The 72,000 attendees of the Burning Man Festival were finally given the green light to leave the Nevada desert. Three days after being stranded due to heavy torrential rains, festival-goers began to leave Black Rock City on Monday afternoon.
Event organizers lifted a driving ban around 2 p.m. local time after muddy roads dried out enough for vehicles to get through. For more than five hours, the 73,000 people made their way home through the authorized routes.
The exodus of 72,000 participants from Burning Man 2023 is anticipated to begin today at noon. Visitors will be returning to their homes, both locally and in far-reaching locations, using various modes of transportation, including vehicles and planes. pic.twitter.com/4O7RAS0Ukv
— Washoe Sheriff (@WashoeSheriff) September 4, 2023
They only asked attendees not to leave the Black Rock Desert about 110 miles north of Reno. People like DJ Diplo and comedian Chris Rock didn't follow these recommendations and left on foot. The reasons for asking people to avoid this route were not disclosed to the public.
Chaos at the Burning Man Festival
The complicated situation at the Burning Man Festival in Black Rock City (Nevada) left one person dead. Their body was found after the storm and is currently under investigation. At the moment, no more information has been provided about the event or the person's identity.
BREAKING: Investigation now underway into death that occurred during heavy rain at Burning Man. No word on potential cause yet by Pershing Sheriff’s Office. Roads in and out of festival have been shut down due to muddy conditions leaving thousands of festival goers stranded @KTVU pic.twitter.com/5dPHbodQnX
— Zak Sos (@ZakSNews) September 3, 2023
Thousands of people tried to walk out of the desert. This was the case of DJ Diplo and Chris Rock, who walked several miles through the mud until some fans picked them up in a pickup truck.
Diplo shared his adventure in an Instagram post. The two can be seen in the back of a pickup truck with several fans on their way to the city. In the accompanying video, he shows the surroundings. Several people can be seen trying to make their way out of the festival area. The singer explains that he left the area, going against the official recommendation, because he had a show that night in Washington DC. "I legit walked the side of the road for hours with my thumb out cuz I have a show in DC tonight and didn't want to let y'all down," he said.
Later, the singer uploaded a story from the plane, on the way to DC, boasting that he made it to his flight on time and ensuring that he would make it to his show that night. Rock posted a video to his stories showing the muddy ground around the venue.
