FESTIVALS
Can I get my money back because of the rain at Burning man festival?
The entrance to the festival has been closed and attendees trapped after torrential rain. Is a refund possible?
No, it is not possible to get a refund under any circumstance. This is what the Burning Man website has in their terms and conditions about refunds:
“ALL SALES ARE FINAL. No refunds or exchanges will be issued for any reason. Fees are non-refundable.”
So if you are stuck in the Nevadan swamp, not something I would have expected to type, then hold tight. It’s a perfect opportunity to get into the burning man spirit; self-reliance and leaving no trace.
What is going on with the weather at Burning Man?
For a festival usually dominated by heat and dust, it is quite a turn up for the books for Burning Man festival to be slewn with rain.
Currently there is no access in and out of the festival because of the deluge. Many of the acts have been cancelled with 70,000 people stuck.
Organisers have said “no driving is permitted until the playa (main area) surface dries up, with the exception of emergency services”.
“Participants are encouraged to conserve food, water, and fuel, and shelter in a warm, safe space,” they added in a statement.
The festival runs to 4 September and the US National Weather Service has indicated the possibility of rain and thunderstorms throughout the remainder of the weekend. Attendees will simply have to make do with what they have got and without toilet facilities.
But tha thasn’t got attendees down.
“There are worse conditions than this, everyone is helping each other out, that’s what Burning Man is all about,” Shervin Natan told the BBC about his experience.
Burning Man traces its origins to an act on the summer solstice of 1986 when Larry Harvey and Jerry James burned an 8-foot-tall wooden effigy on Baker Beach in San Francisco. Due to increasing attendance and the risk of wildfires on the beach, Burning Man moved to the Black Rock Desert in Nevada, where it has been held ever since.