Burning Man Has Fallen: Attendees Warned Not to Arrive Due to Flooding From Storms

The first tropical storm to hit Southern California in nearly 100 years, Hilary, has already caused major flooding and is now moving on, spurring a state of emergency declaration in Nevada ahead of its impact. The effects of the storm are causing widespread hardship, including at Burning Man—an annual gathering in the desert for wealthy clientele that includes tech CEOs and celebrities who call themselves "Burners.”

The festival is scheduled to start on August 27, with many attendees arriving days earlier to set up. On Sunday, however, organizers warned that the gates may need to be closed for several days due to the effects of Hilary. And that is what happened as Hilary made landfall in the U.S.: Burning Man's gates have remained closed this week, and the Twitter account for traffic and weather updates announced on Tuesday that would continue to be the case at least until noon on Wednesday. 

Photos and videos shared on social media over the weekend purporting to depict the state of Black Rock City, the location of Burning Man, show flooding and mud. An update posted to Instagram on Saturday by the team building the 2023 "temple" at Burning Man said that the team's work was damaged by storms, and a Monday update showed flooding at the site. 

"The gate will remain closed until noon PT Wednesday 8/23. If you were planning to travel to BRC with a Work Access Pass before then, delay your plans," the Burning Man Traffic account tweeted. "DO NOT drive to Gerlach, you will be turned around—there are no rooms available. We will post additional updates here."

Experts say that Hilary's fierce impact is due to a combination of factors, one of which is human-caused climate change due to the consumption of fossil fuels. On this point, Burning Man has a notorious track record. Attendees typically arrive by car, SUV, RV, or plane, and then set up generators in the desert, all of which burn tons of fuel and create pollution. This reality has been cause for some reflection among attendees as rising temperatures have plagued the gathering. 

This year, Burning Man organizers sued the U.S. government to block a geothermal project that aims to produce renewable energy near the site of the gathering. The plan is part of the Biden Administration's effort to get the U.S. power grid running on renewable sources of energy by 2035. Festival organizers, however, contend that building up the plant and needed infrastructure could degrade local hot springs. 

Regular attendees at the least have previous experience with Burning Man existing without Burning Man.