Roads leading out of the Burning Man festival have been reopened, with tens of thousands of previously stranded festival goers now able to begin their journey away from Black Rock City, Nevada.
Burning Man organizers said that "exodus operations" had begun as of 2 p.m. local time on Monday. Attendees of the annual event had been stranded at the festival site for days due to flooding, which forced the closure of roads in and out of the muddy grounds.
The Burning Man Traffic account on X, formerly Twitter, said at 5:31 p.m. that those hoping to leave the grounds had a just over 5-hour wait time. The account frequently posts updated traffic information.
"Currently the Exodus time is approximately 5 hrs 10 minutes," the post said. "Tune in to GARS 95.1 FM and BMIR 94.5 for updates. Check your load! Firmly secure your load with straps, rope, bungee cords or netting. The wind exerts hundreds of pounds of pressure per square foot at 60mph"
Just minutes later, an update from the account said that the wait time had increased to six hours. Organizers warned drivers to "know that while conditions are improving and roads are drying, the playa is still muddy and may be difficult to navigate in some neighborhoods and down certain streets."
- Currently the Exodus time is approximately 5 hrs 10 minutes.
— Burning Man Traffic (@bmantraffic) September 5, 2023
- Tune in to GARS 95.1 FM and BMIR 94.5 for updates.
- Check your load! Firmly secure your load with straps, rope, bungee cords or netting. The wind exerts hundreds of pounds of pressure per square foot at 60mph
The wait time to leave could increase even more later, as a significant number of attendees were expected to stay at the festival for the traditional burning of an effigy at 9 p.m., which will also be live-streamed on the official Burning Man website. A "Chapel of Babel burn" is set for midnight.
At 6:14 p.m. local time, the Burning Man Traffic account urged attendees to "cook that last tasty, communal meal" and wait until Tuesday to leave the festival, noting that "there's a lot of traffic" on the 5-mile dirt road leading to the nearest highway.
"You might be much happier hanging out in camp with your friends than sitting in a static line of cars for many hours," a post from the account read. "Wake up refreshed on Tuesday and hit the road then."
Newsweek reached out to Burning Man via email for comment on Monday night.
Prior to the road reopening, organizers had instructed attendees to stay put. Some of the more than 70,000 people at the site, including celebrities, ignored the instructions and hiked their way through the mud to the highway.
One person died during the festival. The Pershing County Sheriff's Office said that the death happened on Saturday during a "rain event" and is being investigated.
The festival is set to conclude with a "temple burn" event at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, which is scheduled to be live-streamed, as well.
Update 09/04/23, 9:56 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
