The festival captured nationwide consideration over the weekend as photos and particulars started circulating on-line, and President Biden weighed in. Members of the media and armchair critics on-line had a discipline day with festivalgoers, portray them as rich tech lovers who discovered themselves lathered in mud after days of partying. Because of the acute climate, attendees had been suggested to preserve their water and provides. As the Evening Standard put it: “This is delicious schadenfreude.”

Burning Man has been criticized for years about the way it has morphed from a small, gritty gathering in San Francisco to what typically gave the impression to be a playground for the rich. In previous years, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg has attended, as effectively as Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes, who attended shortly after she was indicted on federal fraud prices. This yr, attendees included Elon Musk’s brother, Kimbal, and Google co-founder Sergey Brin, in accordance with the Wall Street Journal.

The festival has confronted harsh climate earlier than. Rain, wind, mud and dust are commonplace on the occasion.

Festival organizers, who had requested attendees to remain off the street Saturday due to a uncommon rain occasion that had flooded the playa festival website, began letting folks drive out Monday. Travelers waited roughly eight hours of their automobiles for visitors to maneuver, organizers said.

By Tuesday afternoon, hundreds had been nonetheless on their means out of Black Rock City. Traffic was flowing smoothly, with wait occasions to exit hovering round three hours, in accordance with the festival’s visitors social media account.

Reno-Tahoe International Airport arrange a wash station for Burning Man attendees to scrub themselves up and supplied booties to put on to depart no hint on the airport. (“Leaving no trace” is without doubt one of the festival’s 10 principles.) Images shared by the airport confirmed some vacationers with wrapped suitcases as they waited to board flights house.

“We’d like to help Burners and keep our airport as clean as possible,” stated Stacey Sunday, a spokesperson for the Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority.

Amid the muddy and moist setting, attendees nonetheless discovered methods to have fun. Guests danced round their campsites and watched motion pictures projected on tents. The occasion held its annual burning of the Man effigy late Monday evening after a number of delays.

A death was reported on the festival Saturday, and the individual was later recognized as 32-year-old Leon Reece, in accordance with a press release from Pershing County sheriff and coroner Jerry Allen. No reason for dying might be decided, and the outcomes of an post-mortem are pending toxicology outcomes.

Burning Man Project CEO Marian Goodell instructed NBC News on Sunday that the eye surrounding the occasion was “a fuss” and that there was “no cause for panic.”

“This is not ending the Burning Man event by any stretch,” Goodell stated. “It just makes us stronger.”