Let's answer the question: No.
I'm a baby burner, having been to one regional and never to BRC. The big burn honestly holds no appeal, likely a function of age, cost and logistics.
The whole point of the burn is stepping outside of capitalistic structures. At ticket prices up to three grand (sure, you can get in for a mere $550), self-selection for the well-off is going to happen.
Which is precisely what you're not going there for.
Everything gets ruined by capitalism; the question is merely the timeline. And holy fuck, do the moneyed enjoy looking at subcultures and say "you know, we could do something with this" (see also: the rave and BDSM scenes).
Burning Man has faced its share of challenges in recent years. There were the Covid years when organizers cancelled the Nevada festival entirely, the sweltering record temperatures of 2022, and mud created by heavy rains in 2023 that trapped tens of thousands of attendees on the playa.
Then last year, Burning Man tickets failed to sell out as they had every year since 2011. It was an indicator of a deep trouble for the week-long desert celebration in the form of a $20m revenue shortfall that meant “everything is now at risk”, Marian Goodell, the Burning Man Project CEO, wrote last fall.
Burning Man has been trying to find its financial footing and figure out how to ensure the longevity of a festival that has become an institution, Goodell told Bloomberg in an interview this week, a month ahead of this year’s festivities.
The festival must succeed as a business, she told the outlet, while adding: “I am loath to look at Burning Man as a product, where the goal is to sell as much of the product as possible.”
Maybe don't make it about the money when the whole fucking point is people putting in hard work as artists to bring joy as volunteers. If people aren't willing to pay what you're charging, well, that's a supply-and-demand problem.
As for me, I'll stick with regional burns where you actually get to meet people, exchange gifts and go on excursions. They're raves for grown-ups (with perhaps more drugs).