Nature goes crazy. Constant rain in the desert floods the festival. US geologists know the background.
The art and music festival Burning Man, which has existed in its early form since 1986, takes place annually in the Black Rock Desert in the US state of Nevada. A wild pop culture mixture of hippie, biker and camper cult with a large pinch of self-disenfranchisement.
Traditionally, on American “Labour Day” (September 4th), a huge statue is burned in a big ceremony on the seventh day of the desert bash. As you know, this year was different. Nature went crazy.
The daily newspaper “San Francisco Chronicle” reports in a background report that the continuous rain in the rough desert area is falling on the area of the former Lake Lahontan. The dusty, sandy festival region, now completely submerged or muddy, is the remnant of a deep sea area that existed until about 15,000 years ago, according to the US Geological Survey.
“Look at the dark rings around the mountains surrounding the playa and you’ll see where the waterline went,” Burning Man press man Will Chase wrote in 2014 the last time it was very strong there rained. “And in rainy years, the water flows in from the north and fills — very thin, it’s cool and eerie — some or all of the pools in this playa zone.”
This phenomenon is reminiscent of similar natural phenomena in California’s desert regions, which partially fill up with water again during the winter months. According to American geologists, Lake Lahontan once covered what is now Reno, Carson City and Battle Mountain in prehistoric times. The old-school body of water existed during the Pleistocene, which lasted from about 2.5 million years ago to 11,700 years ago.
An almost mystical interplay with nature that the spiritually thinking “Burning Man” fans should actually like.
However, the reality in 2023 looks less earthbound. According to reports from the US media, the sound inventor Diplo managed to escape the “Burning Man” in a pick-up together with the comedian Chris Rock.
In a video Diplo posted to Instagram on Saturday, the DJ piles on the back seat of a pickup truck with Rock and other festival-goers.
“A fan offered to give Chris Rock and I a ride in the back seat of a Burning Man pickup truck,” the clip captioned. “After walking about six miles through the mud.”
He continued: “I literally walked the curb for hours with my thumbs out because I have a show in (Washington) DC tonight and I didn’t want to let you guys down. Also, kudos to that guy who bought a truck without realizing it was meant for this exact moment!”
Tens of thousands of festival-goers were stranded in the Black Rock Desert after a torrential rainstorm trapped them in thick and slippery mud on Friday night. Festival-goers have been instructed to conserve food, water and fuel and to take shelter on the spot because of the weather. One fatality has since been reported.