Burning Man attendees share ordeal with urine bottles as clean-up begins after exodus – updates
Organisers have three weeks to clear the sprawling Nevada desert campsite
Support truly
independent journalism
Our mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.
Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.
Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.
Louise Thomas
Editor
The Burning Man exodus appears to have come to an end — paving the way for a massive clean-up job to begin.
Thousands of attendees cleared out from the Nevada desert campsite after being trapped for days when the festival descended into chaos with heavy rainfall, flooding and muddy conditions.
Organisers will now spend the next three weeks cleaning up the sprawling site to fulfil the festival’s key principle of “leave no trace”, after the area was left littered with abandoned vehicles, furniture and trash.
People who attended this year’s festival said they were instructed to urinate in bottles to conserve space in the porta-potties. In the aftermath of the rain trash was left everywhere, wrote Rob Price in Business Insider.
“The porta-potties were surrounded by a halo of shredded toilet paper that clung to shoes,” he added.
The end of the tumultuous exodus comes after officials revealed the suspected cause of death for the man who died during the event.
The man, identified as 32-year-old Leon Reece, was found unresponsive on the playa on Friday, with emergency responders unable to revive him.
What the Burning Man Exodus looked like
What are the three-eyed ‘dinosaur shrimp’ resurfacing after Burning Man?
Who would have thought a small, yet peculiar creature could stir up such a scene in the Nevada Desert?
After heavy rains from Tropical Storm Hilary turned a dry desert into a mud pit, revellers at the Burning Man Festival were left trapped on site.
Faiza Saqib reports:
What are the three-eyed ‘dinosaur shrimp’ resurfacing after Burning Man?
These curious critters were awoken in the Nevada desert after intense flooding upended Burning Man 2023. Here’s what you need to know about them
Cindy Crawford, Austin Butler and Kaia Gerber also escaped Burning Man
Cindy Crawford, Austin Butler and Kaia Gerber also escaped Burning Man as the festival became a washout.
Diplo and Chris Rock shared online over the weekend that they had walked miles to leave the site as it was hit with heavy rainfall.
In an interview with CNN, Diplo revealed that they were joined by more celebrities: “[Rock] had his New York Knicks jacket on and he just got up with us and started walking. And we walked about three hours in the mud. He was happy. It was me, I think Cindy Crawford walked with us.
“Kaia Gerber, Austin Butler, Randy Gerber, a writer, a couple of producers from TV, a couple of people who just wanted to get home to their children. They didn’t take no for an answer.”
What’s it really like to survive nine days in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert?
The infamous gathering (it’s most definitely not a festival) just finished for another year – but what’s it actually like to pitch up for the full nine days?
Claire Dodd reports:
This is what it's really like to spend nine days at Burning Man
The infamous gathering (it’s most definitely not a festival) just finished for another year – but what’s it actually like to pitch up for the full nine days?
CDC confirms no Ebola, Mpox or Marbug at Burning Man
In a statement provided to The Independent, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) confirmed there are no reports of Ebola at Burning Man.
“CDC has not received any reports of Ebola at the Burning Man Festival and has not issued any warnings or had any requests for assistance from the state and local health departments either,” a spokesperson for the CDC said.
“Additionally, we have not received reports of Mpox or Marburg, and to our knowledge a national emergency for the flooding has not been declared.”
Viral country star Oliver Anthony among those ‘trapped’ at Burning Man
Oliver Anthony, the country artist behind the viral hit “Rich Men North of Richmond”, is apparently among those stranded at Burning Man festival in Nevada.
The annual arts festival has been plunged into chaos after rare, severe rains flooded the Black Rock Desert, leaving behind thick mud, which has grounded vehicles.
More than 70,000 “Burners”, as the festival’s attendees are referred to, were urged to hunker down and conserve supplies.
Anthony, 31, was scheduled to be interviewed by the socialist political journal Midwestern Marx on Sunday (3 September); however, in a live stream, its presenters said the singer was “trapped” at Burning Man.
“Our man Oliver Anthony has been trapped in the flooding at Burning Man, this is what he told us over email,” one of the show’s three hosts explained.
Recap: Burning Man fans share heartbreak as desert venue is flooded by storm
Burning Man festivalgoers are voicing their distress after the Black Rock City, Nevada, venue was hit with torrential rains during Tropical Storm Hilary this week.
Pictures and videos of the flooded playa have been circulating on social media, with organisers asking attendees to “please be patient”.
“It’s not something we typically see,” Justin Collins, a forecaster with the weather service’s Reno office, told SFGATE.com. “All this rain all at once is pretty unusual in summer. You see it in winter more.”
Tom Murray reports:
Burning Man attendees share heartbreak as desert venue is flooded by storm
‘The desert doesn’t absorb. It’s like a pool being drained onto a tile floor,’ one person commented on social media
Watch: Burning Man revellers build mud sculptures
Burning Man revellers build mud sculptures as thousands stranded after floods
Burning Man revellers built mud sculptures and waded through the dirt as partying continued despite chaos leaving thousands stranded at the Nevada desert festival after severe flooding. One person has died during the event, but local law enforcement are yet to identify the individual and reveal the suspected cause of death. Tens of thousands of attendees remain stranded at the site in the Black Rock desert after the extreme weather. Revellers were left to trudge through mud, many barefoot or wearing plastic bags on their feet, after being urged to shelter in place and conserve food, water and other supplies over the weekend.
How Chris Rock and Diplo escaped Burning Man
Chris Rock and Diplo have shared their experience of escaping Burning Man festival , with some 73,000 attendees stranded in the desert following heavy downpours in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert.
Diplo shared a video of the pair fleeing the chaos to Twitter/X, writing in the caption: “Just walked five miles in the mud out of Burning Man with Chris Rock and a fan picked us up.”
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments