Press Pass and Media Credentials Information – Please Read Thoroughly and Carefully

APPLICATIONS FOR PRESS PASSES FOR THIS YEAR’S EVENT MUST BE RECEIVED NO LATER THAN JULY 1

Each year the Buffalo Chip receives hundreds of requests for press passes. We love having you here. Press crews from Japan, Sweden, The Netherlands, Germany, New Zealand, Australia, England and France, national broadcasting crews from Public Broadcasting, NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, MTV, ESPN, CNN, TNN, VH-1, CMT, Travel Channel, HISTORY and National Geographic have covered events at the Chip. Newspapers and magazines such as Maxim, USA Today, Fortune, Forbes and many more show up in similar numbers. Radio stations from coast to coast broadcast live from the Buffalo Chip. 

We try to accommodate all legitimate press requests, but as we have grown, so have the demands of the press. Buffalo Chip press passes are restricted and strictly controlled. You will be asked to provide proof that you will legitimately be posting, publishing or broadcasting your work while at the Buffalo Chip. This will include links to, or copies of past work. Membership in a press club will not be recognized. Each person requesting a press pass must submit an application. Press passes will be limited to two per organization, with the exception of pre-approved film crews or extenuating circumstances. Passes will not be issued to family members or friends of press.

Our first consideration must always be to provide the best possible experience for our campers. Unfortunately, we cannot always accommodate everyone in exactly the manner they choose, but we’ll do our best to help you get your shot. 

No video or still photographers will be allowed on any stage except those who have a contract with the Buffalo Chip or who have personally been escorted to the stage by the Chip’s publicist. Credentialed photographers may get special access if they’ve made prior arrangements with the publicist. Video and still photography of performers on the main stage nearly always requires band permission and special, specific application must be submitted to the Buffalo Chip publicist before July 1.

Press Pass Deadline:

Buffalo Chip PRESS PASS APPLICATIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED NO LATER THAN JULY 1APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED AFTER JULY 1. All applications will be vetted. Press credentials from any other source will not be accepted at the Sturgis Buffalo Chip for any of its activities.

All members of the press who appear at the gate without prior arrangements with the Sturgis Buffalo Chip will be required to pay for admission to the campground. No professional cameras—video or otherwise—will be allowed onto the premises without prior arrangement with the Buffalo Chip.

If you have made the appropriate arrangements, your Buffalo Chip press credentials will be at the will call window at the West Box Office. Please be certain to read the Credentials Procedure set forth below.

Press Pass Rules:

While we try not to have a lot of rules at the Buffalo Chip, we want our guests to have a hassle-free good time. That goes for the press too. We do have a few special rules for press, as follows:

A person’s campsite is private. Press personnel are not allowed to photograph campers in their campsites without having first obtained written permission. Credentialed photographers may photograph anything in the vendor and stage areas unless there is a blackout in place for that event.

Our customers’ rights to see a show supersede the press’ privilege to photograph it.

The performers’ rules are the Buffalo Chip’s rules.

When people ask not to be photographed, do not photograph them.

Our campers are entitled to a hassle-free party. Taunting anyone is considered a hassle.

Chip staff members on the grounds, at the gates, and in the ticket office are hired to serve our campers. Press issues are to be handled by the publicist or the campground’s owner. Press persons are not to make requests of any Chip employee, and no employee is authorized to make or permit exception to any rule.

Three tear sheets from the print press, links to radio, video and broadcast stories are required in order to obtain future access. Please submit to:

Cody Ertman
[email protected]
Buffalo Chip Campground
20622 Ft Meade Way
Sturgis, SD 57785

Application Information and How to Apply:

To apply for press credentials, please click on the link below to upload your signed release form and complete the press application form on our site. Filling out this form does not approve your request; it is simply part of the application process. Be prepared to provide information on your company, including your audience numbers, along with information on the coverage you’re seeking at the Buffalo Chip.

Media Credentials Application

Please fill out one form for each person requesting credentials.  Each person requesting a press pass will need to complete, sign and return the media release form with their application. Passes cannot be approved until a signed form has been submitted for each person.

Print/Web/Radio Media Release Form

*If you are a free-lance journalist, you will also need to provide a letter from the publication to which you expect to sell your photos, video or story, confirming the publication is interested in publishing your work.

Television and Video

To film broadcast or any video which will air on a network or be offered for public viewing while on the premises, a separate release form and location fee is required. To receive approval for filming, provide your name, the number of people in your crew, the name of the show, the network on which it will air, approximate broadcast dates, the audience numbers if available and a one-page write up of the basic treatment, and filming approval sought and email to Cody Ertman at [email protected]. If approved, you will receive the proper release form at that time.

Please pick the form that best represents your coverage. In some cases both forms will need to be completed.

Please pick the form that best represents your coverage. In some cases both forms will need to be completed.

We will notify you via email whether your request for press access is granted or denied. In the event you have been approved and your passes are not at the ticket office when you arrive, you will need to contact the Chip’s publicist at the campground.

If you have further questions regarding press passes, would like to check your status or to get copies of Buffalo Chip press releases, contact us:

Cody Ertman
(605) 347-9000
[email protected]

2024 Sturgis Buffalo Chip

Pre-Rally Party Jul. 29–Aug. 1
Concerts Aug. 2–Aug. 11

2025 Sturgis Buffalo Chip

Pre-Rally Party Jul. 28–Jul. 31
Concerts Aug. 1–Aug. 10

Contact Us

Cody Ertman
[email protected]
Office: 605-347-9000