A man has died at the Burning Man festival in Nevada while the event was under lockdown due to severe weather conditions. The partygoer, believed to be in his 50s, was discovered unresponsive around 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. First responders in Black Rock City were unable to revive him.
The Washoe County Regional Medical Examiner's Office will determine the cause of death pending an autopsy. Pershing County Sheriff Jerry Allen stated that foul play is not suspected but awaits autopsy results for confirmation. The incident was reported late Friday.
Intense rainfall on Friday turned the desert playa into mud, prompting festival organizers to close the gates as a precautionary measure. Attendees who had not yet arrived were instructed to delay their travel.
This is not the first fatality at the festival. Last year, a Russian man named Vadim Kruglov was fatally stabbed in the festival's first homicide, and no arrests have been made in connection with that case.
Burning Man, an event known for its counterculture roots, has increasingly attracted attendees in their 40s and 50s, with data from the Black Rock City Census indicating a growing share of older participants and a shrinking number of those in their 20s. Last year, the proportion of attendees in their 50s surpassed those in their 20s, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The festival's core demographic, Millennials who were in their 20s and 30s during its peak popularity in the 2010s, have now aged into their 40s but remain a significant group.
The festival faced similar weather challenges in 2023, when over 70,000 people were stranded in mud following heavy rainfall.