Burning Man tickets remain unsold for the first time in 13 years
For the first time since 2011, tickets for the popular desert festival Burning Man remain unsold.
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The opening day of the week-long 2024 Burning Man festival was marred by tragedy and complications after a visitor died and gates opened 12 hours late this weekend due to weather conditions.
The Burning Man Project confirmed the death in a statement released Sunday, saying its emergency medical personnel responded to a report of an unresponsive person at 11:29 a.m. that day. When emergency medical personnel arrived on scene, “immediate life-saving measures were attempted,” but their efforts were ultimately unsuccessful, the statement said.
Pershing County Sheriff Jerry Allen told the Reno Gazette Journal, part of the USA TODAY network, that officers responded and were notified of the death at 11:37 a.m. So far, the victim has only been identified as an unnamed woman.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of the deceased,” the sheriff’s office told the Gazette Journal. “This is the first reported death on the playa this year and unfortunately it happened on the first day.”
Allen told the newspaper that the woman’s age and name would not be released until next of kin were notified. The death remains under investigation until the cause and circumstances of death are determined. Additional details will be released after an autopsy.
“Our thoughts and condolences go out to the family and friends who have suffered this loss,” Burning said in a statement. “The safety and well-being of our employees and our community is our top priority. We are cooperating fully with local authorities as they investigate this incident. … Out of respect for the privacy of the grieving family, we will not be releasing any further details at this time.”
What is Burning Man: What you should know about the origin and name of Nevada and the activities of the people there
Due to rain and mud, the gates to Burning Man open 12 hours later
There were also weather-related delays at the festival on the first day.
As the Gazette Journal reported, the 20,000 visitors waiting for the gates to open on Sunday had to wait 12 hours longer than originally planned due to rain and mud. Because Burning Man takes place in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert, it is prone to high temperatures and complications due to the weather.
In 2023, the festival faced major challenges when heavy rains washed away makeshift roads throughout the site and forced authorities to close off access roads in and out of Black Rock City. Many attendees were left stranded after being told to either shelter in place or attempt to escape on foot through the thick mud.
The situation was made worse by the failure of on-site toilets and a lack of electricity and supplies, causing some participants to ration their remaining food and water.
When is Burning Man?
This year, the event will take place from August 25 to September 2, and more than 70,000 people are expected to attend. These numbers are down from the 75,069 attendees in 2022 and the 78,850 attendees in 2019 before the pandemic. In fact, 2024 will be the first year since 2011 that no tickets were sold for Burning Man.
What is Burning Man?
Burning Man began in 1986 when founders Larry Harvey and Jerry James burned a human-shaped sculpture at Baker Beach in San Francisco.
In the 1990s, Burning Man became increasingly popular and was moved to the Black Rock Desert in Nevada.
For this annual festival, tens of thousands of people, known as “Burners,” travel to Nevada to create a kind of utopia. They build villages, a medical center, an airport, and stages for performances.
Burning Man is all about self-expression and the rejection of corporatism and capitalism. Instead of spending money, participants borrow, barter, and trade things they need.
The people form a transient, self-sustaining community that (in theory) leaves no trace or trash behind once it is completed. However, the camp is not without problems, including drug use, arrests and sexual assault.
