- - Burning Man sees temporary closure after rains, dust storms sweep encampment

Trevor Hughes and Ariel Smith, USA TODAYAugust 26, 2025 at 1:54 AM

BLACK ROCK CITY, NV ‒ Wind-whipped dust storms. Slippery mud. Massive traffic jams in rural Nevada. It's time for Burning Man again.

Tens of thousands of "Burners" flocking to a remote desert area for a weeklong celebration of art, music and personal freedom are contending with the whims of Mother Nature as they arrive. A USA TODAY Network reporter covering the event was stuck in traffic for 16 hours on Aug. 24.

A rainstorm that hit the Black Rock Desert on Aug. 24 temporarily halted admissions to the event, which officially began at 12:01 a.m. that day. The gates reopened around 7 a.m. Aug. 25, but authorities said it might take people six to eight hours to enter the encampment.

Most attendees pass through Reno before heading north into the desert encampment, where they'll build a temporary city of about 80,000 people before erasing it a week later.

Veteran Burner Santiago Pariz said this year's wait to get into Burning Man has been his longest. Even before the gates to Black Rock City closed, Pariz had been in line for more than seven hours and was still waiting by sunrise on Aug. 25.

"I guess you can never tell how long it's gonna be. It's never taken longer than three hours for me," he said.

In addition to temporarily halting admissions, organizers had asked people within the encampment to avoid driving and said flights into the temporary airport they've established are also on hold. Burning Man attendees typically include a significant number of California-based tech workers, and past participants have included Elon Musk and leaders of Google.

Burning Man officials said that four minor injuries have been reported as a result of the wind and dust, and the livestream webcast is down. Also, the large-scale art piece "Black Cloud" from Ukraine was destroyed by 50 mph winds on Aug. 23, according to Ukrainian news outlets and Vitaliy Deynega, the founder of the Ukrainian Witness Project.

"The weather continues to be unstable and is expected to be unstable for two more days. Please keep an eye on the forecast as you plan your travel to Black Rock City," organizers said. "Common sense and awareness of changing conditions will serve you well."

This year's Burning Man

A large sign can be seen near the entrance to Burning Man on Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025.

The Black Rock Desert is a vast, featureless plain made up of a fine alkaline dust. Early arrivals this year reported that due to a lack of rain earlier in the year, the dust was very loose instead of being hard-packed as usual. Subsequent high winds on Aug. 24 and 25 created significant dust storms as they tore down shade structures and flipped over at least one porta-potty, according to social media posts from attendees.

Afternoon showers have been predicted for the area later on Aug. 25, with mostly sunny skies and a high near 90 degrees, with gusts of up to 15 mph.

Ticket prices this year started at $550, but participants could purchase more expensive ones to subsidize other attendees. While the event typically sells out, tickets this year are still available for purchase.

On Aug. 25, Burning Man officials said they are focusing on assisting drivers who have already entered the event but have not yet reached their camping sites. It routinely takes more than eight hours for attendees to travel just a few miles into the temporary city, as they pass through ticket checks, security screenings and greeter stations, all watched closely by federal Bureau of Land Management police officers.

"The rain and wind have stopped in BRC," organizers said in a morning update. "The ground is drying up and vehicles on Gate Road are starting to move into the city. Take your time and follow instructions from staff."

Burning Man's vision and past

In 2024, Burning Man was largely uneventful, but the 2023 version saw a massive mudfest, as heavy rains dumped on the city midway through the week. Although the subsequent road closures inconvenienced a small, vocal minority – among them DJ Diplo and comedian Chris Rock ‒ most attendees happily splashed through the mud until the roads dried up.

Burning Man is guided by 10 principles, including "radical self-reliance," through which attendees are encouraged to "discover, exercise and rely on their inner resources." The entire event's ethos reflects that, and there's no food or merchandise sales permitted during the event, although many camps distribute free food via a published schedule. Participants don a variety of outfits, or go naked, as they admire massive art installations or dance all night alongside mobile DJ vehicles.

The event culminates with the two large-scale "burns" the two nights before Labor Day: The raucous fireworks-heavy 100-foot-tall wooden Man effigy burn and then the solemn Temple burn.

Fireballs explode as part of the Man burn at Burning Man on Labor Day.Not over yet

Among Burning Man attendees, it's become something of an article of faith that people in the "default world" will seize any opportunity to suggest the event is losing its cool.

However, organizers have acknowledged they're financially struggling to continue the event, which requires vast logistics and an expensive federal permit from the BLM.

"We’re pleased that, despite operating at a financial loss in 2024, as a result of hard work and participation from the community, our financial outlook is much stronger than where we were a year ago," CEO Marian Goodell wrote in an Aug. 13 message to community members. "Through a combination of charitable contributions, mission-aligned cost reductions, a reduction in headcount by 10%, and collaboration with partners to reduce costs, we began this year with our financial recovery well underway."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Burning Man entrance temporarily closed after rains, dust storms

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