Burning Man, Soggy Man: 70,000 trapped in the mud

The strange festival in the middle of Nevada's Black Rock Desert took an extra chaotic twist this weekend when rare rain flooded out the festival grounds. Burning Man was once a counter-culture festival but now welcomes some of the richest and most famous people in the world.

Amid the deluge, organizers asked 'Burners,' as attendees are called, to stay at their campsites and "conserve food, water and fuel" because people were likely going to be stranded for a while. President Joe Biden was even briefed on the situation.

Image: nadia_abraham/TikTok

Organizers also urged attendees not to try to leave and even locked the gates. For one, the mud made it nearly impossible. But also because the vehicles turning in the mud could damage the desert ecosystem that is clearly not set up to support so many people.

Image: mariasoleeeeeamore/TikTok

Here, you can see drone footage of the event's setup. Black Rock City is a temporary city created by participants but has no permanent infrastructure. Some people reportedly left behind their camps and trash in a hurry, which could be a problem later on, violating the festival's "Leave No Trace" policy.

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Organizers' calls to hunker down did little to stop many attendees from fleeing the uncomfortable scene. Notably, music producer Diplo and comedian Chris Rock documented their escape. They walked six miles down a muddy road with their thumbs up trying to hitch a ride.

Image: diplo/ Instagram

A fan eventually spotted the comic and DJ and gave them and their crew a ride in the back of a pick-up truck. In a video, Chris Rock joked about what he would do if he got a cold brew coffee.

Image: diplo/Instagram

burningmanfashion_ on Instagram gave an update. Saying it was so muddy that you can't bike, walk long distances or drive without a 4x4. What's more internet connection was very spotty. All of the structures had also fallen down. "We are not allowed out, we're ok, we have enough tuna for a week," she added.

Image: burningmanfashion/Instagram

One of the consequences of the festival being cut off was that the porta potties reportedly could not be serviced. The mother of one Burner told The Independent that participants were instructed to go pee on the ground and save the outhouses for number two. "If the port-a-potties overflow, we're going to be in a massive, massive public health disaster," resident doctor Maya Alexandri told NBC.

Image: Fox 11

Dr. Alexandri said other health risks were people getting cold if they didn't bring warm clothing or running out of medicine. She also said that many people are using psychedelic drugs. "If you're in a disaster situation, you think you're in the apocalypse and then you take ketamine, you've made the apocalypse worse."

Image: gabriellalenzi/Instagram

Another consequence was that thousands of dollars worth of gear and artwork were destroyed in the flooding. Some burners spend all year preparing for the event.

Image: dcharts/Twitter

Images showed wires covered in mud and water, making for a hazardous situation. One Burner in a social media video said that "a lot of people got electrocuted" but it seems like none were seriously injured.

Image: dcharts/Twitter

Amid all the chaos, one of the burners died. Few details are known, but on Sunday, Burning Man Communications said the death was "unrelated to the weather," according to The Independent. The death is still being investigated by local law enforcement.

The mud made it impossible for many not to get their shoes stuck in the mud, so people were resorting to creative footwear like ziplock bags and garbage bags.. someone had flippers in the middle of the desert too!

Flippers: humminlion/TikTok Ziplock: mariasoleeeeamore/TikTok

Burner babyalinaface posted about how "insane" and difficult it was for those who were still there. She was trudging through the mud to pick up her "big suitcase" before someone threw it away and said there was no food or showers. But others reported about how the small communities came together to help those in need.

Image: babyalinaface/Tiktok

While most of the rich and famous were reported to have left, many of those who stayed still tried to make the most of it. The often drug-fueled parties continued in the camp kitchens, according to reports.

Image: (left) dcharts/Twitter (right) humminglion/TikTok

Of course, conspiracy theories also started circulating. Organizers had to deny that there was an ebola outbreak or that FEMA was there, planning to build a fence around the festival. "You guys keep believing the CNN flood story, I'll be in the basement preparing for a zombie apocalypse," said this conspiracy theory promoter who said Burners were vomiting coagulated blood.

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The skies cleared up by Sunday and Burning Man organizers told attendees that the gates should be able to open for an Exodus beginning on Monday. However, many will want to stay for the big event: the burning. After being postponed a couple of times, the highlight of the festival, the burning of the 'big man,' is tentatively slated for Monday night.

Despite everything, some hardcore burners were happy with the overall situation. “This is the best Burning Man I’ve ever attended and I wouldn’t trade it for an early departure,” Fausto Zapata, 51, of Los Angeles, told the New York Times. “People were expecting catastrophe and ended up finding community. If at the end of the day Burning Man is about radical self-reliance, it came out in the most radical of ways this year.”

Despite the hardships, many social media users reported little sympathy for those caught up in the Burning Man disaster. "Isn't this where rich people go to feel poor?," one commentator wrote on a video showing the flooding. "Money can't buy weather," another added.

Image: diplo/Instagram

Before Burning Man even started, climate protestors tried to block the entry, causing miles of gridlock. They called for a ban on private jets, unnecessary power use, and an end to single-use plastics. “Burning Man should aim to have the same type of political impact that Woodstock had on counterculture,” Mun Chong, an organizer with Extinction Rebellion, said in a statement. “If we are honest about system change, it needs to start at ‘home.’ Ban the lowest-hanging fruit immediately: private jets.”

Image: Freedomnews TV/ Youtube

Despite much of the Burning Man talk about utopias, the weeklong festival produces roughly the same emissions as 22,000 cars burn in a year. Organizers also helped halt a geothermal energy project in the area this year. But this year, as some point out, Mother Nature took revenge. It had rained in past events, but festivalgoers say it was nothing compared to 2023.