A spinoff festival near Area 51 was canceled over the weekend after drawing only 500 attendees.
Given all the hype surrounding the viral Storm the Gate Facebook event and official/unofficial Alienstock parties, organizers of Area 51 Basecamp expected more like 5,000 attendees. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out like that.
Planner Keith Wright pulled the plug on Basecamp after the Friday night show and performance from Paul Oakenfold, as his vendors at the Alien Research Center souvenir shop in Hiko were counting on a much bigger turnout. Ultimately, the fest was canceled in its second day due to low attendance. 
“We put on a safe event for the people that showed up,” Wright said. “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.”
Meanwhile, a nearby Alienstock gathering and the official Alienstock: Area 51 Celebration in Las Vegas both carried out as planned with numbers into the thousands. In downtown Las Vegas, Born Dirty, Ship Wrek and more threw down — see the recap video here.
Police described the Area 51-related activities in Rachel and Hiko as “pretty calm.” The humans came in peace. Watch below.
Peaceful Party for Revelers Near Area 51
H/T: Stereogum
