Burning Man 2023 live: Organizers plan festival finale as thousands of attendees stranded at Nevada site
Thousands stranded at Burning Man Festival after heavy rain
Burning Man has descended into chaos with one person dead and thousands stranded at the Nevada desert festival after severe flooding.
The death occurred during the event but local law enforcement did not identify the individual or suspected cause of death. An investigation is ongoing.
Tens of thousands of attendees remain stranded at the site in Black Rock desert after severe flooding.
Organisers closed vehicle access on Saturday and told those still trying to enter the festival to turn around and go home.
Revellers were left to trudge through mud, many barefoot or wearing plastic bags on their feet, after being urged to shelter in place and conserve food, water and other supplies.
Organisers have rationed sales of ice and portable toilets are unable to be serviced, the Reno Gazette Journal reported.
The event began on 27 August and was scheduled to end on Monday, according to the US Bureau of Land Management, which oversees the area where the festival is being held.
Despite those challenges, organizers said that they plan to carry on with the festival’s finale — the burning of a 40-foot effigy.
The event is expected to take place at around 9.30pm PDT Monday, weather permitting.
Police debunks wild misinformation about ‘Ebola outbreak’
A screenshot of a text message exchange triggered a flood of misinformation on social media regarding a supposed Ebola outbreak at Burning Man.
The conspiracies escalated when people on X, formerly Twitter, shared doctored headlines from Forbes and fake tweets from Burning Man organizers and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Experts and physicians emphasized how unlikely an Ebola outbreak would be.
People use plastic bags to cover their shoes as others are seen with their boots covered in mud at the site of the Burning Man festival
In a statement to Indy100, a BLM spokesperson debunked speculation about an Ebola outbreak.
“I can confirm the event entrance was closed for the year because unusual rainfall caused muddy conditions where there was a full stop on vehicles, and not for an ebola outbreak,” the spokesperson said.
‘Hunker down until weather improves,’ organizers ask
Attendees of Burning Man festival have been urged to shelter in place due to heavy downpours in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert.
More than 73,000 stranded “burners” have been told to remain at their campsites as a slow-moving rainstorm fell on the usually dry desert.
Organizers asked attendees to preserve food and water, and driving and biking was temporarily banned on the muddy roads.
The Pershing County Sheriff’s Office is now investigating a death at the festival.
“As this death is still under investigation, there is no further information available at this time,” the agency said in a statement.
The sheriff’s office urged burners to shelter in place, noting that some people had managed to drive off the playa but had caused damage to its surface.
Death investigation underway, portable toilets nightmare
The Pershing County Sheriff’s Office confirmed a death at Burning Man to KNSD-TV on Saturday but offered few details. The identity of the person and the cause and manner of death have not been released.
The Independent has reached out to the law enforcement agency.
Meanwhile, weather conditions prevented cleaning staff from emptying thousands of portable toilets, according to The Guardian. No driving is allowed except for emergency vehicles.
Chris Rock shared a picture on Instagram of the muddy roads and a line of portable restrooms that had reportedly not been emptied.
“Also, from what I understand, because of the flooding, the port-a-potties reportedly can’t be emptied,” Mr Rock wrote. “And because the gates are closed, people can’t get in to fill generators or deliver supplies.”
While many shared their frustrations on social media, others kept a festive attitude and continued dancing and drinking. Burner Mike Jed told the Associated Press that he and others had made a bucket toilet so they didn’t have to trudge as often through the mud to reach portable toilets.
“If it really turns into a disaster, well, no one is going to have sympathy for us,” Mr Jed told the AP. “I mean, it’s Burning Man.”
Organizers said they didn’t know when the roads would “be dry enough for RVs or vehicles to navigate safely”.
If weather conditions improve, vehicles could potentially depart by late Monday.
Stranded Burning Man attendee insists they’re ‘keeping the party going’
WATCH: Chris Rock and Diplo walked six miles before being hitching ride out of Burning Man
Festivalgoers are walking out of Burning Man themselves
Many burners desperate to go back home after a chaotic weekend at Burning Man decided to make their way to the main road on foot, after officials restricted driving on the muddy and treacherous roads.
The Pershing County Sheriff’s Office said some people had managed to drive off the playa but advised against doing so due to damage caused to the playa’s surface.
“Some people are walking out,” Sgt. Nathan Carmichael told CNN. “Whatever resources are out there, they will use and share with each other.”
Mobile cell trailers have been sent to Black Rock desert
Thousands of revellers are having issues communicating with concerned family members on Sunday.
Cell service is limited and access to the area was restricted.
Organizers said on Sunday that mobile cell trailers and public Wi-Fi sites were being placed across the Black Rock desert, CNN reports.
In addition, buses were sent to nearby areas where desperate festivalgoers may have walked while trying to make it out of Burning Man.
Plans to burn the Man continue, organizers say
“The roads remain too wet and muddy to officially open them for Exodus,” a statement on Burning Man’s website read.
“There is also an uncertain weather front approaching Black Rock City. Please do NOT drive at this time. Road conditions differ based on the neighborhood. We will update you on the driving ban after this weather front has left the area.”
However, organizers said they still planned to burn the Man, weather permitting, at around 9.30pm Monday.
Burning Man is a test of ‘radical self-reliance’
The festival is a “temporary metropolis dedicated to community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance”, according to its website.
The six-day event in the Black Rock Desert ends with the torching of a 40-foot effigy of “the man” before Labor Day.
This year the festival was delayed due to flooding caused by Hurricane Hilary. The event has been held since 1986, when co-founders Larry Harvey and Jerry James first burned an improvised wooden figure at Baker Beach during the Summer Solstice.
In 1988, Harvey named the statue “burning man” and began promoting the event to people outside of his circle by handing out flyers and creating t-shirts, according to the Burning Man website.
By 1997, more than 10,000 attended the event and the number only continued growing over the years.
Burning Man did not take place during 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, more than 70,000 showed up to the event.
This year, the festival kicked off on 27 August and is set to end on Monday.
A satellite image of the 2023 Burning Man festival
DJ Diplo hitched ride out of Burning Man
“I legit walked the side of the road for hours with my thumb out cuz i have a show in dc tonight and didnt want to let yall down,” the DJ wrote on Instagram. “Also shoutout to this guy for making the smart purchase of a truck not knowing it was for this exact moment ?”
Death investigation underway, thousands trapped: What we know about 2023 Burning Man festival’s flooding chaos
Burning Man is already a test of “radical self-sufficiency” for festival goers but the 2023 event brought more hurdles than most would have imagined.
The start of the counter-culture festival was delayed by a rare hurricane on the west coast.
Then climate activists blocked the only road leading to the site in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert before being rammed by a tribal park ranger in his patrol truck. (That incident that is now under investigation.)
From Thursday, heavy rains have poured down on the desert area causing heavy flooding. This weekend, organizers and local authorities closed the roads in for the remainder of the festival and told those en-route to turn around and go home.
More than 70,000 “Burners” at the site have been urged to hunker down and conserve supplies amid mud slicks and unserviced toilets.
On Sunday, police announced an investigation into an unspecified death at the festival but did not disclose the name of the deceased or whether foul play was suspected.
Here’s everything we know about the Burning Man 2023 fiasco: