Controversies around desert music festival that turned into muddy nightmare

Over 70,000 festival attendees have been stranded in the Nevada desert since September 1 because of torrential rains, leading to roads leading in and out of the event area. 

As reported by VOX, conditions in and around the festival have deteriorated after a series of storms rolled through the Black Rock Desert on September 1 and 2, turning the dry lake bed on which festival stages and camping equipment of the attendees are set up into thick mud.

Organizers have asked festival-goers to shelter in place, and the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office closed the entrance to Burning Man for the remainder of the event, leaving approx. 70,000 attendees stuck at the event site in the middle of the Nevada desert. According to several posts on social media platforms by the attendees remaining at the site, toilets are not functioning properly with food reserves slowly dwindling. 

Meteorological services have recorded that rain amounting to the threefold average monthly amount came down on the Reno area of Nevada over the weekend, as reported by AP. Festival organizers notified the stuck concert-goers that the exit routes might become functional on September 4, yet no updates have been made so far.

Famous US musician Diplo, who traveled to the festival site to attend Burning Man, posted a video on his X (former Twitter) page, depicting how he attempted to leave the area by walking for several kilometers through thick mud before being picked up by a festival attendee, leaving on a pick-up truck. Another celebrity, comedian Chris Rock, happened to be on the same vehicle, being also escorted out of the event. 

The "Burning Man" event attracts thousands of artists and fans each year, culminating in the traditional burning of an enormous wooden effigy, similiar to a bonfire. This year's festival faced difficulties before it even began, when a small group of climate protesters parked a 28-foot trailer across the main entrance road, causing severe traffic and hour-long delays. The festival, held in the depth of the Black Rock Desert in the western US, has to truck in all of its resources and equipment due to the remote location, traveling several hundreds of kilometers. The week-long event generates about 100,000 tons of carbon dioxide, which is more than about 22,000 gas-powered cars produced in a year. According to a 2020 environmental sustainability report generated by the Burning Man Organization, 90% of the event’s carbon footprint comes from travel to and from Black Rock City, with another 5% percent comes from gas- and diesel-burning generators that keep lights and air conditioners on during the festival, as well as the gigantic bonfire.