When Burning Man ended in 2022, the exodus gridlocked into a 14-lane, nine-hour standstill across the Nevada desert
Published on Dec 06, 2025 at 5:10 PM (UTC+4)
by Keelin McNamara
Last updated on Dec 04, 2025 at 9:31 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
The annual Burning Man brought the Nevada desert to a halt in 2022.
Three years ago saw the iconic festival took place once more in the Nevada desert.
But traffic saw the event make headlines for a few different reasons.
That is because the exodus turned into a 14-lane gridlock, with a side of nine-hour standstill.
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Burning Man – an iconic cultural phenomenon
Nevada’s Burning Man festival is one of the most famous cultural phenomena in the world.
It’ an annual artistic festival that has been held in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert since 1990.
Its purpose is designed to promote community participation.
The week-long gathering is most famous for one singular act.
On the penultimate night, a large wooden effigy is burned.
The effigy, referred to as ‘The Man’, is burned every Saturday evening before Labor Day.
What is most interesting is that Burning Man does not feature any headline acts.
It does not feature musicians or organized acts of any kind.
Instead, participants create all of the events, arts, and activities.
2022 ‘exodus’ traffic goes viral
Throughout the years, participants have been known to create sculptures, buildings, and even art cars.
But it was the 2022 iteration of Burning Man that very quickly went viral.
Following the end of the week-long festivities, people started getting ready to leave
Unfortunately, the traffic followed the chaotic, unorganized nature of the event itself.
According to reports, more than 75,000 people attended the week-long festivities… And all of them tried to head home at the same time.
You can probably picture the inevitable result. Although, maybe not. Because the sheer amount of traffic that mass movement of people produced has to be seen to be believed.
Pictures quickly went viral of the 14-lane, nine-hour traffic jam that developed.
Thousands of cars were locked in the scorching heat of the Nevada desert. It was so bad, due to the conditions, that the exit of the event started becoming an event in itself.
Reports came out of music being blared out of car speakers and people roaming around. In fact, many people still refer to this event as the ‘Burning Man Exodus.’
And frankly, we can see why.
Keelin McNamara is a content writer at Supercar Blondie from Ireland, covering cars, technology, and lifestyle. Despite being a Law graduate, he discovered his passion for journalism during the COVID-19 pandemic, and has worked in the industry ever since. Outside of work, he is an avid MotoGP fan, and is a self-confessed addict of the sport.
