Burning Man festival-goers urged to postpone arrival due to Storm Hilary floods

22 August 2023 , 09:21

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Burning Man tells festival-goers to postpone their arrival

Burning Man has told festival-goers to postpone their arrival at the Nevada site due to tropical Storm Hilary.

The storm has flooded the site which has meant organisers have asked people to delay their arrival until the waterlogged site dries out.

The annual festival is held this year from August 27 to September 4, but the desert site has been flooded by tropical Storm Hilary. Goers tend to arrive at the site early to set up their camp but this year they are having to postpone their plans.

On Monday organisers told those who are planning on going to the festival that the entrance via the town of Gerlach was closed.

Festival-goers have been told to hold off on their arrival (Instagram)

The site has flooded

They tweeted: "The gate will remain closed until at least noon PT on Tuesday 8/22. If you were planning to travel to BRC with a Work Access Pass, delay your plans. DO NOT drive to Gerlach. We will post another update by 10am PT Tuesday 8/22. Stay safe!"

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The event coordinators warned that anyone who tried to get to Gerlach would be turned round. Around 80,000 people are expected to go to the open-air, anti-capitalist art fair.

As Hilary moved to the northeast early Monday from Southern California it crossed the border in Nevada, where a state of emergency was declared. Due to still being some days away from the festival, the announcement mostly impacts workers who are setting up the grounds for now.

A tweet from Burning Man Traffic said: "Due to the rain forecast Sunday 8/20 into Monday 8/21, the gate will be closed until at least noon on Monday 8/21. If you were planning to travel to BRC with a Work Access Pass, delay your plans. It can take 12+ hours for the playa to dry, so please be patient. More info to come."

The event is not due to begin until Sunday, and Hilary is predicted to go by Tuesday, but it depends how long Black Rock City will take to dry out.

Tickets to the event tend to sell for $575, in addition to $150 parking passes. This year, however, resellers were offering tickets for as low as $139, with parking passes marked down as well. This is due to last year's being disappointing because of tech layoffs and bad weather.

Charlotte Everett