Burning Man: Mass exodus begins after organisers lift driving ban

Hundreds of vehicles, trucks, and RVs moved out of the festival grounds of Burning Man after being trapped in the makeshift city due to heavy rains and being surrounded by ankle-deep mud which was too thick to drive in.

The driving ban was officially lifted by the event organisers on Monday afternoon (September 4), as they stated that “exodus operations have officially begun in Black Rock City,” the city that is annually erected for the event.

“Although Exodus has officially begun, consider delaying your departure from Black Rock City until Tuesday 9/5 if you can. This will alleviate large amounts of Exodus congestion throughout the day today, Monday 9/4. Drive safely!” the account of the Burning Man Traffic posted on X.

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Thousands trek back home

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Before the driving ban was officially lifted, thousands of visitors had begun to trek back home. The event organisers, late on Sunday evening, said that there were 72,000 people present on site and by midday Monday around 64,000 people were left.

In a 2 pm local time update, the event organisers lifted the ban and said that even though the conditions have been improving and roads were drying, the place is still “muddy and may be difficult to navigate in some neighbourhoods and down certain streets.”

“Take it slow and mind those directing traffic. Please be patient as you exit through Gate Road, and respect Burning Man staff who are working hard to make the Exodus experience as smooth and safe as possible,” the update said.

The attendees were also appealed to consider delaying their departure from the Burning Man festival site to help prevent “large amounts of congestion.”

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Stranded amid rain and mud

The festival's entrance was closed due to the rain and the revellers were appealed to conserve fuel, food, and water until the ground started to dry up.

Later, reports of the death of a man due to weather at the Burning Man festival site emerged after nearly 70,000 attendees remained trapped on the site in the middle of an unexpected storm.

Burning Man Communications on Sunday stated that the death was “unrelated to the weather”. The man's death is still being investigated by Pershing County Sheriff’s Office.

The remote area, located in northwest Nevada, received two to three months’ worth of rain in just 24 hours between Friday and Saturday morning. CNN meteorologist Dave Hennen, while speaking to CNN news, stated that sunny and dry conditions in western Nevada on Monday will lead to “significant improvement to the muddy conditions at the Burning Man festival”.

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