Town Declares Emergency Ahead of Upcoming Alienstock Festival

As you probably already know, what started as the “Storm Area 51 -They Can’t Stop All of Us,” Facebook hoax, has now become a real Woodstock-Like “Alien Fest,” that has come to be known as “Alienstock.”

The man who created the Internet sensation, is planning Alienstock in Rachel, Nevada, a small town near the remote base within the Nevada Test and Training Range, a couple hours’ drive northwest of Las Vegas.

The three-day festival is set to start Sept. 20 – the original date of the raid, which attracted 2 million people!

According to the Washington Post, “Alienstock” will be “a celebration of aliens that promises surprise performances, art installations and camping.” Given the enthusiasm that was generated by the original hoax event, the Festival is expected to pack a tiny town already overrun by media attention and a spike in interest in all things extraterrestrial – and it is all that attention, and not aliens, that has local officials spooked!

Because they have absolutely no idea what to expect, commissioners in Nevada’s rural Lincoln County have voted to pre-sign an emergency declaration ahead of the event.

Last week, the county board unanimously voted, 4-0, to approve the declaration in preparation for a mysterious affair that could draw thousands of curious visitors to the desert.

“We passed this with the caveat that this may or may not happen,” said District D Commissioner Kevin Phillips. “We’re just trying to do the best we can to prepare for something we know not of. We have no pickin’ idea what we’re going to face – if anything.”

California resident Matty Roberts created the event, which started its life as an internet hoax in June after listening to an episode of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast. The tongue-in-cheek event scheduled for Sept. 20 quickly generated millions of accepted invitations.

What Can Visitors Expect at Alienstock?

As we reported earlier, as of now, there is one band scheduled to play at the three-day festival, the local Wily Savage. But the leader of the group recently told Slate that, “currently there’s a list that’s being vetted of something like, getting close to 200 bands or acts that have contacted the organizers. But at this point, nobody’s been verified besides us.”

With just a few weeks left to plan and some residents reportedly less than thrilled about the attention, the organizers are focused on the logistics of bringing thousands to a town of 54 people, as counted in the last census.

The Internet frenzy over “Storm Area 51” has thrust Rachel, Nev., into a new limelight and has tested patience of its small number of residents.

“Of course it’s scary,” said Connie West, whose alien-themed inn declares on its website that it is “BOOKED SOLID FOR ALIENSTOCK.” “But I’m excited,” she told The Washington Post. “How can I not be?”

The U.S. government denied Area 51’s existence for decades before a public records request in 2013 showed it to be real. Government documents make no mention of aliens, describing the site as an aircraft testing area. But revelations two years ago of a $22 million Defense Department program on “anomalous aerospace threats,” commonly known as UFOs, have helped keep speculation about the Nevada facility alive.

Air Force spokeswoman Laura McAndrews said in a statement to USA TODAY that military officials were aware of the event that aims to uncover what many people believe are conspiratorial secrets of the military installation in Nevada.

McAndrews didn’t specify any security plans at the base, but she did warn those thinking of entering the area.

“The Nevada Test and Training Range is an area where the Air Force tests and trains combat aircraft,” McAndrews said. “Any attempt to illegally access military installations or military training areas is dangerous.”