Prem Kumta, 47: $8,000
San Francisco-based Prem Kumta got to know him through a friend who in the early 2000s produced a giant Sound Camp (Burning Man’s city town) with a mile-long sonic art installation across the playa. I know Burning Man.
Since experiencing Burning Man for the first time in 2003, Kumta, a creative agency CEO, and his wife Penny attended the festival six times before having their children, returning when their three children were older. . Their most recent trip he was in 2022.
Unlike many other festival goers, Kumta is part of a larger camp with a particularly “large set up”, so it might cost a little more. He is one of the founders of Agave Lounge, his camp of over 150 people. A carpeted geodesic dome built to protect people from the elements. Inside the dome, there will be an agave-themed bar where he serves 20,000 to 30,000 drinks in a week, a bouncy castle, a huge sound system for world-class DJ performances, and a space for people in trouble due to extreme weather conditions. It is equipped with medical supplies for
“We collect camp dues and have fundraisers to raise enough money for the camp. The dome, sound system, carpet and decorations, generators to power the dome and RV, showers, The shade structure, the trucks to carry everything to the playa and the warehouse, the space to store everything – that’s nearly six figures of a lot of money.”
Kumta thinks he and his wife should budget around $8,000 (£6,400) for more than a week on the playa. A rough breakdown is $1,500 for two tickets and one parking pass, and $500 per person for camping. RV costs range from $4,000 to $9,000 depending on size, and food, water, and supplies can cost $1,500 for a couple. Unique outfits that encourage radical self-expression can also cost him $1,500 for two.
“If you’re staying at a really nice resort for that long and you’re going shopping and eating out, it’s pretty much the equivalent,” he says.
With 20 years of experience creating, building, and executing site-specific events for globally recognized brands, Kumta believes that “nothing in the world compares to Burning Man.” He continued, “What you get from Burning Man is a release from the ever-present pressure to succeed and produce in the modern world…What you spend multiplying the experience… I had never done it before and thought it was a waste of my money. “