Heavy Rain at Burning Man Festival Traps 70,000-Plus Attendees, Virus Rumors Circulate

The Burning Man Festival was held in the desert of Black Rock City, Nevada. This annual event originated June 22, 1986, on Baker Beach in San Francisco as a small function focused on “community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance.”

This rather expensive endeavor—$575 per ticket, $150 for a vehicle pass, plus the various incidentals bringing the typical weekly cost upwards to $10k—has evolved “into a destination for social media influencers, celebrities, and the Silicon Valley elite.”

And the purpose: Burning Man is “all about self-expression and the rejection of corporatism and capitalism.” Instead of using money, attendees borrow, barter, and trade for what they need. However—keep in mind—if you intend to attend next year, the week will be damn expensive. Take lots of cash.

This year’s festival opened with a viral video of climate change activists blocking traffic with law enforcement responding.

Now, the controversy has spun into a chaotic scene the festival organizers are declaring a National Emergency. Can a festival declare a National Emergency? And what about their claim of being focused on “community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance.”

Self Reliance! But this now is a life-threatening emergency.

Heavy rains overnight on Friday transformed the infamously dusty desert site into a muddy mess, trapping over 70,000 attendees.

The festival-goers are being instructed to shelter in place and to conserve food and water resources since getting supplies in is not possible as no entry nor exit has been permitted since Friday night. No travelers will be permitted to enter for the remainder of the event, per organizers on Saturday. The pop-up airport known as Black Rock City Municipal Airport has been closed, and only emergency vehicles are allowed to drive.

The Bureau of Land Management said in a statement on Saturday:

Participants inbound for the event should turn around and head home.

The event began on Sunday, August 27th and runs through Monday, September 4th. With more rain expected over the weekend, the attendees are likely to remain unable to leave by the scheduled end of the event. Some celebrities, however, including comedian Chris Rock and musical artist Diplo, have managed to be rescued after reportedly walking through miles of muddy terrain.

If having a large group of travelers stranded in the desert wasn’t enough of a problem to contend with, there are rumors being spread online that there is a viral outbreak of an Ebola-like virus at the festival site.

RedState cannot confirm the legitimacy of the rumors at this time, except to report that the internet rumors continue to add concerns to the situation at Black Rock City. Additionally, the internet is not available in the desert except via satellite, resulting in hindered communications for those in attendance.

Final thoughts: Attendees are called ‘Burners’ and there are approximately 73,000 of them this year. The average age of the attendees is 37 and nearly a fourth of them are age 25-29. The promise: Seemingly endless fun, vast social interaction, free thinking, and plenty of “art.” This was Woodstock or the Wheatland Bluegrass Festival in my day.

If these people weren’t all liberals, the feds would label this a COVID Super Spreader. But to be young, liberal, and stuck in the mud at the Burning Man Festival sounds like the proper metaphor for the current democrat political party.

Could the unexpected “2-3 months of rain in 24 hours” have been the result of atmospheric manipulation to make a point? And what point and by which side, the Deep State or the White Hats?