Things to do in SF during Burning Man

August 25, 2013 3:59 PM

The burn is about to begin, and San Francisco and the East Bay are about to vacate. I, however, have been left behind, holding down the fort at work while others party in the desert. Things aren't all bad though, as being in SF during Burning Man comes with some advantages - like being able to actually find parking or not having to wait as long for a cone at Humphrey Slocombe. What are other things to do in the Bay Area that are busy much of the year but not as crowded during Burning Man?
posted by eschatfische to Grab Bag (8 answers total)

I'm not sure that the supposed "Burning Man Rapture" is actually noticeable in real life. There's 68,000 maximum attendees, not all of whom are from the Bay Area--that's less than the capacity of Candlestick, and I doubt you notice sudden breathing room during 49ers games.
posted by animalrainbow at 5:08 PM on August 25, 2013 [3 favorites]

Oh, you notice it in areas that would otherwise be occupied by the Burning Man crowd. I found a parking spot in the Mission on my first go-round.
posted by needs more cowbell at 5:11 PM on August 25, 2013 [2 favorites]

Pretty much anything in the Mission -- parking spaces, seats on the bus, for the most part. Nowhere else in the city will be much impacted, ime. Labor Day weekend, though, the Bay Bridge will be closed. So we might get even more of a ghost-town effect off of that.
posted by blnkfrnk at 8:29 PM on August 25, 2013 [1 favorite]

Yes, I noticed it once when going out to brunch in the mission.
posted by salvia at 9:44 PM on August 25, 2013

Brunch. Sandwiches and eat in Dolores. Brunch, again, as you've got Sunday as well. Coffee. Brunch, for me, since I'm neither in SF nor at Burning Man this year.
posted by nat at 11:59 PM on August 25, 2013

Yeah the Burning Man effect is exaggerated, but a lot of locals do go out of town for the weekend. A bunch of tourists come though, particularly Europeans. So avoid the obvious visitor tourist spots and do the funky SF things you like. Most anything in the Mission. Go to The Ramp for outdoor drinks and don't stress about finding a table. Stroll around the Inner Sunset.
posted by Nelson at 7:19 AM on August 26, 2013

I think the canonical thing to do is to park in front of a brunch place in the Mission, eat brunch, then drive somewhere a couple blocks away because you'll actually be able to find a parking spot and have some drinks.
posted by madcaptenor at 12:09 PM on August 26, 2013 [2 favorites]

Dolores Park picnic with food from Tartine or similar - somewhere the lines are usually stupid long.
posted by naoko at 3:13 PM on August 26, 2013