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The first Burning Man festival in three years ended on Monday with revellers facing a Mad Max-style exodus from the Black Rock desert dust.
Attendees of the American music festival faced over eight hour waits to leave the site. Some decided to up sticks early, un-pitching tents and heading home after a huge sandstorm and a 39-degree heatwave over the weekend.
Frazzled attendees reportedly left early before the burning of the effigy that marks the end of the nine-day arts festival.
That didn't stop vehicles being stuck in traffic for hours in lines leading out of the desert. Pictures of a 15-lane highway went viral as those stuck in traffic shared online.
"Tho people love to compare the Burningman aesthetic to Mad Max… the Exodus from camp is the most Mad Max I've felt all week," wrote CJ Yu to Twitter. The Los Angeles-based TV producer who attended the festival said he spent over eight hours waiting to get back onto roads.
The Burning Man arts festival in Nevada, US wrapped up this weekend after a two-year hiatus. Photo / Manuel Pinto; Burning Man
Despite this he had no hard feelings and only positive memories from the festival. Sharing the images to instagram, he said that he only hoped that the images didn't put people off going to the festival in future.
"Yes, it was hot, yes there was a sandstorm, and there was traffic on the way out—but I, and I think probably everyone else in this line—would do it all again 10x over with no regrets.
People have been asking me if there’s video footage from my #BurningMan Exodus yesterday …and yup—ask and you shall receive! But regardless of the hours of waiting—it was 100% worth it, and I can’t wait to do it again next year!!! (2 of 3) @burningman@bmantrafficpic.twitter.com/nDL18zpuEB
Yesterday, the festival organisers were warning travellers that the wait time to leave was almost 10 hours and that there was a petrol shortage in the nearby towns.
"Turn off your vehicle to conserve gas, and be patient," was their advice to departing revellers in bumper-to-bumper traffic.
Exodus wait time is over 9 hours. If you are still in #BRC, wait to leave. If you are on Gate Road, turn off your vehicle to conserve gas, and be patient. Teams are working to keep the roads safe and get everyone home safely. Gas up in Gerlach due to a fuel shortage in Empire.
Those leaving the desert in Nevada after watching the closing 'Temple Burn' ceremony reported closer to a 12-hour wait on the way out.
After a week of "white-out" conditions and warnings of 56 kmph winds across the Playa desert, the Burning Man festival's organisers said they were glad to be back following a two-year pandemic hiatus.
Remarkably by Tuesday evening there was little trace of the attendees left in Black Rock.
Clearing up after the festival is a huge process. Taking place in the desert wilderness area, the event can only go ahead providing they leave no trace of any glitter, scorched earth or rubbish. Organisers call it "Burning Man's most important Principle".
Hundreds of volunteers take part in the annual MOOP (Matter Out of Place) survey.
The temporary space which holds the event, Black Rock City was officially dismantled by Wednesday morning.
The festival had been attracting up to 80,000 attendees every year since 1986, before the Covid suspension in 2020.
"It was a week of love and tears, heat and dust, growth and joy, discovery and acceptance, release and renewal," wrote the festival organisers, following the end of the festival. "As you dust off your gear, take some time to reflect on your week in Black Rock City, connect with your friends, and take care of your body. Safe journeys until next year."
