An unseasonable late summer storm wreaked havoc on a week-long counterculture festival, reducing it to a quagmire where tens of thousands of jubilant souls found themselves mired in foot-deep mud, amidst non-functioning toilet facilities in the northern Nevada desert. Nevertheless, many partygoers at Burning Man confirmed that, despite the challenging conditions, their spirits soared unscathed.
In light of a reported fatality, festival organizers took the decision to close the event to vehicles, though they refrained from offering details about the death.
The annual convergence in the Black Rock Desert, around 110 miles to the north of Reno, magnetizes near 80,000 individuals made up of artists, musicians, and activists. They gather for a blend of wilderness camping and groundbreaking performances. Inclement and unpredictable weather, including the disruption caused by dust storms, which necessitated temporary entrance restrictions in 2018, is woven into the festival’s recent lore. Moreover, the gathering was cancelled twice in its entirety due to the pandemic.
Over half an inch of rain poured down on the festival site on Friday, wreaking disruption upon this year’s event. Yet, many of the attendees embraced the adverse conditions. One partygoer, Scott London, a seasoned photographer from Southern California, viewed the weather-imposed travel limitations as providing “a unique perspective of Burning Man that many of us rarely get to see.”
Mark Deutschendorf, a meteorologist based in the National Weather Service’s Reno outpost, confirmed that over half an inch of rain – with some estimates reaching a full inch – fell over the weekend in northwest Nevada, which encompasses the region hosting the Burning Man festival.
Following the road closures, which coincided with the scheduled burning of a large wooden effigy on Saturday night, organizers postponed all such burning activities. Meanwhile, efforts were underway to establish exit routes by the end of the Labour Day weekend.
Though officials remained uncertain as to when conditions would improve sufficiently to permit safe navigation by motor vehicles and RVs, hopes were high that the departure could commence by late Monday, weather permitting. President Joe Biden confirmed his awareness of the circumstances unfolding at Burning Man, including the fatality.
As the event restricted vehicular movement, festival attendees braved the muddy terrain, with a significant number negotiating the sludge barefoot or with their feet in plastic bags. With a directive to conserve food and water resources, most of the crowd sought shelter onsite, weathering the storm collectively.
Despite the challenging circumstances, descriptions emerged of a community demonstrating remarkable resilience, having fun in the mire, and seizing opportunities for unique selfies. Those on site remained determined to make the most out of the adversity, capturing images of themselves splattered in mud, dancing, and frolicking in the makeshift pools of water.
Scott London, who, proud of his two-decade long association with the festival, had recently published a book titled “Burning Man: Art on Fire,” also shared experiences of navigating the flooded event grounds barefoot, emphasising the logistic challenges presented by the vehicle-free site.
Lack of access to toilet facilities, particularly as vehicles servicing the portable toilets couldn’t negotiate the boggy terrain, compounded the predicament. To avoid getting footwear irretrievably stuck in the clay, attendees cleverly improvised with plastic bags and socks over their shoes, while some simply chose to get barefoot.
Many attendees found resourceful ways to stick it out, bringing in their own supplies, weathering the storm collectively in RVs and generously sharing food and beverages. Many even demonstrated their festival spirit by dancing barefoot in the deep clay for hours.
The festival, set in the remote Black Rock desert, has been known for emphasizing self-sufficiency and radical self-reliance. According to the Pershing County Sheriff’s Office, the identity and cause of the fatality remain under investigation. Organizers, however, urged festival goers to stay calm and remain prepared to face such adversities.
Despite the inclement weather conditions, the Bureau of Land Management reported a steady stream of vehicles leaving the festival site, providing some hope for those awaiting their turn to depart from the deluged desert party.
