Scenes from the Burning Man Flood
Burning Man 2023 will go down in history—but not for the right reasons. Due to an unexpected flood, the annual arts festival was rained out this past weekend, leaving over 70,000 attendees trapped at Nevada’s Black Rock Desert.
If you're unfamiliar with the event, Burning Man is a celebration that attracts partiers from across the globe. Over the course of nine days, attendees form a pop-up city in the desert, share resources, and experience all the grounds have to offer. Burning Man ends with the symbolic burning of a man-shaped totem pole. Given its isolated location, attendees camp in tents and RVs—which proved to be rather dangerous this year.
According to The New York Times, the rain caused the desert floor to transform into thick mud that no one could drive through. As a safety precaution, the event organizers closed the roads leading in and out of the campsite. By Monday, September 4th, the ground began to dry, and attendees were finally able to leave. Before heading out, many people at Burning Man chronicled their experience online. Diplo, the music producer, and DJ, attended the festival with comedian Chris Rock and shared their escape on Instagram. “I legit walked the side of the road for hours with my thumb out, cuz I have a show in DC tonight and I didn’t want to let y'all down,” he wrote. “Also shout out to this guy for making the smart purchase of a truck, not knowing it was for this exact moment.”
Keep scrolling to see the flooded festival grounds—and the attendees who braved the storm.
BURNING MAN: Massive traffic jams at Burning Man festival exit — organizers finally let people out of desert
The Burning Man contemporary art festival in American Nevada has ended with a huge congestion of cars. The hostages of the desert are eager to leave the event as soon as… pic.twitter.com/9igqYJHTb3— LWNC (@LwncNews) September 5, 2023
After days stuck at the #BurningMan Festival due to rain that turned the #Nevada desert into a quagmire, thousands of people are finally beginning their journey back home. pic.twitter.com/UesmKTXwKE
— KyivPost (@KyivPost) September 5, 2023
A helicopter flyover provides the most impressive footage of the individuals marooned at 'la playa' during the Burning Man Festival.#BurningMan pic.twitter.com/u8bkAY0sG3
— Aprajita Choudhary 🦋 (@aprajitanefes) September 5, 2023
When life gives you a storm, they're the ones dancing in the rain. #BurningMan #burningmanfail #burningman2023 pic.twitter.com/e5RLVnn72x
— Mr. Afterparty (@_mrafterparty_) September 5, 2023
Here's a more current view, posted from the playa:https://t.co/6ZjrqxCdtE https://t.co/ERNycqRFsG
— Phil Stripling (@civex) September 2, 2023
Burning Man 2023.
Flood aftermath.
Credit 🎥@ car content pic.twitter.com/wT0RpBTi5w— 💎💎💎 (@MilaRoyaleReal) September 5, 2023
Burning Man yesterday after rain….double rainbow.
The Playa was dry and walkable tonight.
All the artwork,the Man and the Temple were on display
A memorable year. More rain. Less dust.
Discussions of whether eating vegans counted as keeping vegetarian were strictly hypothetical pic.twitter.com/aSAr732ny9— Grover Norquist (@GroverNorquist) September 3, 2023
Burning Man Update. September 3, 2023.
On Sunday morning, at Burning Man ( Black Rock City Lovelock, Nevada) roads remained closed as they were “too wet and muddy” and more uncertain weather was likely on the way. While some vehicles were able to leave, others got stuck in the… pic.twitter.com/scBpUfDgAX— 💎💎💎 (@MilaRoyaleReal) September 3, 2023
BurningMan looks like living in Mad Max 😭😭😭😭😭#BurningMan #BurningMan2023 #burningmanebola #BurningManFestival pic.twitter.com/mBaLHxmLBd
— Breaking news 24/7 (@aliifil1) September 5, 2023
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