Where Does My Ticket Money Go?

A look behind the scenes of the Burning Mountain Festival

When you buy a ticket for the Burning Mountain Festival, you might wonder:

Where does all that money actually go?

We believe everyone who’s part of our community deserves to know how every Swiss franc is used. Here’s a transparent breakdown of how our income is structured — and what it enables. 🌞

💫 Our Sources of Income

The Burning Mountain Festival is financed almost entirely by the community itself — by you and all the people who make it happen.

We deliberately avoid big sponsors, ads, and corporate logos. That keeps us independent and lets us focus on what truly matters: music, art, nature, and connection.

Our main income streams:

• 🎟️ Festival Passes – the heart of our funding.

  Camping with your own tent is already included in the ticket price.

• 🚐 Campervan & Parking Tickets – these cover additional infrastructure costs like space, security, water, power, and waste management.

• 🏕️ Tents & Furnished Packages – for those who prefer a bit more comfort. These contributions cover setup, storage and logistics for those accommodations.

• 🛍️ Merchandising – shirts, hoodies, and souvenirs help cover running costs and carry the spirit beyond the mountain.

• 🚌 Shuttle Tickets – these cover the costs of our shuttle service running between Zernez train station and the festival site, helping us operate reliable and affordable transport for everyone arriving by train.

• 🍹 Bars – while a large part of the revenue goes directly into purchasing beverages and paying our bar staff and suppliers, the remaining margin contributes to the festival’s overall budget and helps keep ticket prices as low as possible.

• 🛒 Shops & Food Stalls – vendors contribute a fee that goes directly toward power supply, infrastructure, waste management, and crew support.

🔧 How We Spend It

Your contribution enables far more than you might think.

Building a temporary city in the Swiss Alps is a massive collective effort — from power grids to art installations.

Here’s where your money goes:

🏗️ Infrastructure & Site

• Land rental, safety zones, and permits

• Power, water, wastewater, and sanitary facilities

• Stages, tents, fences, lighting, pathways, electrical and technical infrastructure

• Emergency and safety services (medical, fire, security)

🚚 Logistics & Operations

• Build-up and teardown (including vehicles, materials, storage)

• Transportation & on-site logistics

• Waste management, recycling, and land restoration

🎨 Art, Music & Program

• Support for artists, performers, and installations

• Stage, sound, and lighting equipment

• Artist fees and material costs

🌱 Sustainability & Environment

• Waste separation, cleanup, and restoration

• Environmental measures and re-greening

• Promoting sustainable travel (shuttles, carpooling)

💕 Community & Participation

• Discounted and volunteer tickets

• Volunteer programs and workshops

• Support for community and healing spaces

💸 Why Tickets Cost What They Do

Organizing a multi-day festival in nature is complex and expensive.

A large part of our budget is spent long before the first beat drops — on permits, infrastructure, and restoring the land afterward.

We prefer to invest in safety, quality, and sustainability rather than cutting corners in ways everyone would later feel.

💚 Accessibility & Low-Income Tickets

We want the Burning Mountain Festival to remain a space that’s open and accessible to everyone — regardless of financial situation. That’s why, for the first time, we’re introducing a limited number (~400)

of low-income tickets this year.

These tickets are intended for people who are genuinely facing financial hardship — for example due to health conditions, social circumstances, or other life situations that make it difficult to afford a full-price ticket.

To apply for a low-income ticket, we ask for:

• A copy of your most recent tax statement

• Any relevant proof of financial support (e.g. confirmation from social services, disability insurance (IV), or other public institutions)

• A short personal statement or motivation letter explaining why you’re applying for a low-income ticket.

Please send your application to info@burning-mountain.ch.

Each request will be reviewed individually and handled with care and confidentiality.

Our goal with this initiative is simple:

to make sure that everyone who deeply connects with the spirit of Burning Mountain can be part of it — no matter their current financial situation.

📊 Putting It in Context: Similar Festivals around Europe and the Swiss Festival Landscape

To better understand where our ticket pricing stands, here’s how some of similar Festivals around Europe and some of Switzerland’s major festivals compare — including all additional costs like camping, parking, and campervan passes (based on the most recent ticket prices we could find from 2023–2025; all figures are approximate and may vary by phase and category).

🎶 O.Z.O.R.A. Festival (7 days):

Between ~CHF 290–310 (camping included)

+ fees

🎧 Mo:Dem Festival (7 days):

Between ~CHF 300–320 (camping included)

+ fees

🌕 Boom Festival (7 days):

Between ~CHF 260–345 (camping included)

+ fees

🎵 OpenAir St. Gallen (4 days):

Between ~CHF 239–299

+ ~CHF 30–50 parking or ~CHF 100 campervan pass

+ fees

🎧 Zürich Openair (4 days):

Between ~CHF 250–320

+ ~CHF 60–90 camping pass

+ ~CHF 30–40 parking

+ fees

🎤 Openair Frauenfeld (3 days):

Between ~CHF 250–330

+ ~CHF 50 camping pass

+ ~CHF 40 parking or ~CHF 100 campervan pass

+ fees

🎸 Greenfield Festival (3 days):

Between ~CHF 238–298 (camping included)

+ ~CHF 30–40 parking or ~CHF 80–100 campervan pass

+ fees

🌄 OpenAir Lumnezia (3 days):

Between ~CHF 190–240 (camping included)

+ ~CHF 25–35 parking or ~CHF 60–80 campervan pass

+ fees

🔥 OpenAir Gampel (4 days):

Between ~CHF 240–295 (camping included)

+ ~CHF 30 parking or ~CHF 100 campervan pass

+ fees

💫 Burning Mountain Festival 2025 (4 days):

Between CHF 159–319 (camping included)

+ CHF 49 parking or CHF 99 campervan pass

+ CHF 10 trash deposit

+ fees

While most large commercial festivals rely on sponsorships and brand activations, Burning Mountain Festival is entirely community-funded and independent.

Every franc flows directly back into art, infrastructure, sustainability, and the shared experience we create together.

🪶 Transparency & Trust

Every year, we work to make our operations more transparent, sustainable, and efficient. Everything we earn stays within the festival cycle — funding build-up, art, environment, and community.

However, like everywhere else in Switzerland, our operating costs continue to rise year after year. Prices for materials, logistics, energy, security, infrastructure, and permits have increased significantly — and with them, our overall budget. We continuously do our best to absorb as much of that as possible, but some of these growing costs inevitably affect ticket prices.

Our goal is to evolve the Burning Mountain Festival each year — with awareness, creativity, and care for people and nature.

❤️ Thank You for Being Part of It

Your ticket is more than just entry — it’s your contribution to a shared vision of freedom, creativity, and sustainability.

Thanks to your support, thousands of people each year can experience a unique blend of music, art, nature, and community.

Thank you for making the Burning Mountain Festival possible. Together, we create something that lasts far beyond four days. ✨