Featured Image Credit: Instagram/@Diplo/TikTok/@angiepeacockmsw
Topics: US News, Music, Weather, Celebrity, Chris Rock
Rhiannon Ingle
Topics: US News, Music, Weather, Celebrity, Chris Rock
Chris Rock and Diplo have managed to escape Burning Man while thousands of attendees are left stranded.
Burning Man festival goers have been told to 'conserve food and water' after torrential rain closed a road and trapped more than 70,000 attendees on Saturday (2 September).
Luckily, for Rock and the 'Lean On' DJ, they were able to get out of Nevada's mud bath Black Rock Desert thanks to a fan's helping hand. Check it out:
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The annual festival, which was founded way back in June 1986 by Larry Harvey and his friend Jerry Goodell, is one of America's most prolific events.
In a statement released by Burning Man's official X account, organizers warned festival-goers in Black Rock City to 'help each other stay safe'.
"The gate and airport in and out of Black Rock City remain closed," it continued. "Ingress and egress are halted for the time being. Stay prepared for adverse weather conditions continuing through the night and into Saturday."
In a follow-up tweet, the festival also announced that the gate and airport in and out of Black Rock City would 'remain closed'.
It added: "No driving is permitted except emergency vehicles.
"If you are in Black Rock City, conserve food, water, and fuel, and shelter in a warm, safe space."
Burning Man has since published a '2023 Wet Playa Survival Guide' on its website offering further information on what was going on, what festival-goers can do and what 'other resources' are available to them.
The guide reiterates: "Conserve your food, water, and fuel. If you have extra, share with your neighbors. This is always common-sense in a wilderness environment."
Rock and Diplo, however, managed to break free from the ordeal with the DJ taking to Instagram to reveal: "A fan offered Chris rock and I a ride out of Burning Man in the back of a pick up."
The Instagram video showed him, Rock, and a group of people packed together with luggage as they whizzed through past the desert landscape.
"After walking six miles through the mud… all Chris could think about was a f*cking cold brew," he continued.
The disco jockey added in the video's caption: "I legit walked the side of the road for hours with my thumb out cuz I have a show in DC tonight and didn't want to let y'all down.
"Also shoutout to this guy for making the smart purchase of a truck not knowing it was for this exact moment."
Rock has also taken to Instagram to share his experiences during the chaos, revealing in an Instagram Story: "From what I understand, because of the flooding, the port-o-potties reportedly can’t be emptied.
"And because the gates are closed, people can’t get in to fill generators or deliver supplies."
The festival officially started last Sunday (27 August) before being hit by the ends of Hurricane Hilary, leaving organizers to close off the gates to early arrivals.
And, after a continuous amount of torrential rain, the festival is now totally stuck in the mud just one day before people were set to depart and start heading back home.
With a possibility of even more rainfall this evening, it may well ended up being several more days before the ground becomes dry enough for vehicles to eventually leave.
One of the most recent X updates states: "Do not travel to Black Rock City! Access to the city is closed for the remainder of the event, and you will be turned around."
An investigation has also since been launched into the death of a person during the festival, however, no further details have been given about the circumstances of their death at the time of writing.
"The Pershing County Sheriff's Office is currently investigating a death which occurred during this rain event," the Pershing County Sheriff's Office said on Saturday (2 September).
They also stated that the individual's family had been notified.