Area 51 Facebook Event Gone Wrong

A few weeks ago, people went crazy talking about storming Area 51, due to someone creating a satire Facebook event. The people involved want to expose the so-called “sci-fi” things that the government is supposedly hiding from the rest of the world. What all started as an innocent joke has turned into a mob of serious people, numbered at 1.2 million “interested,” according to the stats on the Facebook page. In addition, 1.6 million people have clicked on the page. The event is scheduled for Sept. 20 at 3 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time.

The mastermind behind the page goes by the name of Matty Roberts, and he never intended for it to go this far. CNN states that a majority of the people “knew the desert congregation scheduled for September 20 was in jest, as the page included instructions such as ‘If we Naruto run, we can move faster than their bullets. Let’s see them aliens.'”

Originally, a couple days after the event was created, there were only a handful of people interested in going. But, just a few days later, hundreds to thousands knew about it. Roberts didn’t want people knowing at first, because he thought he could get in trouble for what he had caused. He feared backlash and consequences from the government could potentially be a reality for him.

Joe Rogan was the man who inspired Roberts to start the page. Rogan did an interview with two alien fanatics, one of which claims he worked with an alien spacecraft while working at Area 51’s underground facility. Again, Roberts thought that the event page idea could be used for memes.

When the Washington Post asked, the Air Force said that “Area 51 is 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.'”

Not only does the regular public know, but celebrities have gotten involved. For example, Guy Fieri offered to cater the event and make radioactive ribs. Bud Light created an Area 51 themed beer can. Lil Nas, the singer of “Old Town Road,” even created a new music video for that specific song.

The people who live in and near Rachel, Nevada, the city closest to Area 51, have told news sources that they are prepping for traffic and an influx of event goers.

Even though the event is satire to most, it has encouraged people, believers and non-believers, to inquire about what really goes on at Area 51. Once again, the US Army has reassured the public that it is merely a testing site.  The Air Force has reminded people that they will take serious measures to reinforce the safety of the base if there is a breach in its security. In the free world, Area 51 is the largest area, spanning 2.9 million acres of land and 5,000 square miles of airspace which is restricted from civilian air traffic.

All of the people watching on the sidelines seem interested in how the event will go, and how many people will turn up. Only time will tell. Will everyone still be hyped by the time September comes around, or will the excitement of it all fizz out?