Tens of thousands of attendees of the annual Burning Man festival finally made their exit after heavy rain and muddy conditions left them stranded in the Nevada desert over the weekend. Image: HarleyPhoto, via Wikimedia Commons
Tens of thousands of attendees of the annual Burning Man festival finally made their exit after heavy rain and muddy conditions left them stranded in the Nevada desert over the weekend.
For the unaware, Burning Man is a week-long annual event, described by its official website as:
“…a global ecosystem of artists, makers, and community organizers who co-create art, events, and local initiatives around the world. Most recognizably, tens of thousands of Burners gather annually to build Black Rock City, a participative temporary metropolis in the Nevada desert.”
While part of Burning Man’s ethos revolves around “radical self-sufficiency”, more than 70,000 attendees faced additional challenges as heavy rain set in on Friday, turning the desert landscape to mud and clay.
The same day, event organisers instituted a driving ban, preventing attendees from leaving the festival by car and getting stuck in the treacherous terrain.
The ensuing chaos sparked a great deal of attention online, including the spread of a (now-debunked) claim of an Ebola outbreak, a host of conspiracy theories, and speculation about the appearance of triops (aka “dinosaur shrimp”) on the campgrounds.
Dinosaur shrimp are an ancient and strange-looking insect native to Nevada and many other parts of the world.
They are not “flesh-eating parasites” as some have claimed, but it’s true that the heavy rain prompted them to awaken and surface at the campsite, contributing to the chaos.
Some attendees, including celebrities such as Chris Rock and Diplo, journeyed six miles on foot to the nearest road to make an early exit from the campsite.
The ban would remain until conditions began to clear on Monday, and attendees could leave – though the ensuing mass exodus from the site resulted in traffic delays of up to eight hours.
Some attendees have claimed that the online reaction to the event was overblown, and said that for the most part, people supported each other through the challenging conditions, and made the most of their extended stay.
However, there are concerns about the environmental impact of the event – especially in light of the many who left their tents and supplies behind as they escaped the wet conditions on foot, directly contrary to the festival’s principle of “leave no trace”.
Furthermore, police are investigating the death of Leon Reece, 32, at this year’s Burning Man, though his death is believed to be unrelated to the weather conditions.
