UPDATED 22:59 EDT / DECEMBER 25 2014

NEWS

Smokin: Bitcoin comes to Burning Man

small__14786720582Bitcoin is headed directly to the Black Rock Desert, Nevada by way of the annual Burning Man festival.

The Burning Man Project, the 501(c)(3) nonprofit public benefit organization behind the festival started accepting Bitcoin for donations earlier this week.

“Donations will help provide more grants, training and support to creators of radically interactive art and events on and off the playa, fund civic programs, teach communities the power of collaboration, strengthen our infrastructure and making the Burning Man experience accessible year-round” CEO Marion Goodell explains.

Noting that this is just the beginning for Bitcoin and Burning Man, she continued: “accepting Bitcoin for donations is an experimental first step. We plan to explore other possibilities in the future, including expanding Bitcoin to the ticket-buying process.”

Bitcoin payment services are being provided by Coinbase Inc. and donations are eligible for tax deductions in the United States.

First held in 1986, Burning Man has a reputation as being a week of drug taking and alt-culture, where as others claim it is a progressive coming together of the tech-savy. In 2014 65,922 people attended the event which is held be the last Monday in August and first Monday in September ever year.

Adding Bitcoin support is a no-brainer given the demographics of those who attend the event would suggest that many would already be familiar with, or users of the cryptocurrency.

photo credit: jacques.deselliers via photopin cc


A message from John Furrier, co-founder of SiliconANGLE:

Support our mission to keep content open and free by engaging with theCUBE community. Join theCUBE’s Alumni Trust Network, where technology leaders connect, share intelligence and create opportunities.

  • 15M+ viewers of theCUBE videos, powering conversations across AI, cloud, cybersecurity and more
  • 11.4k+ theCUBE alumni — Connect with more than 11,400 tech and business leaders shaping the future through a unique trusted-based network.
About SiliconANGLE Media
SiliconANGLE Media is a recognized leader in digital media innovation, uniting breakthrough technology, strategic insights and real-time audience engagement. As the parent company of SiliconANGLE, theCUBE Network, theCUBE Research, CUBE365, theCUBE AI and theCUBE SuperStudios — with flagship locations in Silicon Valley and the New York Stock Exchange — SiliconANGLE Media operates at the intersection of media, technology and AI.

Founded by tech visionaries John Furrier and Dave Vellante, SiliconANGLE Media has built a dynamic ecosystem of industry-leading digital media brands that reach 15+ million elite tech professionals. Our new proprietary theCUBE AI Video Cloud is breaking ground in audience interaction, leveraging theCUBEai.com neural network to help technology companies make data-driven decisions and stay at the forefront of industry conversations.