Chris Rock and Diplo Escape Burning Man Floods as Thousands of Fans Were Stuck
A viral video shows the unlikely pair escaping in a fan's pick-up truck.
Last weekend's Burning Man festival made headlines for a number of reasons — and an unlikely crossover between two celebrities was definitely one of them. Over the weekend, the musician Diplo took to Instagram to share a video of himself and comedian Chris Rock accidentally joining forces, leaving Burning Man on the back of a fan's pick up truck. The ordeal, which saw heavy rain essentially trap more than 70,000 Burning Man attendees in massive amounts of mud, also involved Diplo and Rock walking more than six miles.
"I legit walked the side of the road for hours with my thumb out cuz i have a show in dc tonight and didnt want to let yall down," Diplo's caption reads. "Also shoutout to this guy for making the smart purchase of a truck not knowing it was for this exact moment ❤️"
What Happened at Burning Man?
The 2023 Burning Man Festival, which was held in the Black Rock Desert in Pershing County, Nevada, began to experience rain on Friday, September 1st. A flash flood warning was subsequently in effect through Monday, September 4th. Although attendees had permission to leave, the thick nature of the mud made it very difficult for cars or people on foot to exit.
"We are a unique community here," Burning Man ambassador Michael Mikel told The LAist. "It's the most unique community on the planet. We can teach the world a lot about how we can live together. We are hunkered down in our camps. We have plenty of food and water and resources. Many camps are playing music. The bars are open. We are having a great time. The world outside is freaking out. We are just fine."
What Is Burning Man?
The annual festival occurs over the course of one week, with a large effigy known as "The Man" burned on the penultimate evening. The festival itself focuses on experimental art, interactive media, and live performances, even though the festival has no scheduled performers.
"Burning Man Project's mission is to produce the annual event known as Burning Man and to guide, nurture and protect the more permanent community created by its culture," the organization's official mission statement reads. "Our intention is to generate society that connects each individual to his or her creative powers, to participation in community, to the larger realm of civic life, and to the even greater world of nature that exists beyond society. We believe that the experience of Burning Man can produce positive spiritual change in the world. To this end, it is equally important that we communicate with one another, with the citizens of Black Rock City and with the community of Burning Man wherever it may arise. Burning Man is radically inclusive, and its meaning is potentially accessible to anyone. The touchstone of value in our culture will always be immediacy: experience before theory, moral relationships before politics, survival before services, roles before jobs, embodied support before sponsorship. Finally, in order to accomplish these ends, Burning Man must endure as a self-supporting enterprise that is capable of sustaining the lives of those who dedicate themselves to its work. From this devotion spring those duties that we owe to one another."
What do you think of Chris Rock and Diplo's escape from Burning Man? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!