I think we can all agree that Burning Man is a once-cool idea way past its sell-by date.
70,000 people trapped in a desert by extreme rain, running out of food, with rumors of disease spreading, and porta-johns overflowing – but determined to keep the party going, is such a great metaphor for our civilization right now.
CNN: Tens of thousands of people attending the Burning Man festival in the Nevada desert are being told to conserve food, water and fuel as they shelter in place in the Black Rock Desert after a heavy rainstorm pummeled the area, festival organizers said.
Attendees were surrounded by thick, ankle-deep mud and organizers halted vehicles from traveling in or out of the festival after heavy rains started saturating the area Friday evening.
Hannah Burhorn, a first-time attendee at the festival, told CNN in a phone interview Saturday the desert sand has turned into thick clay and puddles and mud are everywhere. People are wrapping trash bags and Ziploc bags around their shoes to avoid getting stuck, while others are walking around barefoot.
From Burning Man website
“It’s unavoidable at this point,” she said. “It’s in the bed of the truck, inside the truck. People who have tried to bike through it and have gotten stuck because it’s about ankle deep.”
The gate and airport into Black Rock City, a remote area in northwest Nevada, remain closed and no driving is allowed into or out of the city except for emergency vehicles, the organizers said on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
“Do not travel to Black Rock City! Access to the city is closed for the remainder of the event, and you will be turned around,” one statement read.
Below, the festival was already a shit show, as climate protesters, angered by conspicuous consumption and habitat destruction at the festival, blocked an entrance road. The resulting melee reflected poorly on all involved.
Video below shows post-festival traffic jam from 2022.
just walked 5 miles in the mud out of burning man with chris rock and a fan picked us up pic.twitter.com/0uxSXLHgY6
Burning Man attendee: "We don't need outside help. We're going to bind together, get radically self-reliant, dry out the furniture, and keep the party going." pic.twitter.com/eYhE2gj1Mu
60,000 people stuck at burning man and it’s not looking good. There is limited food and water and toilets and showers beginning to fail. They need at least four days for it to dry out as it’s too muddy to leave. They are stuck. pic.twitter.com/BTeKOvu83o
— Erin Elizabeth Health Nut News 🙌 (@unhealthytruth) September 2, 2023
9 thoughts on “Burning Man Drowning in Heavy Desert Rain”
There will be a lot of events like Burning Man worldwide which won’t go on any longer simply because the weather an environment will no longer permit it. Imagine if temperatures at Burning Man were +3 Standard Deviations above average?
Where were these jets flying in? Unless there’s a temporary runway at Burning Man then there’s nothing burning Man can do about that. And if there IS a temporary runway at burning Man then how the heck do they do safety and provide fire and rescue?
And if they abandoned the temporary airstrip why wouldn’t people just charter helicopters from nearby airports?
Charter planes are descending on the Nevada desert — and the pop-up Black Rock City airport — as tech bros and billionaires gather for Burning Man
Burning Man has its own pop-up airport. Courtesy of FlightAware. Hundreds of flights have landed in Black Rock City for Burning Man — tech bros’ favorite party. Last year, FlightAware data shows that over 2,000 flights arrived at the pop-up desert airport.
Bare lake bed? Did the put the festival in the very bottom of it? I know changes to the site are restricted but if there’s lower land near the site could they work on some drainage ditches?
There will be a lot of events like Burning Man worldwide which won’t go on any longer simply because the weather an environment will no longer permit it. Imagine if temperatures at Burning Man were +3 Standard Deviations above average?
70,000 people trapped. How long before they start eating each other?
Sorry, but “get radically self-reliant” and
“grow up”“continue the party” sounds so very, very stupid.Somebody please explain blocking a roadway to protest private jets.
Where were these jets flying in? Unless there’s a temporary runway at Burning Man then there’s nothing burning Man can do about that. And if there IS a temporary runway at burning Man then how the heck do they do safety and provide fire and rescue?
And if they abandoned the temporary airstrip why wouldn’t people just charter helicopters from nearby airports?
From https://www.businessinsider.com/burning-man-private-black-rock-airport-flights-leave-no-trace-2023-9
Charter planes are descending on the Nevada desert — and the pop-up Black Rock City airport — as tech bros and billionaires gather for Burning Man
Bare lake bed? Did the put the festival in the very bottom of it? I know changes to the site are restricted but if there’s lower land near the site could they work on some drainage ditches?