Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Burning Man ends with epic 8-hour traffic jam, huge ‘Thunderdome’ fight
nypost.com ^ | 9/6/2022 | Ben Cost

Posted on 09/07/2022 6:51:43 AM PDT by rktman

This is not the kind of “jam” session they were hoping for at Burning Man.

The first Burning Man festival after three years of COVID pandemic delays ended rather unceremoniously as exhausted revelers endured an apocalyptic eight-hour traffic jam in the sweltering desert to leave the site. Twitter posts depicting the post-revelry congestion — and a bizarre “Thunderdome”-style fight — are going viral online.

Started by a group of San Francisco artists in 1986, Burning Man moved to the desert in 1991, where it’s become a destination for bohemians and other free spirits interested in an autonomous social experiment.

In recent years, Silicon Valley elites and celebrities have turned the desert party into a yearly pilgrimage, with many traveling there by private jet. Satellite images show the airstrip where the monied Burners park their flying whips.

The last official Burning Man took place in 2019 and drew about 80,000 people, but in 2021 revelers staged an unofficial version with about 20,000 taking part.

Beyond the art and freedom, the event is guided by “radical self-expression,” which in years past has meant a lot of sex and nudity.

Since 2003, it has housed “The Orgy Dome” where “all couples and moresomes can escape the dust and heat of Black Rock City,” according to organizers. The air-conditioned space has been an integral part of the festivities and a place for attendees to revel in the free-love ethos of Burning Man.

“Exodus wait time is currently around 8 hours,” Burning Man’s official travel account confirmed regarding the bash, which saw 80,000 Burners descend on the Black Rock Desert in Gerlach, Nevada, for nine days ending Monday. “Consider delaying your departure until conditions improve.”

(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Philosophy
KEYWORDS: burningman; chat; localnews; madmax; nevada
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-25 next last
Awwww! But no massive downburst of rain to help rinse off the revelers. A lot of them still in Reno post event. You can't miss the skunk odor mixed with plenty of patchouli oil/musk. Way to go and protest "THE MAN" by burning all those resources at the culmination of the gathering. Now there will be folks trying to find a way home from it for a couple of weeks. It isn't cheap to attend any longer so, if you could afford to get here, find your own way home. Until next year.... Next up, Street Vibrations in a couple of weeks with thousands of bikes in town. Not too bad. Then I think a "furrie" convention after that. 🤔😂😵‍💫 Guess we'll have to wait on the numbers of monkeypox infections post event.
1 posted on 09/07/2022 6:51:43 AM PDT by rktman
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: rktman

Yuk..


2 posted on 09/07/2022 6:55:39 AM PDT by Col Frank Slade
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: rktman

Ya it always looked like it’s part of a Mad Max movie ,LOL


3 posted on 09/07/2022 6:55:54 AM PDT by butlerweave
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: rktman

I recall in past years, some Freepers talked of going to Burning Man. I wonder if any did this year, and if they will tell us about it.


4 posted on 09/07/2022 6:57:15 AM PDT by Dilbert San Diego
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Dilbert San Diego

There was a really funny episode of the sitcom “Malcolm in the Middle” where they went.


5 posted on 09/07/2022 7:00:12 AM PDT by Fai Mao (Stop feeding the beast, and steal its food!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Dilbert San Diego

We know a few folks that go. NOT my cup of dust. At least you have a bunch of folks now versed in how things will be at home before long if branDUHn has his way. 🥵😵‍💫🤬


6 posted on 09/07/2022 7:00:36 AM PDT by rktman (Destroy America from within? Check! WTH? Enlisted USN 1967 to end up with this? 😕)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: rktman
I love the story about some techs at Burning Man 2005 who set up a satellite VOIP and ran a buried line from their bus to a "mysterious" payphone just there in the sand. People had no idea where it came from but were happy to use the phone!


7 posted on 09/07/2022 7:01:34 AM PDT by \/\/ayne (I regret that I have but one subscription cancellation notice to give to my local newspaper)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Dilbert San Diego

Went to the second Burning Man. It was interesting but have not been back


8 posted on 09/07/2022 7:07:55 AM PDT by rdcbn1
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Fai Mao

The Simpsons Blazing Guy episode was pretty good, too.


9 posted on 09/07/2022 7:15:30 AM PDT by HartleyMBaldwin
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: rktman

Key words: sex and nudity. The human race did not change for thousands of years, Beethoven, Einstein, and the rest notwithstanding. They will invent Burning Man events even on Mars...


10 posted on 09/07/2022 7:19:53 AM PDT by exinnj
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: rktman

What do you get when 8000 sodomites get caught together in a sandstorm?


11 posted on 09/07/2022 7:22:04 AM PDT by Jan_Sobieski (Sanctification)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: \/\/ayne

Here’s some voicemails that were left there: https://www.templetons.com/pq/burn-voicemail/


12 posted on 09/07/2022 7:33:51 AM PDT by PghBaldy (12/14/12 - 930am -rampage begins... 12/15/12 - 1030am - Obama team scouts photo-op locations.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: Dilbert San Diego

There was a time when the festival was known only by word of mouth and I used to go every year. Up until it blew up on social media about 10 years ago and seemed to become a place for mostly wealthy picture tourists that didn’t really participate.

One of the principles was that EVERYONE is part of the show/entertainment and it made for non stop fun. For people that are used to only consuming entertainment, it took some time and sometimes multiple trips to get immersed into it. When the playa became mostly new people it seemed to really change the culture to a typical drugged music festival and many never experienced the magic of EVERYONE being an entertainer in near absolute freedom.

You used not encounter a single theft, fight or piece of trash on the floor for the entire week. I could walk barefoot the entire time and I never left a single piece of property locked up but that changed dramatically once it became pop culturized.

As an engineer, it was stunning to see people’s creations when they are not restricted by land, laws and liabilities. Out there you could build and try out almost anything you want in near anonymity if you had the balls and ability. The playa later inspired many projects I worked on.

Of course back in the day it was even more intense. There used to be jet powered vehicles, machine guns and explosives. Tens of thousands of people literally said “hold muh beer” while doing the most dangerous things you cannot even imagine.

Most stunning to me is that many more people did not die given the extreme danger, extreme climate and extreme intoxication. That is just one of the many strange, unexplainable things you’ll encounter on the playa...

I heard it’s not as popular these days with the social media crowd and good times maybe coming back.


13 posted on 09/07/2022 7:37:04 AM PDT by varyouga ( )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: rktman

I’ve been to Blackrock for high power rocket launching.
Lots of fun without the hippies and drugs.
https://blackrockdesert.org/brr-2021-rockets/
Lots of explosions however when the rockets fail.


14 posted on 09/07/2022 7:37:44 AM PDT by Zathras
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: rktman

No doubt nearly all of these attendees are rabid environment defenders. But they probably leave a waste pit of human filth behind, as is typical of leftist gatherings. I wonder how many used condoms were strewn about the landscape?


15 posted on 09/07/2022 7:48:12 AM PDT by fwdude (Racism is not dead, but it is on life support - kept alive by politicians….” — Thomas Sowell)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: rktman

There is always an 8 hour traffic jam after Burning Man. 70,000 people on a hundred miles of two lane highway is going to gridlock. This story is another press hit piece constructed of dandruff.


16 posted on 09/07/2022 7:54:56 AM PDT by Yollopoliuhqui
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: exinnj

“Key words: sex and nudity.”

Ah, so the “Burning Man” is you, if you neglect to slather sunscreen in every nook and crevice.


17 posted on 09/07/2022 8:01:03 AM PDT by Boogieman
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: Jan_Sobieski
What do you get when 8000 sodomites get caught together in a sandstorm?

Sand in places not even a doctor usually sees! Pay for a week of sex with a year of unwilling celibacy?

18 posted on 09/07/2022 8:08:17 AM PDT by SES1066 (More & more it looks like Brandon's best decision was Kamala! UGH!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: fwdude

Imagine all these vehicles are electric.
8 to 12 hours just to get to the gate and then you have the rest of the trip home!

Carbon free traffic jam.....


19 posted on 09/07/2022 8:55:30 AM PDT by minnesota_bound (Need more money to buy everything now)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: \/\/ayne

The Burning Man alumni includes high tech elites like Twitter’s Jack Dorsey who claims to have been there in 2005. It also includes Google’s Eric Schmidt. Tesla’s Elon Musk and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos.


20 posted on 09/07/2022 10:33:45 AM PDT by Sons of Union Vets (Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-25 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson