The first burners – including staff and set-up crew – have returned to the iconic Burning Man festival after the ground was hit by Tropical Storm Hilary.
The torrential rain and storms this week brought parts of prehistoric Lake Lahontan back to life. The area is mostly arid soil known as the playa and receives tens of thousands of festival goers every September.
People who arrived early to set up the elaborate festival decor in the Nevada desert have informed enthusiastic festival fans of the storm’s recovery.
Scantily clad music lovers looking to let loose and enjoy the event’s signature psychedelic atmosphere are expected to arrive later this week.
One person, showing the view of the drying plain, wrote yesterday: ‘The playa is drying and we are moving forward for gate day. The man is ready to let us all gather. Beautiful weather.’
People who help set up Burning Man are back on their feet before the festival-goers arrive
The site in Black Rock City looked more like a lake than a desert after Tropical Storm Hilary
Another festival goer, Gabriel Contreras, gave an update on Wednesday morning while cycling across the playa: ‘The ground has dried up quite a bit. I believe the gates should be ready to be opened.
“There are still some damp spots. But it will be a beautiful day.’
The texture of the soil seemed to almost completely return to its desert character after a period of low flooding and muddy areas thanks to the tropical storm.
The festival officially reopened for event builders on Wednesday at noon.
Ticket holders are expected to start pouring in later this week.
About 80,000 people will descend into the Black Rock Desert to create the temporary Black Rock City for the week-long festival.
Burning Man Traffic wrote in a Tweet: ‘The Gate opens today, Wednesday 23/08. 21/8, 22/8 and 23/8 Work Access Pass holders have assigned access windows – more information has been sent to these WAP holders via email. Please read your email carefully before you set out. Drive safe!’
This year’s annual event will take place from August 27 to September 4.
As if the flooding from the hurricane wasn’t enough, the area is currently in the midst of tarantula season.
And in a shocking post-storm photo, an event-goer was seen in the desert navigating the landscape in a kayak.
Closing the gates hampered traffic flow into the temporary city, as event attendees often arrive at the site early to set up camp.
Burning Man’s grounds in the Nevada desert reopened to visitors on Wednesday after flooding from Tropical Storm Hilary and amid a tarantula infestation in the region
Burning Man organizers told people Monday to postpone their scheduled arrival at the venue
One festival-goer stands next to an elaborate vehicle installation at Burning Man in 2022
Paris Hilton was seen at Burning Man last year. Since many Burners like to take years off between visits, the pandemic break may have reset the cycle and ended 2023 as an off-year.
Held in the Black Rock Desert since the early 1990s, the week-long festival has long been a tradition and is attended by scantily clad individuals looking to relax and soak up the event’s signature psychedelic vibe.
Last year, a dust storm hit Nevada’s Black Rock Desert, where Burning Man has been held since the early 1990s
Attendees were told not to even attempt to enter the area because of the flooding.
“DO NOT drive to Gerlach, you will be turned around, there are no rooms available.”
Burning Man has longstanding ties to the Bay Area and the technology industry. The event was first held on a San Francisco beach in the 1980s when it originated as a small bonfire ceremony for the summer solstice.
Burner’s other complaints include an influx of social media influencers at the event, which some say goes against Burning Man’s “no spectators” mandate, which requires all attendees to participate and contribute in some way.
Some are also annoyed by the proliferation of loud, pulsating electronic music at Burning Man, turning the experiential art encounter into something more like a rave.
Yet Burners has lamented for decades that the festival has lost its soul and is no longer what it used to be.