But the mass exodus resulted in massive lines, vehicles getting stuck and some party goers becoming increasingly frustrated by the way organisers handled the disastrous weather conditions.<\/p>\n
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Freak rains have turned Burning Man\u2019s usually dusty landscape into ankle deep mud.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Michael Smith<\/cite><\/p>\n New York resident Ebony Bowden and her friends were among the 70,000 revellers who were forced to shelter in place after mass storms turned the much-loved festival into a muddy morass at the weekend, shutting down roads leading in and out of the makeshift city in Nevada.<\/p>\n But she said while attendees were used to the \u201cphysically and mentally gruelling experience\u201d of Burning Man, which requires people to be self-reliant, \u201cthe way this year\u2019s event fell apart with no contingency plan as people started to run out of food and water was reprehensible.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe had to ration our camp\u2019s food and water to make sure we wouldn\u2019t starve to death and we lived in fear of the porta potties, which became dangerously close to overflowing,\u201d said Bowden, the founder of Eden Communications and a former Age<\/em> journalist.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were also told buses weren\u2019t running when they were and a friend who ran out of medication had to drive off the playa (the desert plains in Nevada where the event is held) and took the risk of being told he wasn\u2019t allowed to leave.<\/p>\n Blue skies return to Black Rock City after heavy rain turned the desert playground into a mud pit.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Lila Neiswanger<\/cite><\/p>\n \u201cThe Burning Man Organisation should be held fully accountable for sitting on their hands and putting 70,000 people\u2019s lives in danger.\u201d<\/p>\n Driving restrictions were officially lifted on Monday afternoon as sunny and dry conditions over Nevada gave people a chance to leave in their vehicles.<\/p>\n However, some took their chances earlier by walking through the sludge, including acclaimed DJ Diplo and comedian Chris Rock, who walked for miles until a fan let them hitch a ride.<\/p>\n \u201cSome kid recognised me on the road and said, \u2018Hey, I\u2019ll give you a ride for the next two miles.\u2019 And of course, we gladly took it.\u201d Diplo said, posting images on his social media account.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, many other revellers opted to stay hoping that the lines to get our were shorter by Tuesday, or to take part in the much anticipated conclusion of the event: the ceremonial burning of a 23-metre effigy.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is going to be one of those years when you look back and say, oh I was there in 2023,\u201d festival goer Bobby White told CNN.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is kind of a bonding thing, and that\u2019s kinda the whole thing about Burning Man: it\u2019s the journey not the destination – and this is definitely part of the journey.\u201d<\/p>\n Burning Man is a counterculture festival that began in 1986 and attracts tens of thousands of people each year, from ordinary partygoers and emerging artists, DJs and performers, to celebrities and influencers.<\/p>\n It has, however, faced criticism over the increasing number of cashed up people using petrol-guzzling RV and generators, and for the environmental impact of creating a temporary city for tens of thousands of people in the Nevada desert.<\/p>\n This year was no different, when a small group of climate protesters caused gridlock by blocking the road with a trailer and accused attendees of a privileged mindset.<\/p>\n Get a note directly from our foreign <\/i><\/b>correspondents <\/i><\/b>on what\u2019s making headlines around the world. <\/i><\/b>Sign up for the weekly What in the World newsletter here<\/i><\/b>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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