The first Burning Man festival in three years came to a close on Monday – with exhausted revelers facing an eight hour wait to leave the site.
After nine days of celebrations, the 80,000 people who travelled to Black Rock desert in northern Nevada were leaving the temporary city on Monday, and enduring lengthy lines to leave.
But before the mass exodos, festival goers danced the night away in front of flaming sculptures at the stunning light show, as well as staging a massive Mad Max-styled fight as the celebrations drew to a close.
The event ended on Sunday with the burning of an effigy, known as the Burning Man, which has served as the traditional way to close the desert festival since its inauguration in 1989.
Leading up to Labor Day, people travel from across the globe in their thousands to the festival – dressed in eccentric outfits to party the week away.
One partygoer posted a stunning photo showing miles of 15-lane traffic stretching back into the desert horizon, writing: ‘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…5 hours in, two more till I reach the exit gate.’
Miles of traffic lines are seen on Monday, as 80,000 revelers left the Nevada desert at the end of Burning Man
Burning Man’s travel account confirmed the lengthy wait. The organizers tweeted on Monday afternoon: ‘Exodus wait time is currently around 8 hours. Consider delaying your departure until conditions improve.’
‘If you must leave now, drive on L Street to prevent traffic jams. Drive slowly, watch for road debris, follow directions from Gate staff, and listen to BMIR 94.5FM.’
Some reported that they waited as long as 12 hours to get away from the camp.
‘When we left at 8:38pm last night, the estimate was 6 hours, but half of our group took 10 hours and the other half of our group took 12 hours to get to the gate,’ tweeted one person on Sunday.
‘Definitely would love some improvement on the exit system + estimates + communication…’
Another agreed, adding: ‘took me twelve last night leaving at temple burn.’
The ‘man’ is burnt on Sunday, at the end of the festival – which began this year on August 28
Revelers enjoyed the final day of celebrations in the Nevada desert – with stunning light and fire shows
A dancing dragon is seen on Monday, as Burning Man came to a close
Partygoers are seen staging a Thunderdome style fight on the final day of the festival
Swords and spears fly amid the ‘fight’ on the final evening
An orchestra is pictured performing Bohemian Rhapsody on Monday
A large crowd gathered to listen to the musicians on Monday
The drama came after the entrances and exits to the site were temporarily closed on Saturday night, owing to a sandstorm causing a ‘white out’.
Dramatic photos showed outlandishly-dressed ‘Burners’ striding through the fierce sandstorm.
As the final day of the nine-day event unfolded, fire-breathing rhinos and octopuses were driven through the desert.
An orchestra played Bohemian Rhapsody, while some partygoers staged a Mad Max-style fight inside the Thunderdome.
On Saturday, Burning Man partiers were battered by a huge sandstorm, as hundreds left early to escape the dust – while others stripped off in 102F heat.
The dust storm hit just before the main Burning Man event on Sunday — where the wooden ‘man’ effigy was ignited.
Burning Man’s official webcam showed visibility dangerously low, as others on social media reported that the dust was thick enough to block out the sun.
The dust storm hit the Black Rock Desert in Nevada, where Burning Man has been held since the early 1990s, on Saturday
One woman poses amid the dust storm – which made visibility at the festival very poor over the weekend. Some festival goers left early to avoid the storm, while others braved it out and enjoyed the finale
The desert area, known as the ‘playa’, was experiencing ‘whiteout conditions’ according to the event’s handle – as photos show bikes and people covered with dust
On Sunday, the final full day of Burning Man, a layer of dust covered the festival area from a dust storm that swept through
The weeklong festival has long been a tradition, frequented by scantily-clad individuals looking to let loose
A partial whiteout from the dust storm was seen on Saturday, with gusting winds
Erecting a temporary desert metropolis rife with art and self-expression, photos show the festival under a blazing sun
The attendees have braved oppressive heat, as the National Weather Service predicted daytime highs in Gerlach, the closest town to the event, between 100 and 105 degrees
Images posted by partygoers show the vacant landscape covered in the mist of dust – as they continued to party despite the weather phenomenon.
Halted in 2020 due to concerns about COVID, the festival returned in full force on August 28, with nearly 80,000 flocking to the makeshift venue to celebrate the event’s triumphant return, as revelers observe the giant ‘man’ to be lit up at the party’s end.
The attendees have braved oppressive heat, as daytime highs in Gerlach, the closest town to the event, straddled between 100 and 105 degrees.
Organizers, meanwhile, have been seen handing revelers free coffee, following a surprising announcement that the costs of the beverages would be waived as Americans battle high inflation and looming economic uncertainty.
Karlie Kloss posted this photo to Instagram of herself with Kaia Gerber at Burning Man
Halted in 2020 due to concerns about COVID, the festival returned in full force on August 28
This neon truck was one of the many installations that stood out throughout the desert
While the festival is known for free-spirited behavior, the desert sand did force this reveler to wear a makeshift mask
Instagram user @nasrasarra posts near a sign amidst a dust storm at Burning Man on September 4, with the caption: ‘We did, we’re still alive #burningman #burningman2022’
On the itinerary for revelers was a slew of scheduled parties where so-called Burners could enjoy performances of Latin, jazz, 80s pop and disco.
For those seeking something a little calmer, more meditative amenities were also offered, including a hammock forest, a hypnotherapy session, and ‘communal peppermint bomb breath work exercises’.
Burning Man also offered educational sessions on topics like the intersection of artificial intelligence and astronomy, as well as the use of psychedelics in surgeries.
New this year is a camp on The Playa called Consensual Abduction, where guests can climb through a ‘wormhole’ slide to arrive at a dance floor for all-night raves.
Consent is a major theme of this year’s event, the Gate reports — a crucial component given that so many of the experiences on this year’s schedule involve sex.