The annual Burning Man festival concludes Monday night with the burning of “the man” – concluding perhaps the saddest Burning Man ever, leaving the swampy Nevada desert littered with abandoned boots stuck in mud and acres of trash.
Organizers said on Monday there were still 64,000 revelers at the site, begging those trying to leave the squalid camp for patience and kindness.
Half an inch of rain fell on Friday, turning the site into a quagmire, and attendees were told not to leave because the roads were impassable.
Some said the dramatic weather created a sense of community, but others admitted there was a slight panic at the thought of being trapped there with a shortage of food and water.
The road reopened at 2pm on Monday and ‘the exodus’ could begin: those who left the festival before ‘the fire’ on Monday evening had to wait five hours in their vehicles before reaching the public road.
“Take it easy and pay attention to those directing traffic,” the organizers pleaded.
“Be patient when you leave Gate Road and respect the Burning Man staff who work hard to make the Exodus experience as smooth and safe as possible.”
People in parrot suits sit on Mondays and stare at ‘the man’ – the effigy in the distance
People can be seen wading through mud in Nevada on Monday
A motorhome is stuck in mud as the drivers tried to leave the Nevada property
Chicago’s Shai Peza dances in the mud after the rain on Saturday
Salt Lake City’s Molly poses for a photo at Burning Man
Traffic lines stretched to the horizon on Monday as thousands of people tried to leave
People were urged to postpone their departure until Tuesday if possible.
They were also asked not to try to walk. Some attendees – including comedian Chris Rock, actor Austin Butler and DJ Diplo – had already left the festival on foot.
Weather permitting, ‘the Man’ will be set on fire at 9 p.m. on Monday, while the temple will be set on fire at 8 p.m. on Tuesday.
The National Weather Service in Reno said Monday should remain mostly clear and dry at the festival site, though some light showers could fall Tuesday morning.
The event started on August 27 and was supposed to end on Monday morning, with attendees packing and tidying up.
“We are a bit dirty and muddy, but the mood is good. The party is still going on,” says Scott London, a photographer from Southern California, adding that the travel restrictions offered “an image of Burning Man that many of us don’t get to see.”
Participants walk through a muddy desert plain on Monday
On Monday, a man makes his way through the mud in the desert
Muddy boots are left on the side of the road on Monday
Burning Man organizers announced on Monday it was safe to leave, but said no one could leave the event at speeds over 10 mph
Hundreds of Burning Man visitors who planned to leave on buses are waiting for information on when they can leave
A man examines the muddy scene in Black Rock, Nevada, on Monday
Los Angeles ‘Dirty D’ dives into the mud at Burning Man
One person was even seen with a boat parked on the property
The annual gathering, which started on a San Francisco beach in 1986, attracts nearly 80,000 artists, musicians and activists for a mix of wilderness camping and avant-garde performances.
Disruptions are part of the event’s recent history: dust storms forced organizers to temporarily close the festival’s entrances in 2018, and the event was canceled altogether twice during the pandemic.
At least one fatal accident has been reported, but organizers said the death of a man in his 40s had nothing to do with the weather.
The sheriff of nearby Pershing County said it was investigating but has not identified the man or cause of death.
President Joe Biden told reporters in Delaware on Sunday that he was aware of the situation at Burning Man, including the death, and that the White House was in contact with local authorities.
The event is remote on the best days and emphasizes self-sufficiency.
Amidst the flooding, revelers were urged to save their food and water, and most remained crouched on the spot.
However, some attendees managed to walk or ride several miles to the nearest town.
Diplo, whose real name is Thomas Wesley Pentz, posted a video to Instagram Saturday night of him and Rock riding in the back of a fan’s pickup. He said they walked six miles through the mud before hitchhiking.
“I literally spent hours walking along the side of the road with my thumb out,” Diplo wrote.
Diplo had ski goggles to shield his eyes from the desert dust as he left the site
Actor and comedian Chris Rock, 58, found himself amid the muddy chaos that descended on the Burning Man festival grounds and piggybacked off the chaos on Saturday.
Rows of traffic snake through the desert on Monday as festival goers try to leave
Garbage will be left on the side of the road by the exit of Burning Man on Monday
It looked like people had just thrown their garbage bags out of their cars on Monday
The spirit of Burning Man is self-sufficiency, but many people seemed to have ignored this and left their rubbish behind
On Friday, during heavy rainfall, a double rainbow can be seen above the site
Cindy Bishop and three of her friends managed to leave the festival at dawn on Monday in their rented campervan, while according to Bishop, the main road was not guarded.
She said they were happy to get out after driving to the exit over the course of two days and getting stuck several times.
But Bishop, who traveled from Boston for her second Burning Man, said the mood was still high at the festival when they left.
Most of the people she spoke to said they planned to stay for the ceremonial burns.
“The spirit in there was really like, ‘We’re going to take care of each other and make the most of it,'” she said.
Rebecca Barger, a photographer from Philadelphia, arrived at her first Burning Man on August 26 and was determined to make it to the end.
“Everyone just adjusted, sharing RVs to sleep and offering food and coffee,” Barger said.
‘I danced for hours in foot-deep clay to great DJs.’