Thousands of people were forced to put their Burning Man plans on hold as they were delayed for hours on the entrance road outside of the festival due to whiteouts and potholes.
Winds between 50-60mph initially caused six to seven-hour waits from the entry gate to the Black Rock Desert playa on Sunday before the gate was shut entirely around 3.30pm.
Even when the gate reopened that evening, Burners still had to wait eight hours of more to travel across the three-mile stretch of road.
It wasn’t until 10am on Monday that the delay dropped below an hour, but the problems didn’t stop there.
Thousands of people were forced to put their Burning Man plans on hold as they were delayed for hours on the entrance road outside of the festival due to whiteouts and potholes
Organizers then announced that pothole repair on Tuesday morning would also cause lane closures, further delaying arrivals for anyone who has yet to set up camp
Winds between 50-60mph initially caused six to seven hour waits from the entry gate. But after a few hours, the windy conditions and rolling whiteouts caused the gate to close around 3.30pm. A man is seen riding a bike in the dust on Sunday
According to the Nevada Highway Patrol, there was zero visibility and the travel conditions were extremely hazardous
Even when the gate reopened that evening, Burners still had to wait eight hours of more to travel across the three-mile stretch of road
Organizers then announced that pothole repair on Tuesday morning would also cause lane closures. The work began at 6am and will close one lane at a time
Organizers then announced that pothole repair on Tuesday morning would also cause lane closures, according to The Mercury News.
Potholes will be repaired on a six-mile stretch of Country Road 34, which includes the festival turnoff. The work began at 6am and will close one lane at a time.
The festival kicked off Sunday and is scheduled to run through the following Monday.
An estimated 80,000 ‘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.
Burners have already begun to post photos on social media, showing off nights with lit up bicycles, DJ sets, and skimpy outfits.
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.
An estimated 80,000 ‘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. Revelers at last year’s festival are pictured above
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 sun rises behind a 100-foot-tall model of a man that has been erected over the campground in Black Rock Desert, Nevada
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
But even the dust and winds couldn’t stop Burners from getting in their festival best and hitting the playa on Monday night
One man looked to the past as inspiration for his get-up, accessorizing with the Burner standard of goggles and bandannas to keep safe from the dust
Many Burners showed off creative – and furry – headgear at the festival on Sunday to add some oomph to their costumes
One man wasn’t afraid to rock patterns, showing off a black and white scarf paired with a green and gold tribal shirt
A number of major DJs are playing at the festival this week, including Morgan Page, Carl Cox, Diplo, and Flume
Creative costumes abounded on Monday as Burners opted for everything from furry boots and vests to a skirt and little else
Burners weren’t afraid to let their silly side shine as they posed with random props throughout the festival on Monday
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.
In 1990 the meager 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 $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.
Burning Man is guided by a set of 10 principles, including self-expression, self-reliance, immediacy and leaving no trace
Founded in 1986, the festival is known for celebrating music, art, self-expression and sexual liberation
In 1990 the meager festival moved from the beach to the desert, and since then it has grown into one of the most infamous events of the year
This 2017 photo shows the massive campground that is erected specifically for the festival and taken down immediately after
The expansive piece of desert (aerial photo) north of Reno will soon be filled with tens of thousands of ‘burners’
This year organizers 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, organizers have been tasked with teaching participants that freedom on the campground doesn’t mean its a free for all.
Also bringing down the free-spirited vibe of the festival is increased scrutiny of attendees as they make their way into the desert.
Burning Man has been known for its free-spirited atmosphere where clothing is without a doubt optional
In light of the #MeToo movement, organizers must teach burners that the festival’s free spirit doesn’t mean a free for all
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.
The organizers 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.
A letter complains people’s First Amendment rights are being violated by being stopped for minor offences such as going 3mph over the posted speed limit and having their licence plates 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.
‘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.