Camper access to Burning Man delayed due to Tropical Storm Hilary rainfall, officials say

Campers’ set up for Burning Man’s 2023 festival is being delayed by Tropical Storm Hilary.

The festival, which is set for Aug. 27 to Sept. 4, takes place in Black Rock City within Black Rock Desert; the city is created when a “metropolis” of campers arrive. The gate granting entry to Burning Man will remain closed all of Monday and Tuesday until noon due to the playa needing to dry as a result of the storm’s rainfall, according to festival officials.

Attendees will often arrive the week before to build their camps.

Festival officials said if someone was planning to arrive Monday or Tuesday with a work access pass, they should delay their travel plans.

It can take 12 or more hours for the playa to dry after heavy rain, officials said. They said the gate to enter Burning Man will open once it is safe to do so.

All vehicle movement in, out and around Black Rock City has stopped, festival officials said in a social media post. During peak traffic periods, authorities control traffic along State Route 447 before the Gerlach and Empire gas stations in Washoe County.

“Do not drive to Gerlach to queue up and wait,” the Burning Man official Facebook account read. “Your vehicle will be turned around.”

Officials originally said Sunday that the gate was slated to open Monday at 12 p.m. after factoring in rain forecasts. The second update prolonging the closure until Tuesday came roughly 14 hours later.

Burning Man attendees can monitor the festival’s traffic account on X, formerly known as Twitter, for updates or a Google Sheets document updated by festival workers.