Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
- BLM officers stopped an illegal party in Kelton, Box Elder County, planned on public land.
- Organizers advertised the event online, selling tickets without obtaining necessary permits.
- The BLM aims to educate organizers on legal requirements and ensure public safety measures.
KELTON, Box Elder County — The first few people arriving at an event advertised as "the biggest party Utah has ever seen" were turned around by Bureau of Land Management enforcement officers Friday.
Through a series of social media posts, organizers boasted a lineup of live performances from several musical artists and DJs, "an insane light show," a massive bonfire and camping access. One post encouraged people to bring firewood, pallets and fireworks. They also sold $20 tickets through Eventbrite, for people who wanted to purchase stage access for the event.
But just hours before the first performance was scheduled to begin, no one had shown up to set up a stage or any of the promised signage to help attendees find the event. Instead, the first three people to arrive chatted with BLM officers who let them know they could not stay at the party location.
The BLM got wind of plans for a large bonfire event originally located on the Bonneville Salt Flats in March, when organizers started posting about it. According to a spokesperson for the agency, the BLM reached out to organizers via social media and informed them that a bonfire on the Salt Flats is not legal and provided information about how to apply for a permit to host an event on public land.
Instead of applying for a permit, event organizers changed the location. They released coordinates, potentially sending hundreds, if not thousands, of people to a remote area near Kelton, Box Elder County — where they still would have needed a permit to host an event.
The BLM, the Box Elder County Sheriff's Office and other agencies gathered at the location Friday to intercept partygoers and stop the illegal event from happening.
"Our hope is to contact the event organizers to educate them on why this event is illegal, why they can't continue, and then issue the necessary charges associated with that," said BLM West Desert District chief law enforcement ranger Camm Stephenson.
Stephenson said they encourage events on public land that follow the appropriate permitting process. He said the process also allows them to work with organizers on logistics, including adequate sanitation facilities and public safety measures.
"We don't want to rain on anybody's parade, but we do want to make sure if people are going to do things like this, they do it the right way," he said. "(Here), there's very limited resources for things like medical emergencies, fires, traffic accidents. The roadways in and out are not equipped to handle the kind of traffic that may be attracted to this type of an event as well."
Shortly after BLM officers turned away the first attendees to arrive, event organizers — who had published details about the event online for weeks — posted a photo of the BLM officers in Kelton with the caption: "#whosnitched." They also said they'd moved the event location once again and urged people to message them directly for the new address.
Stephenson said the BLM will continue working with state and local partners on enforcement of illegal events on public lands due to the negative impact they can have on both the environment and public safety.
