Burning Man!

Yea that has not been free since like early 90's I think. They have guards that make sure no one gets in that has no ticket.

uhh.. im just going to say that people have a sort of distorted view of burning man and regional burns. I'm not saying you wont find a small group of people with the raver or hard drug user mentality, BUT, most other proper burners, are in their own league. it's about self expression, and experiencing and having intelligent fun. also everything is self governed. all positions are volunteers, there is no paid / official position there. so the statement about guards is also false.Not trying to offend anyone, just providing you guys with more info :)

a few more facts : it's not hippies who go there. or at least define what you mean by hippie first. I myself am a nice smelling well dressed engineer, I've met doctors, therapists, marines, younameit. it is all inclusive representation. it's expensive because of the art grants and projects, also - the government taxes the community just for gathering. Even though there are no governmental services provided at the location during the burn. It's difficult to get there because you need to bring EVERYTHING for the next week. including water. the Toilet services are hired. and fire safety (as required by law) <- that cost is included in the ticket. Every position - from the clean up crew, to the rangers, to the doctors, is volunteered.

My bad I should have clarified that the guards are volunteers called Rangers, but they still do what a guard would. They keep an eye out to make sure everything is safe and that everyone that is there is supposed to be there. You have to take a training course to be one apparently.

I was using the term "hippie" loosely. You don't have to be a smelly dread-headed stoner with no job to be a hippie either. Plenty of doctors and lawyers and such were at Woodstock when they were young. I was using it more as a state of mind for free thinking, live and let live and do what you want as long as you aren't hurting anybody, fun loving artistic/creative types.

Well shows how much I know. Do the regional ones stick to the traditional Wiccan ceremony aspect or are they just smaller versions of the one in the desert?

:) , yup on the ranger training. and yup on the state of mind as well! and every local burn - adds a local flavor the their regional ones. but they all aspire to be a smaller version of the one is the desert !