High winds and low visibility caused the entrance to Burning Man to close for several hours on Sunday (local time). Photo / AP
High winds and low visibility caused the entrance to Burning Man to close for several hours on Sunday (local time). Photo / AP
High winds and low visibility caused the entrance to Burning Man to close for several hours on Sunday as thousands of revellers began descending on Nevada's Black Rock Desert.
Winds between 80-100kmph initially caused 6-7 hour waits from the entry gate, MailOnline reports.
But after a few hours, the windy conditions and rolling whiteouts caused the gate to close around 3.30pm.
According to the Nevada Highway Patrol, there was zero visibility and the travel conditions were extremely hazardous. Photo / Bureau of Land Management Nevada
"GATE CURRENTLY CLOSED. Extreme weather is expected to continue for several hours. We are not allowing access from CR34 onto the playa and advise all to hold in Reno or return there if enroute," the Burning Man Traffic Twitter account tweeted.
An estimated 70,000 "burners" are expected to attend the revelry, donning other-worldly costumes and leaving their cash at home for a week of all-night parties in the temporary city known as the playa, north of Reno.
This year's event has kicked up a significant amount of controversy as law enforcement officials threaten to set up traffic stops on the road to the venue and the #MeToo movement calls the appropriateness of the signature "Orgy Dome" into question.
The Burning Man tradition dates back to 1986, when Larry Harvey, Jerry James and a group of 20 others lit an eight-foot wooden model of a man on fire at Baker Beach in San Francisco.
With the main event kicking of tomorrow, many of the major art projects are in the final stages of construction. Photo / Bureau of Land Management Nevada
In 1990 the meagre festival moved from the beach to the desert, and since then it has grown into one of the most infamous events of the year.
Burning Man is guided by a set of 10 principles, including radical inclusion, self-expression, self-reliance, immediacy and leaving no trace.
For the next week thousands of participants will live together and participate in a range of activities before lighting a giant wooden figure, "The Man", to the ground.
This is the first time that the event is being held since two notable deaths in the Burning Man community, those of its co-founder Harvey and of a man who died at last year's festival when he ran into a massive fire.
Tickets for the event went on sale for US$1,200 in January. The only items sold within the festival are coffee and ice, with attendees expected to bring everything else they may need.
A man is seen riding a bike in the dust. Photo / Bureau of Land Management Nevada
This year organisers have been tasked with determining how the festival scene may be altered in the wake of the #MeToo movement.
Burning Man has been known for its free-spirited atmosphere where clothing is without a doubt optional and activities such as the Hug Church and spanking lessons encourage burners to form special connections with one another.
Following back-to-back-to-back reports of rampant sexual harassment in the news over the last year, organisers have been tasked with teaching participants that freedom on the campground doesn't mean its a free for all.
The sun rises behind a 100-foot-tall model of a man that has been erected over the campground in Black Rock Desert, Nevada. Photo / Bureau of Land Management Nevada
In light of that issue, the iconic Orgy Dome - a tent where burners can go enjoy some risqué fun - is rumoured to have been axed from this year's event.
Also bringing down the free-spirited vibe of the festival is increased scrutiny of attendees as they make their way into the desert.
Federal officials have reportedly begun an operation to stop and search those traveling in the area for drugs.
Each year dozens participants end up leaving the event in handcuffs, usually for drug possession.
Winds between 80-100kmph initially caused six to seven hour waits from the entry gate. Photo / Bureau of Land Management Nevada
The organisers reacted to the crackdown by threatening to sue the officials for "improper and apparently unconstitutional behavior".
A letter addressed to law enforcement agencies on Wednesday communication threatens to take legal action on the grounds attendees are having their First Amendment rights violated by being stopped for minor offenses such as going 3mph over the posted speed limit and having their licence plate partially blocked.
It's something supported by Channel 2 News viewer, Santiago, commenting on the "thousands of cars" that pass through and the "bunch of people" stopped. However, he added that stops are routine in the area.
Out of that number though, reporter Ryan Canaday says he only spotted two vehicles approached.
Burning Man is guided by a set of 10 principles, including self-expression, self-reliance, immediacy and leaving no trace. Photo / Bureau of Land Management Nevada
"Many of the (traffic stop) tactics are attempts to intimidate and harass travelers who are doing nothing more than passing through the Reservation on a state-maintained highway," he wrote.
The festival claims that not only are the stops hindering their ability to provide things like ice and clean portable toilets to use at the week-long event, but they imply it's a personal attack on people coming to express themselves freely at the annual event.
