The mud has prevented, among other things, the maintenance of the festival’s portable Toilets.
Mikko Leppänen,
Yrjö Kokkonen
The Burning Man cultural festival in the Nevada desert of the United States has run into great difficulties due to heavy rain.
On Saturday, the heavy rain turned the sand of the festival area called Black Rock City into dense mud, which prevents the movement of vehicles and hinders even walking.
The organizers announced in their press release that access to Black Rock City is closed until the end of the event.
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management, which oversees the Black Rock Desert, said that due to weather conditions, vehicular traffic to the festival site had to be completely shut down. According to the agency, more rain is expected in the coming days.
According to local media, there are more than 70,000 people in the festival area. The organizers have urged the thousands of attendees to stay sheltered in warm places and to ration food and water, as the festival’s maintenance has almost stopped.
The party continues, the toilets are blocked
On Saturday, many festival goers walked around the area barefoot or with plastic bags tied to their feet. Despite the conditions, many try to take the joy out of the event and dance in the mud to the rhythm of machine music.
– The party continues. The conditions could be worse. Everyone helps each other, that’s what Burning Man is all about, said a festival guest Shervin Natan British Broadcasting Corporation for the BBC.
Due to the closure of vehicle traffic, for example, the festival’s portable toilets cannot be emptied and maintained. Participating in the event Mike Jed and his campmates had set up a bucket toilet.
– If this turns into a real disaster, no one will have sympathy for us. This is Burning Man, Jed said according to the AP news agency.
Regular guest at Burning Man Paul Reder has participated in the event for 22 years. This year he arrived at the festival in an RV. Now his vehicle is blocked by thick mud.
– Fortunately, we are in a fairly large camp and we have a lot of supplies. As a community, we share everything between us, Reder told the Reuters news agency via video call.
Reder estimates that it will take at least a couple of days for the mud to dry. He plans to stay in the area until then. Reder said that some of the festival guests have started to leave the area by walking to the nearest highway.
False rumors have been spread on social media that the Ebola virus, which causes hemorrhagic fever, is spreading at the Burning Man festival. So this is not true.
The name of the festival comes from the burning of a human figure
Burning Man got its name from the event held on the penultimate night of the festival, during which a large wooden structure called Man is burned.
The festival started as a small-scale gathering in 1986. At first, the event was organized on the beach in San Francisco. Since the 90s, the party has been held in the Black Rock Desert in Nevada.
Nowadays, the celebration is popular among other people, such as public figures, social media influencers and technology workers.
This year, Burning Man started on August 27th and ends on September 4th. The venue is located approximately 180 kilometers north of the city of Reno.
You can discuss the topic until Monday, September 4 at 11 p.m.
Sources: AFP, AP, Reuters