Photos show people stranded at Burning Man after a rainstorm turned the desert into a mud pit

Lauren EdmondsSep 4, 2023, 02:01 IST

An photo of Black Rock City in Nevada on September 2.JULIE JAMMOT/Getty Images

People are stranded at Burning Man after bad weather brought the festival to a halt.
A rainstorm muddied the desert campsite, shutting down the local airport and gate.

Thousands of Burning Man attendees are stranded after bad weather halted the annual festival.

Burning Man kicked off this year on August 27 in Nevada's Black Rock Desert but slid into a soggy end to the weeklong event. Heavy rain settled about the festival's temporary city, Black Rock City, transforming the desert landscape into a mud pit.

Organizers told attendees to shelter in place as entering and exiting the festival was halted on Friday.

By Sunday, little had changed. Organizers announced that the entering and exiting Burning Man was "halted until further notice."

"If you are in BRC, conserve food and water, and shelter in a warm space. More updates to come," a statement on X read.

Here's a look inside Burning Man 2023.

A bird's-eye view of the festival on August 29 showed Black Rock City dry and running according to plan.

An aerial view of Burning Man 2023, taken just days before disastrous rain trapped 70,000 attendees on festival grounds.Maxar Technologies/Handout via Reuters

But muddy terrain and rainfall hampered some people's campsites, which included downed tents and soaked supplies.

The mud covers the ground at the site of the Burning Man festival in Black Rock, Nevada on September 1, 2023, in this screen grab obtained from a social media video.PAUL REDER via REUTERS

Some revelers wrapped their shoes in plastic bags to avoid the mud.

Attendees were photographed wearing plastic bags over their shoes at the festival.Paul Reder/Reuters

This woman carried a plastic water bottle and thermos as she trekked through the ankle-high mud.

A Burning Man attendee makes their way through the mud in Black Rock, Nevada, on September 2, 2023.Trevor Hughes/USA TODAY NETWORK via REUTERS

These Burning Man attendees waded through the water to navigate the festival site over the weekend.

Burning Man attendees were ordered to shelter in place and conserve resources Saturday after a devastating rainstorm.Trevor Hughes/USA Today Network via Reuters

One woman chose to lie in a mud puddle amid the commotion.

The festivalgoer was snapped lying in a pool of mud in Black Rock Desert.USA TODAY/Reuters

Despite the setbacks, a double rainbow shone over Black Rock City on Saturday.

People wade through mud and water at Burning Man 2023.JULIE JAMMOT/Getty Images

Everything that went wrong at Burning Man 2023, so far

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