The annual Burning Man festival in the remote Nevada desert turned into an unexpected challenge for thousands of attendees as a rainstorm transformed the site into a muddy quagmire. On Saturday, festivalgoers, many resorting to going barefoot or donning plastic bags on their feet, were instructed to seek shelter in place and conserve their food and water supplies due to heavy rains dampening the festive atmosphere.
The event’s organizers took the extraordinary step of closing the festival site “for the remainder of the event,” a decision conveyed through social media channels. The impact of the rain was evident in videos shared by attendees like Paul Reder on Instagram, who noted that cloudy conditions persisted with forecasts of more rain over the next two days. The US Bureau of Land Management cited the rainstorm as the cause for “a situation that required a full stop of vehicle movement on the playa.”
Thousands Stranded at US Desert Fest in Nevada as Rainstorm Hits ‘Burning Man’
But what is Burning Man, and why does it attract so many attendees?
Burning Man, which draws over 60,000 participants each year, takes place in the remote Black Rock Desert of Nevada, where individuals gather to create art, dance, and build a temporary community. This week-long event is known for its principles of radical self-reliance, opposition to commercialism, and a strong commitment to leaving no environmental trace.
Thousands Stranded at US Desert Fest in Nevada as Rainstorm Hits ‘Burning Man’
Originating in 1986 as a small gathering of friends in San Francisco, this festival of “self-expression” has grown exponentially, with people from around the world converging in Black Rock City, a temporary metropolis constructed from scratch each year. The Burning Man Project, a non-profit organization, organizes the event with the aim of establishing a temporary community devoted to art, self-expression, and self-reliance.
The flooding situation at the festival site led to the closure of vehicular gates for the duration of the event, which commenced on August 27 and was initially scheduled to conclude on Monday, as stated by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. Reports suggest that more than half an inch of rain fell on Friday at the festival grounds, located approximately 177 kilometers north of Reno. An additional quarter-inch of rain was anticipated on Sunday.
The festival organizers had to impose restrictions on ice sales and halt all vehicle traffic within the expansive festival grounds. Consequently, portable toilets were left unattended. The reopening of the entrance and the departure of festival attendees remained uncertain at the time of reporting.
As the situation unfolded, attendees adapted by engaging in activities such as beer pong, dancing, and splashing in standing water. Some festivalgoers even devised makeshift bucket toilets to reduce the need to navigate the muddy terrain en route to portable toilets.
Despite the challenging circumstances, one festival attendee, Mike Jed, summed up the spirit of Burning Man, stating, “If it really turns into a disaster, well, no one is going to have sympathy for us. I mean, it’s Burning Man.”
(With agency inputs)