Burning Man attendees begin five mile exodus from desert site after flooded festival finishes
Muddy roads flooded by a summer storm that left tens of thousands of partygoers stranded for days at the Burning Man festival had dried up enough by Monday afternoon (4 September) to allow them to begin their exodus from the Nevada desert.
The way out is a five-mile (8km) dirt road to the nearest highway.
Shortly after the mass departure began, organisers estimated a wait time of about five hours, and continued urging attendees to delay their exit to help ease traffic.
The festival had been closed to vehicles after more than a half-inch of rain fell last Friday, causing flooding and deep mud.
The way out is a five-mile (8km) dirt road to the nearest highway.
Shortly after the mass departure began, organisers estimated a wait time of about five hours, and continued urging attendees to delay their exit to help ease traffic.
The festival had been closed to vehicles after more than a half-inch of rain fell last Friday, causing flooding and deep mud.
Transcript
00:00 I'm one of the first few people who could leave Burning Man because I have a ticket to leave on Saturday,
00:04 but everything was delayed.
00:06 Many people ignored the driving ban and got stuck,
00:09 and some hiked a few miles to get out to the road.
00:12 It's very wet and muddy,
00:14 and the lines are long because everyone is very anxious to get out.
00:18 The conditions are very bad.
00:20 It's Sunday and the man still hasn't burnt yet.
00:23 I was gonna leave before his original burn time anyway because I'm a pet assistant.
00:28 I have pets to take care of.
00:30 This is the back entrance we're leaving from,
00:33 and we're approaching the front entrance now.
00:37 I don't see any gate.
00:39 Whoever can drive out can just get out.
00:42 I did see many vehicles that got stuck on the playa though,
00:45 and my friends, my cam mates, and family are still stuck inside.
00:49 More buses will arrive tomorrow to take people out,
00:51 but as for me, I'll sleep at the airport overnight and take the first flight out to Seattle.