Burning Man Dust Storm Makes Some Leave Early

RENO, Nev. — The party is drawing to a close at the annual Burning Man festival on the northern Nevada desert.

Participants in the eclectic art and music event had planned to burn more artwork Sunday night before its Labor Day conclusion.

The celebration of radical self-expression climaxed late Saturday night with the torching of its 40-foot signature effigy. A dust storm prompted many participants to leave the Black Rock Desert before the finale.

The crowd for the weeklong celebration peaked Saturday at a record 49,599, up from 47,097 last year.

U.S. Bureau of Land Management officials said the festival ran smoothly and no major problems were reported. They made 11 arrests and issued 175 citations to participants, most for drug violations, BLM officials said.

Burning Man began in 1986 at San Francisco's Baker Beach and was moved in 1990 to the Black Rock Desert, about 110 miles north of Reno.

Comments

[KCFreedom]

09:42 AM on 09/03/2008

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust

[saltpeter]

10:32 PM on 09/02/2008

Ah, Burning Man, a bunch of urban weekend hippies trying to commune with nature. EXCEPT when there's TOO MUCH nature. This is what happens when get away from it all and try to be rugged, you get b*tch slapped by nature.

[geobushono]

09:36 PM on 09/01/2008

nascar without the cars
football without the ball
50K desert despoilers
deserts are quiet places

[Swerinjer]

01:25 PM on 09/01/2008

isnt it bad to take and publish pictures about burning man? dunno i never been there. But im sure by this time "its not as good as it used to be" anyway.

[insanityfollows]

09:40 PM on 08/31/2008

Something fun to focus on for a change. I live in Reno, and you should see the cars and rv's. The best laugh was the couple at the car wash that were coated in alkaline dust, and them beating clouds of dust out of their shoes. It was classic.

[misterdirk]

03:38 PM on 08/31/2008

One of the most incredible experiences of my life was experiencing the vertigo of Burning Man whiteout. Also, I think attendance should be capped at 35K because 49K is just too much.

[skyloaf]

01:51 PM on 08/31/2008

The sand storm is part of the experience of Burning Man. Whoever left shouldn't have been there in the first place.

[geobushono]

09:37 PM on 09/01/2008

agreed.

[Jadedelight]

11:19 PM on 09/01/2008

You are so right. That's part of the experience.