John Locher/AP
In this July 22, 2019 photo, Grace Capati looks at a UFO display outside of the Little A’Le’Inn, in Rachel, Nev., the closest town to Area 51. The U.S. Air Force has warned people against participating in an internet joke suggesting a large crowd of people “storm Area 51,” the top-secret Cold War test site in the Nevada desert.
Saturday, Aug. 31, 2019 | 2 a.m.
About 2 million people RSVP’d on Facebook to attend the now-infamous event titled “Storm Area 51, They Can’t Stop All of Us.” Another 1.5 million have marked themselves as “interested.” This tongue-in-cheek internet phenomenon made international news and struck a chord with the general public.
Like the best jokes, Storm Area 51 touches upon a deep truth: Who among us hasn’t felt a little powerless when contemplating the secrecy surrounding Area 51?
But no matter how funny, the joke comes with its own dangerous logistical problems. Storming a government site where guards are authorized to shoot is a suicidal idea. Not to mention the lack of amenities available in a remote and sparsely populated stretch of desert about 150 miles northwest of Las Vegas.
Enter Alienstock Festival, a clever and safer event organized by the folks behind Storm Area 51. Taking place September 20-22 in the micro town of Rachel, Alienstock features camping, music and arts, according to sister websites stormarea51.us and alienstockfestival.com. There’s official merch and an official song (“They Can’t Stop Us All” by Finderz Keeperz).
According to the website, organizers are “aiming to establish something unique here, a meeting place for all the believers ... a place to freely discuss Aliens & the Unknown!”
This story originally appeared in the Las Vegas Weekly.
