with some assistance. If you match that description, you can motivate for a Subsidised Ticket.
PLEASE NOTE: These tickets cannot be transferred or sold, as they’re awarded based on each applicant’s circumstances. These tickets are refundable.
All applicants will be informed of their outcome by 2 December 2024. Should the application be unsuccessful, the applicant will still have a chance to buy a ticket in the General Sales. Successful applicants have until 24 February 2025 to purchase their Subsidised Ticket. Failure to purchase it by then will result in the applicant losing access to that ticket.
Got all of that?
*** These tickets are only available to people living in, or nationals of, African countries. ***
Anathi* tickets are only available to people living in, or nationals of, African countries. Anathi Tickets are offered to recognise the disparity within South Africa and acknowledge that many economically marginalised individuals don’t have the means to partake in AfrikaBurn. If this rings true for you, someone in your crew, or someone you know, it could be their inroad to participation.
Coupled with an opportunity to apply for an Access Grant (for your welfare and transport), Anathi Tickets are means-tested and require submission of a bank statement, payslip or affidavit for each person applying. Because they’re allocated to individuals on a case-by-case basis, you cannot transfer or resell them if you are awarded an Anathi Ticket.
Applicants must apply individually unless they are applying for a Creative Grant
If you are a new AfrikaBurn participant (virgin burner), you can also request to volunteer in the Chillaz Camp – which also offers basic camping resources on loan – spaces are limited.
Please read all about Anathi Tickets and how to apply by clicking here.
If you have any questions ahead of applying, please email: illumanathi@afrikaburn.com
*’Anathi’ means ‘they are with us’ in isiXhosa.
Minor Tickets are full-priced tickets available to young adults between the ages of 14 and 17 and work the same as adult tickets. The difference is that these tickets can only be bought by parents/guardians over the age of 28. The Minor Ticket types will only become available once a regular Ticket has been purchased.
PLEASE NOTE: all tickets scanned at the gate will alert the Box Office crew that the person being scanned in is either a child or a minor. The Guardian of that child/minor will need to identify themselves to the Box Office Crew so that they can verify that the Guardian is 28 years or older.
Minors will also get a unique coloured wristband that clearly identifies them as being under 18 years old.
Minors travelling with a guardian younger than 28 years old will not be allowed access to the event. Guardians (28 years and older) can only bring a maximum of 4 minors and children to the Burn. This is to ensure that there is enough adult supervision of minors onsite.
To buy a Minor ticket to AfrikaBurn, you must fill out our Parent/Legal Guardian Indemnity Form and upload it to your purchase upon checkout. The Minor and Kids Tickets will only become available once you have selected your adult ticket.
Kids Tickets are for people up to (and including) the age of 13. To obtain a Kids Ticket to AfrikaBurn, you must fill out the Parent/Legal Guardian Indemnity Form and upload it to your purchase upon checkout. Kids Tickets only become available online once a regular adult ticket has been purchased; Kids Tickets are also available at the gate providing all the information is presented by a suitable guardian. Parents/guardians must be over the age of 28 and can each bring a maximum of 4 children and minors to ensure enough adult supervision at the event.
PLEASE NOTE: all tickets scanned at the gate will alert the Box Office crew that the person being checked in is either a Child or a Minor. The Guardian of that child/minor will need to identify themselves to the Box Office Crew so that they can verify that the Guardian is 28 years or older. Minors travelling with a guardian younger than 28 will not be allowed access to the event.
For those members of our community who are 70 years plus chronologically, but much younger at heart.
Contributor DDTs are available on a very limited basis to contributors who register a creative project for AfrikaBurn 2025. Creative leads have the option to request DDTs, which they can then allocate to the crew helping them with their project.
Contributor DDTs ensure that all the community members who build and create the incredible artworks, mutants and theme camps you see at AfrikaBurn have access to a ticket and don’t have to skuffle for a ticket in the general sale.
These tickets are limited and access to them expires before the Tankwa Town ticket sale. Please make sure that you purchase your DDT before the deadline.
The E-Toll (Environment Toll) is designed to encourage ride-sharing and reduce the number of cars on our event site and the R355 (the tyre-eating and treacherous road to AfrikaBurn). In previous years, it was called a ‘Vehicle Pass’ until scammers started uploading them as tickets to everyone’s least favourite ticketing site, Viagogo.
One E-Toll is required per motorised vehicle entering the event. Mutant Vehicles (on trailers), caravans (that are being towed) and trailers do not need to pay E-Tolls – but motorcycles & motorhomes do.
If you are part of a collective with a registered creative project, you can request a limited number of free E-Tolls to distribute amongst your collective. Please inform your crew before they purchase an E-Toll, as (much like SANRAL) AfrikaBurn will not refund E-Tolls bought erroneously.
AfrikaBurn is a Burning Man regional event, and our guiding principles are based on the Ten Principles of Burning Man, to which we added an 11th in 2011 – Each One Teach One – that encourages knowledge sharing.
These principles aren’t commandments, and they’re not rules – they’re ideals that offer guidelines for how we as a community can reinvent the world and ourselves. We re-invented the principle of ‘Radical Inclusion’ to be more representative in South Africa.
Burning Man co-founder Larry Harvey wrote the Ten Principles as guidelines for the newly-formed Regional Network in 2004. They were crafted not as a dictate of how people should be and act but as a reflection of the community’s ethos and culture as it had organically developed since the event’s inception.
The Man in the Hat – a tribute to Larry by the AfrikaBurn Art Committee
In 1986, someone named Larry Harvey and his mate Jerry James set fire to a wooden figure on a beach in San Francisco … and many years later, here we are in South Africa with AfrikaBurn, one of the largest regional Burning Man events outside of the USA.
AfrikaBurn takes place at Quaggafontein in the Tankwa Karoo, in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. The event is a blank canvas on which participants project any creative endeavour they desire to create, ranging from large-scale burning sculptures to small performances and any kind of service that participants see fit to give or ‘gift’ to the community. The spectacular result is the manifestation of a weeklong interdisciplinary cultural event that includes art, costume, performance, Theme Camps, music, Mutant Vehicles, and so much more.
AfrikaBurn is a chance to ‘invent the world anew’ and gift its participants a space for creative expression, play and to be radically inclusive and accessible. The touchstone of value in our culture will always be immediacy: experience before theory, moral relationships before politics, survival before services, roles before jobs, ritual before symbolism, work before vested interest, and participant support before sponsorship
Art: The Soft Mother by Neil Car
In previous years, ticket touts and scammers have taken advantage of people desparately looking for tickets. We discovered a number of scammers had been buying Vehicle Passes and selling them online as e-tickets via dodgy resale sites like Viagogo and GameDay etc. It was heartbreaking for us to tell people that their tickets were not valid for entry to the event.
After the tickets to AfrikaBurn have sold out, there are also A LOT of people who post online that they suddenly can’t attend AfrikaBurn and have tickets to sell. Most of these people turn out to be scammers because all our resales happen on Quicket, not Facebook.
Please think and look carefully before buying your tickets to AfrikaBurn. Please don’t buy or resell AfrikaBurn tickets on any platform other than the official Quicket one, where the transaction is secure, the original barcode is cancelled, and a new barcode is generated to ensure that no two people can check in with the same ticket. Some very professional scammers are out there trying to steal your hard-earned money.
NB: If someone selling a ticket on Facebook refuses to use the private resale function on Quicket, you can be 100% sure it’s a scam.
The private resale function on Quicket will be available once tickets go on sale. The public resale function on Quicket will only be available once the General Sale has closed or the event has sold out. For more information on how the resale function works – please click here.
Due to the hard work and year-round costs it takes to make AfrikaBurn happen, AfrikaBurn has always had a ‘no refund’ policy on tickets. This year, that policy remains the same, even in the event of a cancellation due to a Government imposed Monkeypox lockdown or any other reason.
We acknowledge that the ticket price constitutes only part of the total costs of attending AfrikaBurn. As such, please consider taking out personal insurance suited to your needs. Suitable insurance is particularly important for those travelling from overseas to attend AfrikaBurn.
It is your prerogative to obtain your own insurance coverage to protect yourself if you are unable to attend AfrikaBurn.
We do not recommend and therefore do not offer an opt-in insurance policy at the point of sale.
Click the above to be taken to the fundraiser page to help find Robert.
We aim to ensure that AfrikaBurn is fully accessible to anyone who wants to attend. As an outdoor event in a desert environment, some areas at Quaggafontein are harder to access, especially in challenging weather – but we will do our utmost to help all participants access as much of AfrikaBurn as possible.
Please contact illumanathi@afrikaburn.com to discuss the accessibility options once you have confirmed your ticket.
Buying a ticket is as simple as clicking the large ‘buy tickets now’ button at the top of the page when the ticket sales open.
You can purchase up to two tickets; however, it will make life easier if you insert the second person’s details at the point of purchase and not later on. Please be prepared with the details of the second ticket holder, as you will need to insert these before concluding your purchase.
The details you’ll need on hand during your ticket purchase are:
Name & surname, email address, mobile number, ID/passport number, emergency contact details of someone not at AfrikaBurn, and the name of any camp or creative project they may be affiliated to. We also ask questions like where you are from and where you currently live. This year we are including medical questions, asking for details about chronic medication, pre-existing medical conditions, allergies, and your medical aid/medical insurance details.
PLEASE NOTE: the ID/passport number you enter on Quicket must match the ID/passport number you present at the Gate. No exceptions.
You will also be expected to run through some short acculturation questions before being able to purchase your tickets to make sure you know you’re not going to a music festival.
As AfrikaBurn tickets can sell out quite quickly, we encourage you to gather all the information you need and register with Quicket well before the ticket sales open.
Although we previously required a Burner Bio profile to purchase a ticket or attend the event, due to reduced capacity and resources, Burner Bios are not compulsory to purchase AfrikaBurn event tickets.
You will need to register an account with Quicket to be able to purchase a ticket to AfrikaBurn.
If you find that the details on your ticket do not match the information on the ticket holder’s ID/passport, or your circumstances have changed (e.g. your partner is no longer coming to the Burn, but your daughter is), then you can edit the details on the ticket.
Please note: You have ONE CHANCE to edit the details on this ticket, so make sure you insert the correct information, as you can’t go back and change it again.
> Log into Quicket, and click on your username (at upper right)
> Locate and click on ‘My Tickets’
> Find your AfrikaBurn ticket
> Alongside Options, click ‘Edit Details’
> Change the details of the ticket, and click ‘Save’
Please ensure that the information on the ticket matches the details of the person presenting that ticket at the event Gate.
Transferring a ticket can happen any time until the last day the gates to the Burn are open. The transfer function should only be used if you transfer the tickets into somebody’s name who you know and trust. Here’s how:
> Log into Quicket, and click ‘My Tickets’ under your username in the upper right-hand corner.
> Find your AfrikaBurn ticket
> Alongside ‘Options’, click ‘Transfer Tickets’
> Use the option to transfer the ticket to a new recipient
Once you transfer your ticket to the new owner, the barcode will be cancelled, and a new barcode will be issued to the new recipient. Please ensure you enter the correct email address (both times) as the transfer cannot be reversed.
If you’re purchasing a ticket from a friend, let them know to transfer the ticket to you, as above.
The exchange of money needs to happen privately. If you are concerned about the safe transfer of funds, please instead use the Private Resale function on Quicket. This will ensure the exchange of money is secure.
Quicket has enabled a resale system to support our community in selling or buying tickets outside of the main sales. Their system is tied directly into the usual event page, and the system works with the original barcoded ticket being resold, cancelling the original barcode and generating a new barcode for the ticket’s new recipient. That way, no two people can check in with the same ticket, limiting any nasty surprises at the event gate.
If you want to resell your ticket, please check out this help document.
Private resales will open when the first batch of tickets goes on sale, and public resales will open after the General Sale sells out. Has the event sold out, and you are looking for a resale ticket? Head over to the AfrikaBurn event page on Quicket and click on the tickets section to find what’s available for resale.
With the limited number of tickets available for the event, AfrikaBurn limits the number of tickets you can purchase to two per purchaser. This ensures that everyone has an equal opportunity to access a ticket and that as many people register, answer the acculturation questions and provide accurate details (as they will be used in the AfrikaBurn Joint Operations Centre in case of an emergency).
Making group bookings or booking advance tickets for AfrikaBurn is impossible. General Sales Tickets are limited to 2 per person. This also applies to large groups coming from outside South Africa.
It’s important to note that no companies or individuals can promote or sell package tours to the event or set up & run camps for others. AfrikaBurn is unlike commercial events, where a catered or packaged experience is often available.
AfrikaBurn is informed by a set of 11 Principles, including concepts like Participation, Radical Self-Reliance and Decommodification. This means that everyone who comes to the event is expected to buy their own tickets, erect their own camps and contribute in some way. It’s not a space where ‘somebody else’ does the work: the community creates the event. In line with that, no paid labour is permitted on-site at the event to set up camps, clean, cook, etc.
For info on how our event works, and also as a way to understand how camping works or to know how the many other aspects of AfrikaBurn are different, take a look at our Quaggapedia
To find a safe midpoint between a large event and a safe environment for our community, we limit the number of people who can attend AfrikaBurn.
It is also vital that AfrikaBurn grows the event gradually to maintain the ethos and culture of the event and ensure healthy ratios of first-timers and long-standing contributors so that there’s more opportunity for the Each One Teach One principle to flourish.
To make an event of this size happen, there are many costs to cover – many of which are ‘invisible’ in the sense of not being immediately apparent. Among these are the cost of site upkeep and development, insurance, emergency services including an air ambulance, art funding, security, printed programs, Survival Guides, toilet construction (and rental), signage, transport, street lighting, Access Grants, equipment hire & purchase, site office, tents and many, many more – too many to list here. For a helpful price comparison, consider that camping at a national park costs around R300 per person per night, for which you get toilets and a piece of ground to pitch your tent.
The E-Toll is designed to encourage ride-sharing and reduce the number of cars on our event site, and the R355 – the tyre-eating and treacherous road to AfrikaBurn. One E-Toll is required per motorised vehicle entering the event. Mutant Vehicles (on trailers), caravans being pulled by a vehicle, and trailers do not need an E-Toll – but motorcycles & motorhomes do.
If you are part of a collective with a registered creative project, you can request a limited number of free E-Tolls to distribute amongst your collective. If you are the creative lead on a project, please inform your crew of these free E-Tolls, as AfrikaBurn cannot refund E-Tolls bought erroneously.
If you get this error message while purchasing a Direct Distribution Ticket, it could be because the purchase process was interrupted. If this is the problem, wait 15 minutes and try again – this is in place to prevent fraud.
If you still don’t come right, please call Quicket at 021 424 9308, and they will happily help you.
The gate crew will check your photo ID against your ticket details in the system. ID/passport or driver’s licences will be accepted, so please ensure that your ID/passport number is correct on the ticket of every person travelling with you.
The vehicle you are travelling in will need an E-Toll too. These will be available to purchase online (or at the gate) until the event gates close.
For the Best Gate Experience™ – come prepared! Print your ticket out, or make sure your smart device has enough battery! Gate can be pretty unforgiving, especially when there are hundreds of other, better-prepared folk clamouring to get in. Again, make sure the details on your ID/passport match the details on your ticket. If they don’t, please check the edit details & transfer ticket information above.
If you intend to redeem a Kids Ticket at the gate, please print out the Parent/Legal Guardian form and bring it with you.
Tickets for children are unlimited and are available to children 13 yrs and younger. These tickets can only be redeemed by parents/guardians over the age of 28 (who can only bring a maximum of 4 minors and kids each to the Burn). This is to ensure that there is enough adult supervision onsite.
If you’re planning to bring your children to the event, please think very seriously about it – taking kids to what is essentially an adult playground is a very serious responsibility.
When redeeming your kids ticket, you must fill in and sign the Parents/Legal Guardian form.
Please note: Kids 14-17 need to buy a Minor Ticket.
Subsidised Tickets are designed to make our event accessible to those who can’t afford the full ticket price but can afford a reduced-price ticket, subsidised by the community. Generally, this includes students, single parents, folk on a low income, and others who can’t afford to attend on their own steam but should be able to participate.
If you match that description, you can submit a motivation for a Subsidised Ticket.
We would love everyone to have an opportunity to participate in AfrikaBurn.
Applications for Anathi tickets and grants open 2 October. More information on this process can be found under ‘Anathi Tickets’ in the Tickets section of the homepage.
Suppose you are unable to purchase your AfrikaBurn ticket online … in that case, at the time of the ticket sale for the ticket you want to buy, you can head on over to the AfrikaBurn HQ – 8 Junction Road, Salt River, Cape Town, and our ticketing team at the office will be able to assist you with the purchase process.
Please note that these tickets form part of the online sales pot, so when/if the tickets sell out online, there will no longer be tickets available at the AfrikaBurn HQ either.
You can pay for these tickets using cash, card, or Snapscan.
If you are struggling with 3D secure and your payment fails, you’ll be returned to the checkout page.
For South Africans: To avoid issues, from here, select the ‘Bank Transfer’ payment option, and click the ‘Complete Purchase’ button at the bottom of the page. Your ticket/s will be booked for 72 hours, and alternative payment instructions will be sent to you.
For Internationals: We would suggest trying the payment again, and if you continue to have trouble paying by card, it might be best to contact your bank to ensure everything is fine on their side and that no fraud detection process has kicked in. Just let them know you’re having trouble getting through the 3D Secure authorisation system for an online transaction and that you’re trying to make an online transaction in South African Rands on a South African website.
Either you need to wait for the next round of sales to happen (if there is one), or you need to take advantage of the Quicket resale program. The Last Chance sale takes place on 28 February 2025, with a very limited number of tickets available.
We do not recommend you purchase a ticket privately from someone you don’t know and trust. Scalping has become a problem for events worldwide, and the number of people who arrived at the AfrikaBurn 2024 gate with fake tickets was heartbreaking.
If you find someone (you don’t know or trust) selling their ticket privately, request that they load their ticket onto the Quicket resale platform as a private resale and complete the exchange and transaction from there. They are likely trying to scam you if they are not keen on this option. Alternatively, check the public resale by heading over to the event page on Quicket to see if any tickets have been put up for resale. Check back daily if you aren’t successful the first time – trust us, it works.
Please do not buy tickets off Viagogo or Gameday and the like. They are always a scam. Trust us on this one!
No. Everyone that comes to AfrikaBurn makes AfrikaBurn happen – no one gets a freebie (except children and pensioners).
Afraid not – all participants, including accredited media representatives, must buy a ticket. Check the media page on the AfrikaBurn website for more information.
You’ll need the following details:
> Name & surname
> ID/passport number (NB: this ID/passport number must match the ID/passport number presented at the Gate)
> Email address
> Mobile phone number
> Your home address.
> On and off-site emergency contact details
> Tankwa Town address (if known)
> Medical information: chronic medicine, pre-existing medical conditions, allergies and medical aid number/medical insurance number.
Unfortunately, we don’t offer refunds on tickets. However, we can give you a quick and easy way to resell your tickets using the resale system on Quicket. Their resale system enables you to put your tickets back up for sale to people looking for them.
If you have changed your mind, please put your tickets up for resale on Quicket as soon as possible – if you leave it too late your tickets might not be resold in time!
Check here for more details, and contact Quicket if you are having any issues with re-sales
As a city built on the contributions and efforts of a wide range of creative collectives, it’s crucial that longstanding (and new) contributors are acknowledged and stand a fair chance of being able to access tickets – and this is why we have the Direct Distribution Tickets (DDTs) in place.
It’s also vital that we have a solid foundation of veteran burners in Tankwa Town to meet, greet and acculturate eager new participants, ensuring that they not only survive the elements but also fully participate in the AfrikaBurn culture.
All participants who have registered a creative project or volunteered repeatedly and consistently for many years at any AfrikaBurn event can request some DDTs for their project – and also members of Collectives who are registering and contributing a new project.
It’s up to the project lead/main contact person to distribute DDTs to members of their collective via the Quicket DDT portal. The responsibility then shifts to the individual to complete their info timeously and to buy their ticket/s once they have received their unique access code.
NOTE: the term ‘project’ means anything from a humble one-person, portable creative project to a massive, 50-crew-member project. It includes all artwork, Theme Camp, Mutant Vehicle and performance projects, and deep volunteering.
Are you DJing a set or dressing up in a lavish costume? Sorry, that doesn’t qualify as a project (though building a stage, performing, or creating a costume camp would).
Yes. DDTs allocated to a collective that are not purchased by the deadline are automatically released into General Sales Ticket rounds.
Suppose you qualify for an individual Direct Distribution Ticket (because you are part of a creative project/or are a deeply involved volunteer). In that case, you’ll be sent an email from Quicket with info on how you redeem your ticket.
Suppose you’re a project lead of a registered creative project and have requested a number of tickets for your collective. In that case, you get an email from Quicket with instructions on distributing the tickets allocated to your crew. Please be aware that the onus is on you to ensure that you allocate those tickets to your crew with enough time for them to buy them before they expire.
Our teams want to encourage as many people as possible to create & contribute to projects, so the chances are that if you register a project, you’ll get allocated tickets. Since the Creative Portfolios do not have a good standing history with you, they’ll likely limit the number of tickets allocated to you this year.
If you’re all on your own but planning a magnificent artwork or mutant vehicle or the like, and you register your project in time, you will likely get access to a DDT.
If you aren’t planning on making something, limited tickets will be available through the General Sales.
You’ll need to register a project – and to do that, just log into our site and fill out the Expression of Creative Intent. Our team will get back to you when you register with allocation info.
Although our mailing servers are configured correctly and have all the correct elements in place, our domain (afrikaburn.com and afrikaburn.org) is blocked by some significant German email providers. We have yet to learn why this is the case, and after repeated attempts to resolve the issue, it remains a problem.
Please contact the support team with an alternative email address, and we’ll replace it for you.
You should also sign up for our newsletter with your alternative address – you can do that here.
First, check out our Participation page here.
Meet people in the main AfrikaBurn Facebook Group and the AfrikaBurn International Group.
If you want to secure a ticket immediately, consider purchasing a Blue Sky Ticket or New Horizons Ticket as soon as possible. They’re priced higher with a donation portion built into the ticket, subsidising additional projects and activities at AfrikaBurn.
It can be daunting if you’ve not attended the event before. However, with good preparation and planning, it can be a lot easier. Below are some steps that will get you started on your journey to attend and participate meaningfully:
Firstly, check out our Guiding Principles. This will inform you about the culture of the event and the community.
Then read all the info (and links) on our Quaggapedia.
Then, look at these pages for more info: What is AfrikaBurn? How do I get to Tankwa Town? How do I ‘participate’ in AfrikaBurn?
Check out our community spaces – the Q & A Group and the AfrikaBurn Group are an excellent place to start.
Ensure you like the Facebook page or follow us on Instagram to keep updated.
Sign up for the Baardskeerder Newsletter and any updates by completing this form.
AfrikaBurn is a regional event of Burning Man but is not owned or organisationally managed by Burning Man. Culturally and creatively, it reflects much of the community spirit, art, expression and creativity that Burning Man and Burner culture is generally known for. Whilst similar to Burning Man, being in South Africa, it’s also different in many ways.
The best place to start is our ‘Getting There’ page on Quaggapedia.
In addition, the ‘Catch a Bus to AfrikaBurn’ page operates as a gift to the community. We’re not sure about their status for 2025, but they’re cost-effective, efficient, and worth trying.
Alternatively, to the bus, you can join the Tankwa Town Ride and Share – a group of ride-sharing people (this group picks up closer to the event period).
Very few.
In the spirit of radical self-reliance, basic infrastructure in the form of toilets, roads, signage, medics, health and safety officers, and some streetlamps are provided. The participants themselves create all other requirements.
Whatever form your participation takes is up to you. The critical thing to remember is that AfrikaBurn is created by active participation – and that can take any form.
No pets are allowed due to the extreme environment and in the interests of maintaining the biological integrity of the site. The only exception to this would be guide dogs for people who are blind.
Simply put: ‘No.’
This query falls squarely under the ‘self-reliance’ area of our event. You need to be responsible for yourselves and your food and water.
That said, you could try chatting with some people in the AfrikaBurn Main Group or the AfrikaBurn Resources Group – you could find someone there to help share the load or a team to team up with.
There’s a great camp that provides bikes and offers a delivery and collection service on-site. They use the project to provide bicycles to people in need in the local communities. They are Pedals for Peace and can be found here.
The other option is to pick up a second-hand bike before you come. There are a lot of sites for that, but you’ll have to practise radical self-reliance for that.
Ultimately, your car will be fine on the road provided you are as careful and prepared as possible, drive responsibly, and pack two spare tires.
That said, a sturdier car, bakkie (pickup) or 4×4 would make your journey easier, less stressful and far quicker. Check out Quaggapedia’s ‘Getting There‘ page for more info.
You should take two spare tyres as the roads to AfrikaBurn shred tyres.
You are most welcome to join for as long as you can participate, however, the event is a deeply immersive experience, and you may not be able to fully appreciate it or be able to be genuinely involved if you’re pushed for time. Also please note that the gate closes on Friday and entry after that is not permitted – only exit.
Perhaps take a look at these links for more details:
What is AfrikaBurn?
Getting to AfrikaBurn.
Participating at AfrikaBurn.
You can post on the AfrikaBurn Group, a very active community space, where you’ll probably get responses from projects who still have some space.
Shifts for the next AfrikaBurn event have yet to open. However, you can mail the volunteer team directly at: volunteers@afrikaburn.com
You can also check out the ‘Participation‘ page for more info.
We’re sorry you are experiencing challenges on our platforms. We’re happy to help you work out how to get everything working again.
Mail support@afrikaburn.com and let the team know exactly what your issue is. Please include screenshots and links to the pages that are an issue. Additionally, please let us know what browser you are using or what mobile device you are using.
We welcome participation by media representatives at our events, provided some guidelines are in place.
If you plan to publish your content, you need to follow our accreditation process, which you can find on our site’s Press, Film & Photo page.
If you’re simply planning to capture the magic of our event for personal purposes, you wouldn’t need to apply for accreditation (unless you wish to).
Please note that applications for accreditation are free, but you would still need to purchase an event ticket to attend.
That’s simply not possible since AfrikaBurn is built on a different set of values than other events and festivals. For one, no branding, marketing or promotion is allowed, as it dilutes the experience and destroys the spirit of gifting that makes our gatherings so unique. And, as a gift economy, consumerist culture is entirely nullified, making it a rare escape in our world.
Of course, if you’d still like to come, you’re completely welcome, but you’d have to take all the labels and branding off your products and hand them out for free.
That would be a strict ‘no’.
AfrikaBurn is built on a set of principles, one of which is ‘Decommodification’. This ensures that we remain a non-commercial enterprise and keeps our gatherings free of consumerist culture.
We don’t perform or enable advertising or marketing in any form in our spaces. We will never partner or collaborate with a commercial entity for any reason.
Due to our event’s participatory nature and ethos, all the performers and artists are either arranged by the participants themselves or are attending on a personal level.
AfrikaBurn does not book or hire artists or performers – we don’t even have any line-ups.
We love feedback and suggestions. Please email them to feedback@afrikaburn.com, and we’ll consider them.
Thank you for taking the time to improve the experience for everyone. Remember that you can also get involved with the running of the organisation and the day-to-day operations. Check out the website for more details.
No, there are no telephone services, mobile signals, or Wi-Fi zones at the AfrikaBurn event.
If you have to stay in touch, you may find that you can send and receive text messages on the MTN network; however, this is super patchy and varies across the site.
The Gate Crew will check your photo ID against your ticket details in the system. ID/passport or driver’s licences will be accepted, so please ensure that the ID/passport number is correct on the ticket of every person travelling with you. When purchasing your tickets, please ensure you have the right emergency contact details for someone off and onsite at AfrikaBurn, as the Box Office Crew link your uniquely numbered wristband to your details in the system. Your wristband is there to assist the team in case of an emergency.
The vehicle you are travelling in will need an E-Toll disk. These disks will be available to purchase at the gate until the event gates close.
For the Best Gate Experience™ – come prepared! Print your ticket out, or make sure your smart device has enough battery! Gate can be pretty unforgiving, especially when there are hundreds of other, better prepared, more organised and less frustrated folk clamouring to get in. Again, make sure the details on your ID/passport match the details on your ticket. If they don’t, please check the edit details & transfer ticket information in the Ticketing FAQ’s.
Monday 28 April: 09:00 – 01:00
Tuesday 29 April: 09:00 – 01:00
Wednesday 30 April: 09:00 – 01:00
Thursday 1 May: 09:00 – 01:00
Friday 2 May: 09:00 – 19:00
GATE ENTRY CLOSED, EXIT ONLY from 19:00 FRIDAY until SUNDAY.
All the incredible images on this page were taken by Grace Cotezee, Kim Steinberg, Kyle Kingsley, Reza Assar, Richard Ahlstrom, Sean Furlong, Mia Dyason, Hennie Nieman, Jonx Pillemer, Simon O’Callaghan, Greg Hillyard, Gabriela Slegrova, Richard Ahlsrom, Jacques Grobler, Gautier Berr, Daniel De Lapelin Dumont and Alex Miles. All the bad images were taken by the Brain, and if anyone is uncredited it’s his fault too.
