Visitors can leave the Burning Man Festival, miles away from desert traffic jams
Because of the mud, attendees had to wait for the surface to dry enough to drive again. This was the case on Monday afternoon local time, according to the organization.
Although the remaining 64,000 visitors were allowed to leave the site by car, buggy or other motorized vehicle at that time, the organization called for them to do so only on Tuesday. Many did not comply with this request. Then a long line of ten rows was formed.
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Joram Paul is the general correspondent for De Volkskrant.
The only way out of the property is a five mile dirt road to the nearest highway. At around 10 pm local time, the waiting time increased to about eight hours. This isn’t unusual for the end of a Burning Man movie.
And visitors who decided to leave the site at that time could catch a glimpse in their rear-view mirrors of the event that gave the festival its name: the burning of a 23-metre effigy. This traditional closure was postponed by one day from Sunday to Monday due to rain.
Walking and lifting
Not everyone stayed until Monday evening. Over the weekend, there were thousands of visitors who, despite the ban, tried to leave the site by car. Others decided to leave the festival on foot and walk to the highway. Among them was DJ Diplo and comedian Chris Rock, who posted a video to social media from the back of a pickup truck in which they catch a ride to civilization. The organization explicitly advised visitors not to leave on foot on Monday.
The Burning Man Festival is held annually in the Black Rock Desert, Nevada, about 100 miles northeast of Reno. Among the visitors are legions of influencers and celebrities. The festival originates from the alternative scene in San Francisco.
The festival’s founders articulated ten principles that underlie Burning Man, including “radical inclusion”, “radical self-expression” and “radical self-sufficiency”. And Friday’s 1.3-inch rainfall put this last principle to the real test. Visitors were advised to be careful with water and food, as supplies for the festival could no longer be made due to the impassable roads.
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