Big problems at Burning Man festival in desert
Listen to the story (Kenyan accent)
A big rainstorm turned the Burning Man festival into a muddy mess.
The rain flooded the roads in and out of the remote festival. About 72,000 people at the festival were trapped there.
On Monday afternoon, authorities allowed traffic to leave the festival, and many people wanted to leave at the same time. On Tuesday morning, someone reported that the wait time to leave the festival was five hours.
Sheriff Jerry Allen said that some tired festival attendees became upset while trying to leave the music festival, and started fights and arguments. He also mentioned that there was a lot of litter and some abandoned vehicles left behind at the festival area.
Some say this rainfall was the heaviest and longest in the festival's 30-year history.
Despite the bad conditions, some festival attendees decided to hike through the muddy desert to find the nearest road to leave. Others enjoyed the conditions by dancing in the mud and singing karaoke.
Portable toilets were closed because service vehicles couldn’t drive on the muddy roads to clean and empty them. At that time, attendees were also told to stay in their tents and save their food and water.
There are no showers at the nine-day event.
Burning Man is a well-known arts and culture event in the desert. The event was founded in 1986 and has been held in Nevada's Black Rock Desert since 1990.
Unfortunately, during the festival, a man around 40 years old passed away. Authorities said that his death was not related to the weather conditions.
Vocabulary30 words
- Rainstorm
- a period of heavy rain
- Festival
- A special event with music, games, and fun activities
- Muddy
- Covered in wet dirt or soil; wet ground
- Mess
- Something that's untidy or not clean; something unorganized or in chaos
- Flood
- too much water in a normally dry area; to cover an area with a lot of water
- Remote
- something that is far away; isolated; secluded; far from many people; in the middle of nowhere
- Trapped
- stuck; closed in; can’t escape; can’t go away
- Authorities
- a group of people or organization with official legal power to make decisions or protect the law, e.g., the police or a government department
- Allow
- permit; let; to give permission; OK
- Traffic
- The movement of cars, trucks, and other vehicles on the road
- Report
- to tell other people about something; to share information; announce; explain
- Sheriff
- A law enforcement officer who is in charge of a county
- Attendee
- Someone who goes to an event or a place
- Upset
- Feeling sad, angry, or disappointed about something
- Argument
- A disagreement between two or more people; when people talk loudly or yell at each other
- Mention
- to briefly or quickly talk about something; to say something, but not talk in detail about it
- Litter
- Trash or garbage on the ground
- Abandoned
- When something or someone is left behind or deserted
- Vehicle
- a machine, usually with wheels and an engine, used for transporting people or goods; car or truck
- Leave behind
- To not take something with you when you leave;
- Rainfall
- the falling of rain; the amount/quantity of rain; rain
- Despite
- In spite of; or regardless of; even though; although
- Condition
- state; shape; situation; the state/shape that something or someone is in with regard to its appearance, quality, or working order;
- Desert
- a dry, hot area with very little water and few plants
- Portable
- Something you can easily move or carry;
- Service vehicles
- Vehicles that are used to provide services, such as garbage trucks and fire trucks; Special cars or trucks used for work, like fixing things
- Tent
- ⛺, ?️; A small shelter made of fabric or material
- Founded
- started; began; created
- Hold
- to organize; to arrange; to have an event; host
- Pass away
- to die; to stop living
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
A big rainstorm _____ the Burning Man festival into a muddy mess.
The rain _____ the roads in and out of the remote festival. About 72,000 people at the festival _____ trapped there.
On Monday afternoon, _____ allowed traffic to leave the festival, and many people wanted to _____ at the same time. On Tuesday morning, someone _____ that the wait time to leave the festival was _____ hours.
Sheriff Jerry Allen said that _____ tired festival attendees became upset while trying to leave the _____ festival, and started fights and arguments. He also _____ that there was a lot of litter and some abandoned vehicles left behind at the festival _____.
Some say this rainfall _____ the heaviest and longest in the festival's 30-year _____.
Despite the bad conditions, some festival _____ decided to hike through the muddy desert to find the nearest road to _____. Others enjoyed the conditions by dancing in the mud and _____ karaoke.
Portable toilets were _____ because service vehicles couldn’t drive on the muddy _____ to clean and empty them. At _____ time, attendees were also told to stay in their tents and _____ their food and water.
There are no showers at the nine-day _____.
Burning Man is a well-known arts and _____ event in the desert. The event was _____ in 1986 and has been held in Nevada's Black Rock _____ since 1990.
Unfortunately, during the festival, a man _____ 40 years old passed away. Authorities said that his _____ was not related to the weather conditions.
Discussion questions
- How do you think the festival organizers could have prepared better for the heavy rain?
- Do you believe it's a good idea for festivals to be held in remote areas, or should they be closer to cities with easier access to services?
- Why do you think some festival attendees decided to stay and enjoy the muddy conditions, while others wanted to leave as soon as possible?
- Have you ever heard of the Burning Man festival? What big festivals do you know about? Which have you been to?
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