Burning Man 2023
{{Short description|Experimental event in Nevada, U.S.}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox recurring event
| name = Burning Man 2023
| logo =
| logo_caption =
| image =
| imagesize =
| caption = The Man 2 and El Pulpo Mechanico
| date = August 27–{{End date|2023|09|04}}
| location = Black Rock Desert
Pershing County, Nevada, U.S.
| attendance = 73,000
| budget =
| website = {{URL|burningman.org}}
}}
{{maplink|frame=yes|type=point|coord={{coord|40|52|59|N|119|03|50|W}}|zoom=4|frame-width=280|frame-height=|text=Location of Burning Man 2023}}
Burning Man 2023 was a week-long gathering in the Black Rock Desert in Pershing County, Nevada. The 35th Burning Man event, it took place from August 27 to September 4, 2023. An estimated 73,000 people attended the event.
Torrential weather severely affected the event near its conclusion, leaving attendees stranded as some began an exodus. One fatality was reported.
Background
{{Main|Burning Man}}
Burning Man is a week-long gathering of art, community, self-expression, and self-reliance held in the Black Rock Desert in Pershing County, Nevada. The event lies on Lake Lahontan, a large lake that desiccated due to Pleistocene climate change, leaving a dry lake, or playa, in the northwestern Nevada region.{{Cite web |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/climate/article/burning-man-playa-rain-18345507.php |title=About that famous Burning Man playa? It’s actually an ancient lake bed |date=September 3, 2023 |last=Galbraith |first=Kate |work=San Francisco Chronicle |access-date=September 3, 2023}} Burning Man attracts tens of thousands of attendees, including artists, musicians, and activists. The event is guided by self-sufficiency; most attendees must bring their own food, water, and supplies in an event similar to wilderness camping with performances. Burning Man features an eponymous burning of a large, wooden effigy known as the "Man".{{Cite web |url=https://apnews.com/article/burning-man-festival-flooding-entrance-closed-d6cd88ee009c6e1f6d2d92739ec1ca18 |title=Burning Man flooding strands tens of thousands at Nevada site; authorities are investigating 1 death |date=September 3, 2023 |agency=Associated Press |access-date=September 3, 2023}} Attendees, known as "Burners", create a civilization known as Black Rock City comprising villages, a medical center, and an airport.{{Cite web |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/09/03/what-is-burning-man-history-origin/70757337007/ |title=What is Burning Man? What to know about its origin, name and what people do there |date=September 3, 2023 |last=Guzman |first=Francisco |work=USA Today |access-date=September 3, 2023}} To enter Burning Man, participants must either use the airport or a section of Nevada State Route 447.{{Cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/article/burning-man-mud-trapped.html |title=Burning Man: What to Know About the Mud and Flooding |date=September 3, 2023 |last=Holpuch |first=Amanda |work=The New York Times |access-date=September 3, 2023}}
Event
The theme of Burning Man 2023 was "Animalia", celebrating the "animal world and our place in it".{{Cite web |url=https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/nevada-desert-burning-man-weather-rain-09-03-23/h_1697a81277100cfb2e206d7933b10e2d |title=What to know about Burning Man — the festival where thousands are now stranded |date=September 3, 2023 |last1=Hetter |first1=Katia |last2=Palumbo |first2=Jacqui |last3=Holland |first3=Oscar |publisher=CNN |access-date=September 3, 2023}} Organizers closed Burning Man's gates before the event due to Hurricane Hilary.{{Cite web |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/2023/09/02/burning-man-festival-weather/ |title=Burning Man attendees stranded amid harsh weather |date=September 2, 2023 |last=Chery |first=Samantha |work=The Washington Post |access-date=September 3, 2023}} The beginning of the event was disrupted when protesters blocked the highway to the Black Rock Desert asking for organizers to ban private planes, single-use plastics, and limit its power usage. Four people were arrested.{{Cite web |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-09-03/burning-man-attendees-trapped-by-mud-told-to-conserve-food#xj4y7vzkg |title=Burning Man Death Under Probe With Thousands Still Stranded |date=September 2, 2023 |last=Diaz |first=Alicia |publisher=Bloomberg News |access-date=September 3, 2023}} A box representing war-torn Ukraine entitled "Phoenix" was burned at the event, the work of fabricators in Kyiv and Chicago. Before its burning, the box played audio of explosions and air raid sirens as an opera singer performed a Ukrainian song.{{Cite web |url=https://www.cnn.com/style/burning-man-ukraine-box-phoenix/index.html |title=At Burning Man, a 26-foot tall box sculpture paid fiery tribute to Ukraine |date=August 31, 2023 |last1=Palumbo |first1=Jacqui |last2=Holland |first2=Oscar |publisher=CNN |access-date=September 3, 2023}} An estimated 73,000 people attended the event at a cost of {{USD|575}} per person for a regular ticket.{{Cite web |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/us/one-death-reported-burning-man-thousands-stranded-mud-rain-2023-09-03/ |title=One death reported at Burning Man, thousands stranded in mud and rain |date=September 3, 2023 |publisher=Reuters |access-date=September 3, 2023}}
Among celebrities who attended the event were Diplo,{{cite news |last1=Cohen |first1=Rebecca |last2=Zitser |first2=Joshua |title=I went to Burning Man. The celebrities who fled the mud this year didn't understand the true spirit of the event. |url=https://www.insider.com/celebrities-fled-burning-man-didnt-understand-spirit-event-2023-9 |access-date=September 6, 2023 |publisher=Insider |date=September 5, 2023}} Chris Rock,{{cite news |last1=Noyen |first1=Maria |last2=Erb |first2=Jordan Parker |title=Burning Man 2023 is basically just Fyre Festival 2.0 – here are 6 reasons why |url=https://www.insider.com/why-burning-man-2023-is-basically-fyre-festival-2023-9#fyre-festival-was-touted-by-celebrities-who-never-attended-high-profile-people-did-go-to-burning-man-this-year-but-escaped-sheltering-in-place-6 |access-date=September 6, 2023 |date=September 3, 2023}} Kelly Gale, and Joel Kinnaman.{{cite news |last1=Power |first1=Shannon |title=Full List of Burning Man Celebrities Who Got Caught Up in Chaos |url=https://www.newsweek.com/burning-man-celebrities-diplo-chris-rock-1824425 |access-date=September 6, 2023 |date=September 4, 2023}}
Rainfall and exodus
{{main|September 2023 southwestern U.S. floods}}
On September 1, heavy rainfall hit Nevada. The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning through September 4. Burning Man advised attendees that they should shelter in place and closed the front entrance. Between {{Convert|.5|in|mm}} and {{Convert|1|in|mm}} of rain fell on September 1.{{Cite web |url=https://abc7.com/burning-man-festival-mud-rain-nevada-desert/13733953/ |title=Heavy rain creates muddy mess at Burning Man, one death reported |date=September 3, 2023 |author=Associated Press |website=ABC7.com |access-date=September 5, 2023}} Despite organizers stating that the gate and airport in Black Rock City were closed, authorities said participants were free to leave. The Bureau of Land Management urged attendees heading to the event to turn around. Organizers suggested that participants should walk to Gerlach, although most hotel rooms in Gerlach were already fully booked. They ended up discouraging attendees from walking in the dark and provided buses to Reno from there.{{Cite web |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/burning-man-attendees-advised-shelter-place-conserve-food-water-due-he-rcna103127 |title=Death at Burning Man investigated as rain-soaked festival asks attendees to shelter in place |date=September 2, 2023 |last1=Romero |first1=Dennis |last2=Alsharif |first2=Mirna |publisher=NBC News |access-date=September 3, 2023}} Heather Richards, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Reno, told the Los Angeles Times that playa mud is "so thick that you'll sink right into it and be stuck there for a while".{{Cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-09-02/no-access-in-or-out-of-burning-man-after-rain-brings-mud-were-being-put-to-the-test |title= Rain, mud cause upheaval at Burning Man festival |date=September 2, 2023 |last1=Mejia |first1=Brittny |last2=Watanbe |first2=Teresa |work=Los Angeles Times |access-date=September 3, 2023}} Event officials released a "Wet Playa Survival Guide" to help attendees deal with the conditions.{{Cite web |url=https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/burning-man-survival-guide-black-rock-city-18345668.php |title=Burning Man releases ‘Wet Playa Survival Guide’ amid disastrous conditions at Black Rock City |date=September 3, 2023 |last=Bartlett |first=Amanda |work=SFGate |access-date=September 3, 2023}}
The Nevada Department of Transportation closed travel lanes on Route 447.{{Cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/lifestyle-news/diplo-chris-rock-escape-burning-man-festival-rainfall-mud-weather-1235580942/ |title=Diplo and Chris Rock Escape Burning Man Festival After Catching Ride in Fan’s Pickup Truck |date=September 2, 2023 |last=Thomas |first=Carly |work=The Hollywood Reporter |access-date=September 3, 2023}} According to Pershing County sheriff Jerry Allen, some vehicles have caused damage to the playa. Allen urged attendees to avoid driving out of the event.{{Cite web |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/burning-man-rains-mud/story?id=102886032 |title=Death reported at Burning Man as attendees asked to conserve food after flooding strands thousands |date=September 3, 2023 |last1=Deliso |first1=Meredith |last2=Hutchinson |first2=Bill |publisher=ABC News |access-date=September 3, 2023}} The Burning Man Organization pledged to open up internet access and deploy mobile cell trailers.{{Cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/2023/09/02/1197441202/burning-man-festival-rains-floods-stranded-nevada |title=One death reported after storms leave thousands stranded at Burning Man Festival |date=September 2, 2023 |last1=Veltman |first1=Chloe |last2=Bowman |first2=Emma |publisher=NPR |access-date=September 3, 2023}} The burning of the Man was delayed{{Cite web |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/09/03/burning-man-2023-live-updates/70757172007/ |title=Thousands still stuck in the muck at Burning Man festival; 1 death reported |date=September 3, 2023 |last1=Hughes |first1=Trevor |last2=Bacon |first2=John |work=USA Today |access-date=September 3, 2023}} and one person died.{{Cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/03/us/burning-man-death-rain-mud.html |title=Authorities Investigate Death at Burning Man as Thousands Remain Trapped |date=September 3, 2023 |last1=Betts |first1=Anna |last2=Mayorquin |first2=Orlando |last3=Medina |first3=Eduardo |work=The New York Times |access-date=September 3, 2023}} Disc jockey Diplo and comedian Chris Rock attended the event and walked six miles (10 km) through mud before catching a ride in a pickup truck; Diplo had a scheduled performance in Washington DC the next day and arrived in time.{{Cite web |url=https://www.avclub.com/diplo-chris-rock-mud-burning-man-1850800653 |title=Diplo and Chris Rock made a harrowing escape from Burning Man |date=September 3, 2023 |last=Barsanti |first=Sam |work=The A.V. Club |access-date=September 3, 2023}} Former acting solicitor general Neal Katyal took a six-mile (10 km) hike, describing the journey as "harrowing".{{Cite web |url=https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/nevada-desert-burning-man-weather-rain-09-03-23/h_30460d65763f4804de2361782b0a72a4 |title=Attendee describes his "incredibly harrowing" 6-mile hike out of Burning Man |date=September 3, 2023 |last=Alsup |first=Dave |publisher=CNN |access-date=September 3, 2023}} Some attendees remained defiant to the pluvial weather conditions.{{Cite web |url=https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/2/23856894/burning-man-2023-mud-rain-playa-shelter-in-place |title=Burning Man access is closed as heavy rains muddy the playa |date=September 2, 2023 |last=Davis |first=Wes |work=The Verge |access-date=September 3, 2023}}
The roads were re-opened on September 4. On that same night, the effigy was burned, two days behind its original schedule. The five-mile-long dirt road leading to the nearest highway took over five hours to exit due to the amount of traffic, which had formed into ten lanes. Many vehicles were marooned.{{Cite news |last=Mcknight |first=Matt |last2=Tong |first2=Anna |last3=Mcknight |first3=Matt |last4=Tong |first4=Anna |date=2023-09-05 |title=Burning Man festival road reopens, allowing thousands to escape muddy trap |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/us/burning-man-festival-exodus-set-start-through-drying-mud-2023-09-04/ |access-date=2023-09-30}}
Reactions
Writing for Vox, Adam Clark Estes criticized Burning Man 2023 for harming the environment.{{Cite web |url=https://www.vox.com/technology/2023/8/30/23852215/burning-man-climate-protest-block-road |title=Burning Man's climate protesters have a point |date=August 30, 2023 |last=Clark Estes |first=Adam |work=Vox |access-date=September 3, 2023}} Several individuals compared the event to Fyre Festival, which was also marred by rainfall.{{Cite web |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/burning-man-festival-chris-rock-b2404014.html |title=Fyre Fest 2.0? Chris Rock and Diplo escape Burning Man festival as 70,000 stranded in desert |date=September 3, 2023 |last=Harrison |first=Ellie |work=The Independent |access-date=September 3, 2023}}
President Joe Biden was briefed on the weather conditions at the event, which is held on property managed by the federal Bureau of Land Management.{{Cite web |url=https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/nevada-desert-burning-man-weather-rain-09-03-23/h_7ac2fc0df3b4810016149573095dc8d4 |title=President Biden has been briefed on the situation at Burning Man festival |date=September 3, 2023 |last=Klein |first=Betsy |publisher=CNN |access-date=September 3, 2023}}
Arrests and a death
There were 13 arrests at Burning Man 2023 and one confirmed death due to acute cocaine, ethanol, and MDMA toxicity.{{Cite news |last=Valentino |first=Silas |title=The police reports from Burning Man 2023 are out |url=https://www.sfgate.com/travel/burningman/article/burning-man-2023-police-arrest-report-18360555.php |access-date=2024-03-02 |work=SFGATE |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Cause of Death for Burning Man Attendee Revealed as Drug Intoxication |url=https://people.com/cause-of-death-for-burning-man-victim-revealed-7966808 |access-date=2024-05-09 |website=Peoplemag |language=en}}
Hoaxes
Pershing County's Sheriff's office reported receiving multiple false reports of a shooting and riot at the event, some from overseas phone numbers. After investigations, a sheriff's representative local media, “We don’t have any emergency concerns out there right now... People are calm and doing OK.” {{cite web |last1=McAndrew |first1=Siobhan |title=Burning Man attendees straggling out like refugees from a Mud-Torn Country |url=https://www.rgj.com/story/life/arts/burning-man/2023/09/03/burning-man-false-reports-of-sickness-violence-circulating/70759215007/ |website=Reno Gazette Journal |publisher=USA Today Network/Gannett |access-date=16 August 2024}}
Social media posts claimed there was an ebola outbreak at the 2023 event during the flooding event, but this was also a hoax.{{cite news |title=No, There’s Not An Ebola Outbreak At Burning Man |author=Matt Novak |magazine=Forbes |date=September 2, 2023}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Burning Man}}
{{Black Rock Desert}}
{{Culture jamming}}
Category:2023 disasters in the United States
Category:August 2023 in the United States
Category:September 2023 in the United States