What Is Going On At Burning Man? What We Know

Burning Man is a festival that die-hard fans look forward to annually due to its unique nature and unconventional theme. Held in Nevada's Black Rock Desert, the festival is not for the faint of heart. However, this year's event took on a new sense of chaos due to severe weather. Between torrential rain, flooding, and overall unbearable conditions, the usual Burning Man adventure became a huge misadventure. As the desert debacle unfolded, one person reportedly died, and thousands were stranded. While the situation has improved, many are still trying to make their way home. Here's everything we know about what has happened at Burning Man so far.

According to the Burning Man website, the event started as a bonfire attended by a few friends in the early 1980s and became an official event in 1986. Ultimately, it became a week-long camping excursion in the Black Rock Desert, with a makeshift city erected every year named Black Rock City to honor the festival. Organizers emphasized inclusion, self-reliance, and building community. Festivalgoers often camp in tents or RVs and are encouraged to bring all needed supplies with them. Throughout the festival, attendees participate in forms of self-expression and enjoy art and music. The festival ends with the burning of a huge wooden effigy known as The Man.

This year's Burning Man started on August 27 and ended on Labor Day, September 4, with around 72,000 people in attendance. Performances by DJ Diplo, various other DJs and musicians, and artwork by numerous artists entertained festivalgoers. While social media showed thousands of people getting lit throughout the festival, things soon took a turn for the worse.

Unfortunately, Burning Man 2023 was hit hard and fast by unexpectedly bad weather. CNN reported that the area received almost one inch of rain between Friday and Saturday morning, equal to two or three months of rain. As a result, massive flooding took place, which turned the desert into a muddy, mucky mess. Consequently, roads weren't passable for vehicles to get in and out of the city. On top of that, howling winds reached up to 40 mph, further making the situation dire.

Due to the weather, Burning Man organizers closed all roads in the area on Friday night. By Saturday, organizers issued shelter-in-place orders to keep festivalgoers safe. Because of this, attendees had to conserve food, water, fuel, and other supplies. The bad weather continued into Sunday, making the roads even worse.

If bad weather and sheltering in place with thousands of strangers weren't bad enough, things got even worse. Since nobody could come in and out of the camps, the mobile restrooms couldn't be emptied or cleaned. In a since-deleted Instagram story that's gone around social media, Chris Rock, who was in attendance, spoke on the situation. “From what I understand, because of the flooding, the port-o-potties reportedly can’t be emptied.” Maybe that's why Burning Man organizers encourage people to bring their own "poop buckets."

In addition to the ongoing chaos, reports surfaced of a death at the festival. According to SFGATE, 32-year-old Leon Reece passed away on Friday night. The sheriff's office received a report that Reece was unresponsive, and medics performed CPR. However, it was too late, and he was pronounced dead. While authorities are saying it doesn't appear that Reece's death was weather-related, a cause is pending until the autopsy results come in.

Since the roads were impassable, everybody in attendance was stuck at the campground. Organizers warned attendees not to attempt to leave because it could be dangerous with foot-deep mud. Only emergency vehicles were permitted in and out for a while, but even they had a tough time in the muddy conditions. Campers and RVs that attempted to drive out were stuck with no way to free them. Further, not only could vehicles not maneuver, but concertgoers were advised not to try to walk. However, everybody didn't listen to the advice, including a couple of famous folks.

Apparently, Chris Rock and Diplo had enough of Burning Man and decided to dip. The two went against advice and walked about five miles through the deep, alkaline mud. Diplo wrote on social media, “I legit walked the side of the road for hours with my thumb out.” A fan picked the two up, and they rode in the back of a pickup truck. Moreover, Chris and Diplo weren't the only ones who wanted out. There were numerous reports of people taking their chances walking and hitchhiking. Sometimes, you just have to depend on the kindness of strangers.

Conditions improved by Monday, September 4, and people could finally get out. Organizers posted on the Burning Man website, "As of 2:00pm, Exodus operations have officially begun in Black Rock City. The driving ban has been lifted." However, according to the Burning Man X account, there were wait times of more than seven hours to exit.

Due to the weather and chaos, the traditional burning of the effigy took place Monday night instead of Sunday and was still viewed by thousands. The mass exodus began on Tuesday, with most festivalgoers leaving the Black Rock Desert behind. Right now, there are miles and miles of vehicles with reported wait times of around two hours. At this point, everybody is probably just thankful to get out of the desert in one piece.

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