Burning Man attendees get stuck in a traffic jam for over 10 hours

One of the most unique and awe-inspiring festivals on the planet, Burning Man, finally made an official return this summer following a three-year hiatus. 

The global spectacle that is Black Rock City welcomed over 80,000 attendees to this year’s event, marking the first official Burning Man festival since the beginning of the pandemic in 2019. 

By all accounts, this year’s festival was an explicit success unless you factor in the insanely large exit jam, which saw thousands of festivalgoers stuck in traffic for an ungodly amount of time. 

Loosely guided by official Burning Man Twitter accounts, attendees were left with no option but to sit and wait for up to 12 hours in some cases, with the Nevada desert temperatures topping out at around 40º during its peak. 

The Twitterverse was arife with feedback during the mass exit delays, with attendees calling for “improvement on the exit system + estimates + communication.”

Burning Man’s official Twitter account posted: “Exodus wait time is over 9 hours. If you are still in #BRC, wait to leave. If you are on Gate Road, turn off your vehicle to conserve gas, and be patient. Teams are working to keep the roads safe and get everyone home safely. Gas up in Gerlach due to a fuel shortage in Empire.”

Exodus wait time is over 9 hours. If you are still in #BRC, wait to leave. If you are on Gate Road, turn off your vehicle to conserve gas, and be patient. Teams are working to keep the roads safe and get everyone home safely. Gas up in Gerlach due to a fuel shortage in Empire.

— Burning Man Project (@burningman) September 6, 2022