Burning Man ‘exodus’ begins as stranded festival-goers exit

Organizers of the annual Burning Man Festival said that a mass “exodus” has begun as a slew of storms caused extreme flooding in the area, leaving festival attendees stranded. 

“As of 2pm Mon 9/4, Exodus operations have officially begun in Black Rock City. The driving ban has been lifted,” organizers wrote Monday in a post on X, a platform formerly known as Twitter. 

“Exodus wait times coming shortly on @bmantraffic. The playa is still muddy in some areas,” organizers added. “Stay on hard-packed roads and out of standing water.”

The latest update comes hours after organizers initially said that festival attendees will be able to leave the storm-drenched area. 

Organizers did note in a statement that there is “still too much standing water” for many vehicles to safely evacuate the drenched area, adding that attendees should consider delaying their departure to “alleviate large amounts of congestion throughout the day.” 

On Sunday, organizers warned attendees that the roads were too dangerous to conduct its exodus, a term the festival uses referring to the festival’s conclusion and exit process. 

Tens of thousands of attendees were stranded in the Nevada desert after storms swept through the area, prompting shelter in place warnings for festival-goers. 

The Pershing County Sheriff’s Office also said that it is investigating a death of a man at the festival, though organizers, who confirmed the unidentified individual’s death, noted that the death was “unrelated to weather.”

This comes as the U.S. Bureau of Land Management said last week that the entrance to the annual counterculture festival will be closed for the reminder of the event, which was set to end Monday.