Tens of thousands of people are still trapped at the festival site in Nevada. Roads to the deserted city could reopen on Monday.
Tens of thousands of visitors to the “Burning Man” desert festival in the US state of Nevada were stranded after heavy rain over the weekend. The Washoe County Sheriff announced Saturday (local time) that all access to the site was closed. Organizers asked visitors to conserve food and water. “If you have a lot, share it with your neighbors.”
One person died, CNN reported Sunday night, citing the sheriff’s office. The death occurred “during the rain”. The details were initially unknown. “The family has been notified and the death is under investigation.”
Statue burning postponed
The annual festival is a setting for musical and artistic activities. Traditionally it attracts artists, techno fans, pyrotechnicians and curious people from all over the world. In the desert, participants build a temporary city called Black Rock City using tents and trailers. A central ritual at the end of the cult event is the burning of the “Burning Man”, a huge wooden statue. “All fires have been postponed,” organizers said over the weekend.
It was initially unclear when visitors would be able to return home. If conditions improve, roads will reopen on Monday. “As soon as it is safe to do so,” says the organizers’ website. A temporary airport was also initially closed. Cars threatened to get stuck in the muddy ground. Therefore, only emergency vehicles were allowed to enter or leave the area, according to “CNN”. Organizers provided four-wheel-drive vehicles for medical emergencies, they said on their website.
Attempts to escape on foot
A festival attendee told CNN that the rain turned the desert sand into slimy, ankle-deep mud, and many people wrapped trash bags around their shoes to avoid getting stuck. Some festival attendees reportedly walked miles through thick mud to reach main roads outside the site and return home, according to media reports. Others remained in their tents and hoped for better conditions. Images on social media showed festival-goers struggling on the muddy paths.
Some tried to escape the mud on foot. Trevor Hughes/USA TODAY NETWORK via Portal
“People trying to bike through got stuck,” Hannah Burhorn, a visitor from San Francisco, told CNN. There is chaos in the camp. “A lot of people are trying to cancel flights and organize everything for an extended stay here.” And all this with an unstable internet connection. But despite the bad conditions, many were in good spirits and simply dancing in the mud, as could be seen on social media. And they are also creative, says festival visitor Burhorn: “People build mud sculptures.”
“Everything we need to survive”
“We came here knowing that this is a place where we can bring everything we need to survive,” organizers said. “This is precisely why we are all well prepared for a weather event like this.” This year’s heavy rains fell on the dry desert terrain, turning the ground into a mud bath. The normal amount of rain for two to three months fell between Friday and Saturday morning, according to CNN. More rain was expected on Sunday. The sun is expected to return on Monday. Last year, temperatures at the festival rose to around 40 degrees Celsius.
According to organizers, up to 75,000 people were in the deserted city in 2022. Exact information on the number of festival visitors stranded this year was not initially available. In fact, the event was supposed to end on September 4th this year. (APA/Ag.)
>> The party before the rains