Tens of thousands of visitors to the Burning Man festival in the desert in the US state of Nevada were left stranded after heavy rain. All access to the site has been closed, the Washoe County sheriff said Saturday. Organizers asked residents of the desert town of Black Rock City, built during the week-long festival, to conserve food and water. A temporary airport will also remain closed, it was said on Saturday.
The scene of musical and artistic activities traditionally 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 Burning Man, a huge wooden statue. According to organizers, up to 75,000 people stayed in the deserted city last year.
American artist Larry Harvey (1948 – 2018) was one of the co-founders of the initially small event on a San Francisco beach in 1986. After increasing popularity, the event was moved to the Nevada desert in 1990.