If any of the 1.4 million people signed up to “Storm Area 51” show up, you may be able to see them on a Facebook live stream. A local Nevada entertainment complex has promised to broadcast the joke event, ensuring that the rest of the world can watch in case anyone gets to “see them aliens.”
The internet at large is still howling over a joke Facebook event page that has gone viral, calling on users to “Storm Area 51, They Can’t Stop All of Us.” With over 1.4 million attendees signed up and a million more marked “interested,” at least some are expected to show up at the secretive military base. When they do, Area 15 will be ready.
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Area 15 is a retail and entertainment complex in Las Vegas, Nevada, capitalizing on the mystery and obsession surrounding the area. On Sunday, it posted a tweet promising to livestream the “raid” on Area 51 for the internet’s enjoyment.
“Okay. Now were curious about the storming of #AREA51,” the complex tweeted. “We’re going to live stream the ‘event’ here at #AREA15 to watch what goes down. And costumes & tin foil hats are required. Leave yur info & we’ll send you the details.”
The tweet came complete with a photo of two alien mannequins in reflective work suits and hard hats, sitting in lawn chairs with beers in hand outside of Area 15. The entertainment and shopping center is not even open yet, but it looks like this meme has come just in time to bolster its planned launch for later this year.
The Area 51 raid has taken over social media, quickly becoming a Russian nesting doll of jokes within jokes. The initial page was clearly set up as a parody, encouraging users to “Naruto run” past the military guards’ bullets to liberate the aliens that conspiracy theorists have long suspected are held there. As the projected attendance reached a tipping point, however, the U.S. military had no choice but to remind civilians that trespassing there is dangerous and illegal.
“[Area 51] is an open training range for the US Air Force, and we would discourage anyone from trying to come into the area where we train American armed forces,” Air Force spokesperson Laura McAndrews said in a statement published by The Washington Post. “The US Air Force always stands ready to protect America and its assets.”
With so many attendees now signed up, at least a few are bound to make a real attempt at the gates of Area 51. However, there are many past accounts of journalists, documentarians and conspiracy theorists trying the same, with sad or even disastrous results. Hopefully, this will not be the same.
The “Storm Area 51” event is planned for Sept. 20, 2019. Check back for details on the planned live stream.
