Burning Man attendees face hours in long traffic jams as they leave festival after storms, flooding
Thousands of people in attendance at the Burning Man festival in Nevada are dealing with “lengthy traffic” as of Tuesday, according to reports.
Sgt. Nathan Carmichael with the Perishing County Sheriff’s Office told CNN on Sunday, “A little over 70,000 people” were stuck trying to get out after heavy rains showered the festival site.
“There is an estimated 2-3 hour wait to leave Black Rock City,” festival organizers told the public via X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, Tuesday morning, according to CNN. “Everyone should get plenty of rest before starting to travel on the highway. Expect delay and be alert for debris from other vehicles on the highway at higher speeds. Travel Safe.”
What happened at Burning Man 2023?
Nevada’s Black Rock Desert, home to the Burning Man festival, “received two months’ worth of rain in two days beginning on Sept. 1,” which led the 70,000 people in attendance stranded and unable to leave despite attempts to flee the area, according to Today.
The New York Times reported that heavy rains on the festival site resulted in the closure of the one route that attendees could use to travel in or out.
Police have also reported that there was a death at the festival, “although they said it did not appear to be related to the weather.”
Authorities identified the individual as Leon Reece and said that the death is still undergoing investigation, according to ABC News.
Reuters described what happened at the festival as “a muddy nightmare.”
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What is the typical weather at Burning Man?
The Burning Man festival website detailed that “weather on the playa is often violent and unpredictable. Dust storms, high winds, freezing temperatures, rain, we get it all out there. It’s impossible to be overly prepared when it comes to the elements.”
The website reports that other resources guests can use to better gauge what type of conditions the festival will take place in prior to their visit are:
The other weather related advice the Burning Man festival website gives to the public is about “Whiteouts and Playa Dust,” explaining, “Make sure you carry your particle/dust mask and goggles with you when you venture out on playa!”
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What is the purpose of the Burning Man festival?
The Deseret News described the Burning Man festival as a “wild and weird party in Nevada desert” that “regathers ‘the tribe of mankind,’” back in 1997.
Other reports describe the festival as an event that brings in “tens of thousands of people every September to the dry desert in Black Rock City, Nevada, for a weeklong celebration of music, arts and community.”
Burning Man began in 1986 when Larry Harvey and Jerry James put together “an improvised wooden figure” and dragged it to Baker Beach in California during the summer solstice. They lit up the wooden figure of a man “and a curious crowd” gathered to “watch it burn.”
Harvey and James decided to make an even taller wooden man the following year and continued the tradition every year. It moved to Nevada in 1991.
The timeline published on the festival’s website reported the wooden figure grew over the next three years, from 8 feet tall to 40 feet tall.
1986: 8 feet tall.
1987: 15 feet tall.
1988: 30 feet tall.
1989: 40 feet tall.
1990: 40 feet tall.
Over the years, as artists have reportedly come to Black Rock City to “enjoy the rare opportunity to create artwork for a truly blank canvas,” so has the Burning Man figure, which together has combined to make the widely renowned Burning Man festival.
