Burning Man festival attendees ‘shelter in place’ after mud closes access

BLACK ROCK CITY, Nevada — More than 73,000 attendees at the annual Burning Man festival were told to shelter in place in the Nevada desert on Saturday after a slow-moving rainstorm turned the area into a muddy mess, organizers said.

>> Read more trending news

The event, which touts local art, self-reliance and self-expression, is held during the week leading up to Labor Day and culminates in the burning of an 8-foot wooden effigy, referred to as the Man, on the Saturday before the holiday. The practice began in 1986 on Baker Beach in San Francisco and eventually shifted to the Nevada desert, NBC News reported.

Festival attendees were advised to conserve their supplies of food, water and fuel, CNN reported.

The event officially ends Monday with a departure known as Exodus, USA Today reported. It began on Aug. 27, but organizers had closed the gates to early arrivals due to the remnants of Hurricane Hilary that swamped northwestern Nevada, according to the newspaper.

“Officials from BLM and the Pershing County Sheriff’s Office have closed ingress to the Burning Man event effective immediately and for the remainder of the event. Participants inbound for the event should turn around and head home, the bureau said. “Rain over the last 24 hours has created a situation that required a full stop of vehicle movement on the playa. More rain is expected over the next few days and conditions are not expected to improve enough to allow vehicles to enter the playa.”

The Bureau of Land Management is the federal agency that oversees the public land where Burning Man is held, the Gazette Journal reported.

Organizers for the event announced on X, formerly known as Twitter, that no driving was allowed in or out of Black Rock City.

“You will be turned around,” event organizers tweeted.

Organizers banned vehicle traffic from the roads beginning Friday afternoon, the Gazette Journal reported. The newspaper reported that even people walking were in peril because of the thick, slimy mud that was caused by the rain.

More rain was expected through Sunday, event organizers said.

©2023 Cox Media Group