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Area 51 has long been a rich piece of American pop culture. Are aliens kept there? Super secret spaceships? Men in black with memory-wiping devices? The Nevada facility regularly pops up in movies like Independence Day and TV shows like The X-Files, but it made the news this summer for a joke that turned into an actual planned event.
How did it start?
In June 2019, Matty Roberts, a 21-year-old Bakersfield, California, college student, created a Facebook event titled Storm Area 51, They Can't Stop All of Us. The supposed joke event urged people to raid the US government facility on Friday, Sept. 20.
"We will all meet up at the Area 51 Alien Center tourist attraction and coordinate our entry," the original text read. "If we Naruto run, we can move faster than their bullets. Let's see them aliens." ("Naruto run" refers to an especially awkward way of running depicted in the Japanese anime Naruto, where main character Naruto Uzumaki flings his arms out behind him.)
As a joke, the event is an entertaining play on America's lengthy fascination with extraterrestrials and the mysterious Area 51. But as a real event, it left a lot to be desired.
Now playing: Watch this: What it's like going to a Naruto run
Three separate events
The US Air Force warned people that storming its property wouldn't be taken lightly. But with more than 2 million people RSVPing to attend the event, and at least some of them appearing to be serious, multiple events are now set for the weekend. None, however, promises an illegal raid on military property (at least not officially).
Alienstock in Rachel, Nevada
At first, Roberts and other organizers worked with Connie West, who owns the Little A'Le'Inn Motel in tiny Rachel, Nevada, to create an alien-themed music festival dubbed Alienstock to be held in the Rachel area Sept. 19-21. But can that small town actually handle a fest featuring two dozen musical acts? After all, Rachel has roughly 50 residents, no gas station and no street lights.
Roberts backed out, reportedly due to concern about permits and other details, but the event is still continuing without him.
It remains to be seen how the quiet desert area that's home to Area 51 can handle a deluge of internet fans. The county could seek financial restitution from the event organizers for the money it'll have to spend on security.
CNET's own Erin Carson will be attending the Rachel event and reporting on what she sees.
Alien Stock in Las Vegas
Rachel, Nevada, could have issues hosting a large festival, but you know one city that's expert at hosting giant crowds? Las Vegas.
So another event, also apparently called Alien Stock, will be held at the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center, on Sept. 19 at 8 p.m.
"You can expect EDM artists and some unique art being displayed for an 'out of this world' gathering!" the site promises, using shorthand for "electronic dance music."
'Storm' Area 51 Basecamp Experience in Hiko, Nevada
Rachel isn't the only rural Nevada location hosting an alien event this weekend. On Sept. 20-21, the Alien Research Center in the small community of Hiko is also partying.
This event, dubbed the "Storm" Area 51 Basecamp Experience, promises live music, UFO-themed speakers, food trucks and art installations. DJ Paul Oakenfold will perform, and the 2018 documentary "Bob Lazar: Area 51 & Flying Saucers" will be shown. Like Rachel, Hiko isn't much of a place, so you'll need to stay in your own tent or RV. Ticketmaster is selling passes for the event.
But hey, Arby's fast-food chain is taking a food truck to the center, and it'll serve dishes including the E.T. Slider and the Galaxy shake.
Other random facts
How to watch it all unfold
If you prefer to watch the craziness from your own couch, here are a couple of streams that were live earlier. (Come one, Area 51 fans, someone pick up the mantle and livestream NOW.)
Not a livestream, but still worth keeping an eye on: noted DJ Paul Oakenfold promises updates for British music publication Mix Magazine as he prepares to perform Saturday night at the event in Hiko.
And keep an eye on social media, of course. Our reporter on the scene is tweeting from the desert and Twitter has some fun memes and jokes going.
Originally posted Sept. 19 and will be updated as news comes in.
The usual "Welcome" sign 
Friday was when, according to earlier event plans, millions of people were to storm , a classified facility within the United States Air Force's , and the world was to finally learn of its secrets. In the end, an estimated one-to-two hundred people showed up at the gates, and the classified area was not stormed.

It all began on June 27, when Matty Roberts posted a  on social media site Facebook. More than two million people replied they would attend and an additional million-and-a-half expressed interest in the event. Roberts says his event, "", was posted as a joke. Roberts is about 20 years old and from , California.
The Little A'Le'Inn in Rachel, pictured in 2014 
The event description read, "We will all meet up at the Area 51 Alien Center tourist attraction and coordinate our entry ... If we Naruto run, we can move faster than their bullets. Let's see them aliens." Area 51 has for decades been rumored to be a facility for UFO and extraterrestrials research.  is a Japanese cartoon ninja character who .

As the event turned , both media and authorities took notice. The nearest settlement to Area 51 is  in . It is a remote desert town with a population of around fifty people. The  is the only business offering food and accommodations and the town has no gas stations. County sheriff Kerry Lee told the BBC even one percent of Facebook users attending "would be more overwhelming than we can handle". The Air Force issued warnings against attempts to enter the restricted zone of the base, saying it was dangerous.

The sheriff's office arranged for reinforcements from across Nevada. Fewer than two hundred showed up at the gates of the base, but no one tried to storm the military base. Sheriff Lee said they arrested one person for urinating in public, technically indecent exposure. They arrested three for "suspicion of trespassing" and another for an incident related to alcohol. Over a thousand were reported to have reached Rachel, but most did not make the final trek to the base.

Meanwhile, other events popped up seeking to capitalize on the notoriety of the Storm Area 51 event. In nearby , a "Storm Area 51 Basecamp Experience" was underway with music and other entertainment. Thursday night, "Alien Stock" was held in downtown Las Vegas, Nevada with involvement of original poster Matty Roberts.

 was reputedly responsible for creating much of the folklore surrounding Area 51 which is not an official name. A 2018 documentary film titled ''Bob Lazar: Area 51 & Flying Saucers'' may have spurred recent interest.



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