Any remaining possibility of the ridiculous Alienstock Festival still continuing throughout the weekend was put to rest after roughly only 500 attendees showed up to the desolate town of Rachel, NV near the government base known as Area 51. The event, which came into existence as a result of the Internet-inspired “Storm Area 51” viral craze, was officially canceled going into Saturday after experiencing a dismal turnout on Friday. Previous reports had already somewhat determined that the initially-proposed event plans wouldn’t go on heading into the weekend.
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According to reports, “Area 51 Basecamp” organizer Keith Wright made the choice to cancel the event which had expected to welcome thousands of foolish, alien-obsessed fanatics to the very small desert town of Rachel, NV, which has a permanent population just shy of 100 people. At the time of the announcement back over the summer, local officials were worried about whether the town’s limited infrastructure would be able to handle the huge influx of visitors.
“We put on a safe event for the people that showed up,” Wright said in a statement. “But we had to make the decision today because it costs tens of thousands of dollars to staff each day … It was a gamble financially. We lost.”
Town local Connie West, who also runs the only hotel and diner in the entire town at The Little A’LE’INN, has said that while the official event may be canceled, musical entertainment will continue for those still camping on her property.
West shared a more optimistic view on the situation with her own statement in saying, “This is the most fabulous time. I’m just so grateful that people came. This is their event as much as it is mine.”
Only one person has been arrested thus far for disorderly conduct, which takes the total number of weekend arrests to six with the others being minor misdemeanors for trespassing. As for the whole “Storm Area 51” attempt, local sheriffs said roughly 20 people broke from the larger crowds and acted like they were going to storm the government-guarded land, but ended up stopping short of any serious trespassing incidents. A pair of car accidents were also reported over the weekend involving vehicles hitting cows.
Watch some of the attendees talk about their experience at the event thus far in the news report below.
On The Ground At Alienstock Festival Near Area 51
[Video: Associated Press]
[H/T Spin]