Storm Area 51, They Can't Stop All of Us, also known as the Raid on Area 51 or simply the Area 51 Raid, was an American
Facebook event and series of
music festivals
A music festival is a community event with performances of singing and instrument playing that is often presented with a theme such as musical genre (e.g., rock, blues, folk, jazz, classical music), nationality, locality of musicians, or ho ...
that took place on and around September 20, 2019, in the desert surrounding
Area 51
Area 51 is the common name of a highly classified United States Air Force (USAF) facility within the Nevada Test and Training Range. A remote detachment administered by Edwards Air Force Base, the facility is officially called Homey Airport ...
, a
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...
(USAF) facility within the
Nevada Test and Training Range
The Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR) is one of two military training areas at the Nellis Air Force Base Complex in Nevada and used by the United States Air Force Warfare Center at Nellis Air Force Base. The NTTR land area includes a "simu ...
.
The event, created as a
sardonic
To be sardonic is to be disdainfully or cynically humorous, or scornfully mocking.
A form of wit or humour, being sardonic often involves expressing an uncomfortable truth in a clever and not necessarily malicious way, often with a degree of sk ...
shitpost
In Internet culture, shitposting, trashposting, or funposting is the act of using an online forum or social media page to post content that is satirical and of "aggressively, ironically, and trollishly poor quality", an online analog of trash ...
by Matty Roberts on June 27, 2019, asked Facebook users to band together and raid the site in a search for
extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life, colloquially referred to as alien life, is life that may occur outside Earth and which did not originate on Earth. No extraterrestrial life has yet been conclusively detected, although efforts are underway. Such life might ...
that
conspiracy lore claims may be concealed inside.
More than 2 million people responded "going" and 1.5 million "interested" on the event's page, which subsequently attracted widespread media attention and caused the event to become an
Internet meme
An Internet meme, commonly known simply as a meme ( ), is an idea, behavior, style, or image that is spread via the Internet, often through social media platforms. What is considered a meme may vary across different communities on the Internet ...
. Roberts later stated his intentions for the event had been purely comedic, and disavowed responsibility for any casualties had there been any actual attempt to raid the military base.
On the day of the event, only about 150 people were reported to have shown up at the two entrances to Area 51, with none succeeding in entering the site. Two
music festival
A music festival is a community event with performances of singing and instrument playing that is often presented with a theme such as musical genre (e.g., rock, blues, folk, jazz, classical music), nationality, locality of musicians, or h ...
s were planned to coincide with the event: Alienstock in
Rachel, Nevada
Rachel is a census-designated place (CDP) in Lincoln County, Nevada, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 48. As the closest settlement to the Nellis Air Force Range and Area 51, Rachel enjoys a modest celebrity status, pa ...
, and Storm Area 51 Basecamp in
Hiko, Nevada
Hiko is a small, agrarian community in the Tonopah Basin on State Route 318 in Lincoln County, Nevada, United States. It is a census-designated place, with a population of 119 at the 2010 census.
Demographics
Description
The first permanent ...
. An estimated 1,500 people attended these festivals, according to state and local law enforcement. Air Force spokeswoman Grace Manock stated government officials were briefed on the event and discouraged people from attempting to enter military property.
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...
law enforcement
Law enforcement is the activity of some members of government who act in an organized manner to enforce the law by discovering, deterring, rehabilitating, or punishing people who violate the rules and norms governing that society. The term en ...
also warned potential participants against
trespassing
Trespass is an area of tort law broadly divided into three groups: trespass to the person, trespass to chattels, and trespass to land.
Trespass to the person historically involved six separate trespasses: threats, assault, battery, wounding, ...
. The event had an effect on businesses both locally in Nevada and around the United States, which prepared products for visitors and those attending the event.
Background
![Area 51 Main Gate](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/14/Area_51_Main_Gate.jpg)
Area 51 is a common name given to a
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...
(USAF) facility in the
Nevada Test and Training Range
The Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR) is one of two military training areas at the Nellis Air Force Base Complex in Nevada and used by the United States Air Force Warfare Center at Nellis Air Force Base. The NTTR land area includes a "simu ...
. Opening in 1955, the facility functioned as an aircraft testing and development facility during the
Cold War
The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
. The facility is kept highly classified, protected from unauthorized entry by warning signs, electronic surveillance and armed guards.
The CIA declassified documents related to Area 51 and recognized its existence in 2013.
Area 51's intense secrecy has caused it to become the subject of many
conspiracy theories
A conspiracy theory is an explanation for an event or situation that invokes a conspiracy by sinister and powerful groups, often political in motivation, when other explanations are more probable.Additional sources:
*
*
*
* The term has a nega ...
regarding the presence of aliens on the site. These began in the 1950s, when some individuals reported seeing
UFOs
An unidentified flying object (UFO), more recently renamed by US officials as a UAP (unidentified aerial phenomenon), is any perceived aerial phenomenon that cannot be immediately identified or explained. On investigation, most UFOs are id ...
at the location of the base. Conspiracy theorists believe aliens, UFOs, or information related to them are stored at Area 51.
Facebook event and Internet meme
![No Photography photo at the Main Gate of Area 51](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f4/No_Photography_photo_at_the_Main_Gate_of_Area_51.jpg)
Matty Roberts was a
Bakersfield
Bakersfield is a city in Kern County, California, United States. It is the county seat and largest city of Kern County. The city covers about near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley and the Central Valley region. Bakersfield's populat ...
resident, and a moderator of the Facebook page ''Shitposting cause I'm in shambles''.
"
Shitposting
In Internet culture, shitposting, trashposting, or funposting is the act of using an online forum or social media page to post content that is satirical and of "aggressively, ironically, and trollishly poor quality", an online analog of trash ...
" is the act of posting content online with intentionally ironic or poor quality. Matty devised the idea of creating the Storm Area 51 event after watching Area 51 conspiracy theorist
Bob Lazar
Robert Scott Lazar (; born January 26, 1959) is an American conspiracy theorist and self-proclaimed physicist who claims he was hired in the late 1980s to reverse-engineer extraterrestrial technology. This work supposedly occurred at a secret ...
and filmmaker
Jeremy Corbell on ''
The Joe Rogan Experience
''The Joe Rogan Experience'' is a podcast hosted by American comedian, presenter, and UFC color commentator Joe Rogan. It launched on December 24, 2009, on YouTube by Rogan and comedian Brian Redban, who was its sole co-host and producer until ...
'' podcast on June 20, 2019.
He created the event on
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
on June 27, 2019.
The event was planned to take place in
Amargosa Valley
The Amargosa Valley is the valley through which the Amargosa River flows south, in Nye County, southwestern Nevada and Inyo County in the state of California. The south end is alternately called the "Amargosa River Valley'" or the "Tecopa Valley." ...
from 3a.m. to 6a.m. PDT on September 20, 2019.
The Facebook event wrote, "If we
naruto run, we can move faster than their bullets. Lets see them aliens",
referring to the distinctive running style of anime character
Naruto Uzumaki
() is the titular protagonist of the manga ''Naruto'', created by Masashi Kishimoto. As the series progresses, he is a young ninja from the fictional village of Konohagakure (Hidden Leaf Village). The villagers ridicule and ostracize Naruto on ...
and several other
characters
Character or Characters may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''Character'' (novel), a 1936 Dutch novel by Ferdinand Bordewijk
* ''Characters'' (Theophrastus), a classical Greek set of character sketches attributed to The ...
, who run with their arms stretched behind them, head down and torso tilted forward.
Roberts stated the event had only received around 40 responses three days into the event's listing, before it suddenly and unexpectedly went viral.
The resulting
meme
A meme ( ) is an idea, behavior, or style that spreads by means of imitation from person to person within a culture and often carries symbolic meaning representing a particular phenomenon or theme. A meme acts as a unit for carrying cultural i ...
quickly spread to other social media applications such as
TikTok
TikTok, known in China as Douyin (), is a short-form video hosting service owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which can range in duration from 15 seconds to 10 minutes.
TikTok is an international version ...
,
Reddit
Reddit (; stylized in all lowercase as reddit) is an American social news aggregation, content rating, and discussion website. Registered users (commonly referred to as "Redditors") submit content to the site such as links, text posts, images ...
, and
Instagram
Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
. The Facebook page for the event was filled with thousands of satirical posts discussing topics like means of breaking into Area 51.
The meme's virality caused Roberts to worry that he would receive a visit from the
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...
.
The event received 2million "going" and another 1.5 million "interested" signatures as of August 22.
Rapper
Lil Nas X
Montero Lamar Hill (born April 9, 1999), known by his stage name Lil Nas X ( ), is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He rose to prominence with the release of his country rap single " Old Town Road", which first achieved viral popula ...
released a music video for the
Young Thug
Jeffery Lamar Williams (born August 16, 1991), known professionally as Young Thug, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He is considered to be an influential figure of his generation, with his music impacting the modern sound of hip ...
and
Mason Ramsey
Mason Ramsey (born November 16, 2006) is an American singer. In March 2018, after gaining Internet fame from a viral video of him yodeling " Lovesick Blues" by Hank Williams at a Walmart, Ramsey was signed to Big Loud. He is known for his singl ...
remix
A remix (or reorchestration) is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, video, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The o ...
of "
Old Town Road
"Old Town Road" is the debut single of American rapper Lil Nas X, first released independently in December 2018. After gaining popularity, the single was re-released by Columbia Records in March 2019. Lil Nas X also recorded a remix with America ...
" about the planned raid. Copycat events such as plans to storm a genealogical vault of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...
,
Loch Ness
Loch Ness (; gd, Loch Nis ) is a large freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands extending for approximately southwest of Inverness. It takes its name from the River Ness, which flows from the northern end. Loch Ness is best known for clai ...
,
Bermuda Triangle
The Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil's Triangle, is an urban legend focused on a loosely defined region in the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean where a number of aircraft and ships are said to have disappeared under mysterio ...
and the
Vatican City's archives
An archive is an accumulation of historical records or materials – in any medium – or the physical facility in which they are located.
Archives contain primary source documents that have accumulated over the course of an individual or ...
were also created.
Response
![Wfm area51 map en](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Wfm_area51_map_en.png)
Federal government
On July 10, speaking with ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'', Air Force spokeswoman Laura McAndrews stated officials were aware of the event, and issued a warning saying: "
rea 51is an open training range for the U.S. Air Force, and we would discourage anyone from trying to come into the area where we train American armed forces", adding that "
e U.S. Air Force always stands ready to protect America and its assets".
A public information officer at
Nellis Air Force Base
Nellis Air Force Base ("Nellis" colloq.) is a United States Air Force installation in southern Nevada. Nellis hosts air combat exercises such as Exercise Red Flag and close air support exercises such as Green Flag-West flown in " Military ...
told
KNPR
KNPR (88.9 FM, "News 88.9") is a non-commercial radio station located in Las Vegas, Nevada. KNPR airs news/talk programming syndicated by National Public Radio (NPR). KNPR broadcasts in HD.
History
KNPR signed on for the first time on Marc ...
that "any attempt to illegally access the area is highly discouraged".
The FBI also stated that they would be monitoring the situation and the number of people that would come to the events.
The events also prompted the
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic m ...
(FAA) to post two temporary flight restrictions, closing the airspace above two places nearby Area 51 during the days surrounding the planned raid. The
Defense Visual Information Distribution Service
The Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS), formerly the "Defense Video & Imagery Distribution System," is an operation supported by the Defense Media Activity (DMA). It provides a connection between world media and the American ...
(DVIDS), the military's public relations office, made a Twitter post on September 20 depicting military personnel and a
B-2 stealth bomber
The Northrop (later Northrop Grumman) B-2 Spirit, also known as the Stealth Bomber, is an American heavy strategic bomber, featuring low-observable stealth technology designed to penetrate dense anti-aircraft defenses. A subsonic flying wi ...
with the caption "The last thing #Millennials will see if they attempt the #area51raid today". The tweet was later deleted, and the DVIDS issued an apology.
Local government
![The Little A'Le'Inn Tow Truck](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ef/The_Little_A%27Le%27Inn_Tow_Truck.jpg)
In August 2019,
Lincoln County officials drafted an
emergency declaration
A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to be able to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state du ...
and a plan to pool resources with neighboring counties, anticipating the region being overwhelmed by a crowd of 40,000 people.
The county had just 184 hotel rooms, and officials expected the local cellphone network to be unable to cope with the additional traffic; they also expressed concerns about overcrowding at campsites, gas stations, and public medical facilities. County sheriff Kerry Lee said an extra 300
paramedic
A paramedic is a registered healthcare professional who works autonomously across a range of health and care settings and may specialise in clinical practice, as well as in education, leadership, and research.
Not all ambulance personnel are p ...
s and 150
police officer
A police officer (also called a policeman and, less commonly, a policewoman) is a warranted law employee of a police force. In most countries, "police officer" is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. In some, the use of the ...
s would be brought in from across Nevada.
The town of Rachel posted a caution on its website, advising attendees to be "experienced in camping, hiking and surviving in a harsh desert environment and have a vehicle in good shape".
They advised that the town would likely be unable to provide sufficient food, water or gas to visitors, and expected local law enforcement to be overwhelmed.
The website warned that local residents would readily protect their property, predicting that Alienstock would be "
Fyre Festival
Fyre Festival was a fraudulent luxury music festival founded by con artist Billy McFarland and rapper Ja Rule. It was created with the intent of promoting the company's Fyre app for booking music talent. The festival was scheduled to take pla ...
2.0".
Businesses
Business owners in and around
Rachel, Nevada
Rachel is a census-designated place (CDP) in Lincoln County, Nevada, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 48. As the closest settlement to the Nellis Air Force Range and Area 51, Rachel enjoys a modest celebrity status, pa ...
, a town of just 56 people just outside of the base, made preparations for visitors who planned to go to Area 51.
Connie West, co-owner of the Little A'Le'Inn restaurant and inn, had all 13 rooms of the inn booked and planned to open up 30 acres for camping, also stating she would possibly create merchandise for the event.
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
businessman George Harris planned to hire bands to play at an annual festival called "The Swarm".
Kosmic Kae, owner of the shop Aliens R Us in
Boulder City
Boulder City is a city in Clark County, Nevada, United States. It is approximately southeast of Las Vegas. As of the 2020 census, the population of Boulder City was 14,885. The city took its name from Boulder Canyon. Boulder City is one of on ...
, stated that even though the shop was 170 miles away from Area 51, business had increased due to fascination regarding aliens.
Other businesses around the U.S. based products and services on the event, and a collection of merchandise related to the event was launched from online retailers.
Bud Light
Anheuser-Busch, a wholly owned subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV, is the largest brewing company in the United States, with a market share of 45 percent in 2016.
The company operates 12 breweries in the United States and nearly 20 in othe ...
planned to release a promotional alien-themed beer label and promised a free beer to "any alien that makes it out" as long as a tweet showing the new design received 51,000 retweets.
Fast food
Fast food is a type of mass-produced food designed for commercial resale, with a strong priority placed on speed of service. It is a commercial term, limited to food sold in a restaurant or store with frozen, preheated or precooked ingredien ...
restaurant
Arby's
Arby's is an American fast food sandwich restaurant chain with more than 3,300 restaurants system wide and third in terms of revenue. In October 2017, '' Food & Wine'' called Arby's "America's second largest sandwich chain (after Subway)".
Ar ...
had planned to deliver food with a special menu to the event.
Gathering and music festivals
![Global Warming Activism Sign at Storm Area 51](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e1/Global_Warming_Activism_Sign_at_Storm_Area_51.jpg)
While the event was intended as comedic, some took it seriously, and traveled to areas surrounding the facility.
Beginning on September 19, the day before the planned event date, people were reported to be showing up and camping around Rachel in preparation for the raid.
The Lincoln County Sheriff estimated that about 1,500 people showed up at the festivals, while about 150 people made the journey over several miles of rough roads to the back gate of Area 51.
Some camped overnight outside the perimeter of the base while others arrived to gather and take
selfie
A selfie () is a self-portrait photograph, typically taken with a digital camera or smartphone, which may be held in the hand or supported by a selfie stick. Selfies are often shared on social media, via social networking services such as F ...
s near the front gate before leaving. One person attempted to enter the facility and received a warning, while six others were arrested for crimes including
public urination
Urination, also known as micturition, is the release of urine from the urinary bladder through the urethra to the outside of the body. It is the urinary system's form of excretion. It is also known medically as micturition, voiding, uresis, ...
, alcohol-related offenses and
indecent exposure
Indecent exposure is the deliberate public exposure by a person of a portion of their body in a manner contrary to local standards of appropriate behavior. Laws and social attitudes regarding indecent exposure vary significantly in different ...
. Near Rachel, two people were injured in a
rollover crash which resulted in one victim being
airlifted to
Dixie Regional Medical Center. The speed of the emergency response was abnormally fast for an area so remote, and one of the victims expressed gratitude to the emergency personnel who were stationed close by to monitor the Alienstock festival.
Two
music festival
A music festival is a community event with performances of singing and instrument playing that is often presented with a theme such as musical genre (e.g., rock, blues, folk, jazz, classical music), nationality, locality of musicians, or h ...
s were announced in the county in response to the event's popularity: Alienstock in
Rachel, Nevada
Rachel is a census-designated place (CDP) in Lincoln County, Nevada, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 48. As the closest settlement to the Nellis Air Force Range and Area 51, Rachel enjoys a modest celebrity status, pa ...
, and Storm Area 51 Basecamp in
Hiko, Nevada
Hiko is a small, agrarian community in the Tonopah Basin on State Route 318 in Lincoln County, Nevada, United States. It is a census-designated place, with a population of 119 at the 2010 census.
Demographics
Description
The first permanent ...
.
Local governments and police feared that even these legal events could be problematic if too many individuals attended.
![Wily Savage performs at Alienstock 2019](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/50/Wily_Savage_performs_at_Alienstock_2019.jpg)
Event creator Roberts pulled out of Alienstock 10 days before the festival, leaving other organizers and booked entertainers to run the event.
Roberts claimed his last-minute departure with $70,000–$100,000 in sponsorship money and donations was "due to poor planning", and he instead joined an alien-themed party already planned in
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
, although the
Little A'Le'Inn owner Connie West continued with the name Alienstock in Rachel, Nevada.
Roberts's lawyers sent her a
cease and desist
A cease and desist letter is a document sent to an individual or business to stop alleged illegal activity. The phrase "cease and desist" is a legal doublet, made up of two near-synonyms. The letter may warn that, if the recipient does not dis ...
regarding use of the name, but West was in possession of all of the Alienstock permits and ignored the legal threats.
After the raid, Keith Wright, a promoter for the Area 51 Basecamp event, stated that his event was a failure. Connie West, who organized Alienstock, declared her event a success. The event's aftermath saw several pending lawsuits surrounding the festival and Roberts's call to breach the government facility.
Although much less than the estimated 30,000 attendees expected before Roberts's departure—and a press campaign claiming Alienstock was canceled—the event was thought to have brought the largest influx of people ever to visit Lincoln County at the same time.
See also
*
World Contact Day
World Contact Day was first declared in March 1953 by an organization called the ''International Flying Saucer Bureau'' (IFSB), as a day on which all IFSB members would attempt to send a telepathic message into space.
The IFSB voted to hold such ...
*
World UFO Day
World UFO Day is an awareness day for people to gather together and watch the skies for unidentified flying objects (UFO). The day is celebrated by some on June 24, and others on July 2. June 24 is the date that reporter Kenneth Arnold wrote is g ...
*
Josh fight
The Josh fight was a viral Internet meme, mock fight, and charity fundraiser at Air Park in Lincoln, Nebraska, on April 24, 2021, with a second edition of the event occurring at Bowling Lake Park in Lincoln on May 21, 2022.
The event was ori ...
, another real-life gathering originating as an Internet meme
*
Suntukan sa Ace Hardware
Suntukan sa Ace Hardware ( en, Brawl at Ace Hardware / Fistfight at Ace Hardware) was a Facebook event that took place on April 15, 2016, at an Ace Hardware branch in SM City Lucena in Lucena, Quezon, supposedly for a free-for-all fistfightin ...
, a
mock fight originating as an Internet meme turned into a promotional event for a hardware store
References
External links
*
Facebook event
!-- HOW is this link relevant to the article? -->
{{coords, 37.5941, -115.8988, display=title
Facebook
Internet memes introduced in 2019
September 2019 events in the United States
UFO culture in the United States
2019 in Nevada
2010s fads and trends
Reddit