Nonetheless, the flooding, the mud and the confinement haven’t disrupted the celebration for most of the 70,000-plus burners. They’ve saved dancing to ever-present, bass-heavy home music blasting throughout the desert; doing yoga; and visiting each other’s camps to drink and socialize and focus on the favored matter of make Burning Man higher.
On Saturday afternoon, within the Playa Piano Bar, the musician Eric Lewis, generally known as ELEW, 51, belted out a marathon three-hour set of jazz and rock beneath an open-sided tent. Outdoors, water lay in puddles. Inside, he was surrounded by two dozen burners wearing G-strings and Jedi garb. However their toes have been naked or in plastic luggage, as a substitute of platform footwear and boots.
One attendee, Angie Peacock, 44, stated in a telephone interview that although there was some nervousness among the many individuals and the climate quickly halted some partying, the spirit of the competition was nonetheless on show on Saturday night time. Earlier, one of many campers stated that that they had sufficient meals and provisions to final no less than 10 days.
“We’re not going to let anybody starve, you understand?” Ms. Peacock stated. “This isn’t ‘Starvation Video games.’”
On Saturday night time, neon lights have been nonetheless seen throughout the makeshift metropolis, and the raves have been persevering with as regular.
“It’s lit up,” Ms. Peacock stated, looking. “It’s lovely.”
Justin Schuman, who got here from Harlem to affix the occasion, stated in a voice message on Sunday that he anticipated to be uncomfortable on the web site however that this deluge actually “throws you thru a loop.” He described the location on Saturday morning as “horrifically muddy.”