All across the world, eyes opened to the sound of an alarm. Many were probably excited for the possibility of discovering a national secret, while others were probably nervous about what could go wrong, most are both. Their packed bags sat on chairs, waiting to be grabbed and shoved in a trunk. The final items were checked and packed, ready for the journey up ahead. Doors opened and closed, pets left to their beds and cars were unlocked. Engines rumbled, and the drives began. The roads filled with people on their way to Nevada, the site of the Area 51 Raid.

Who knew a Facebook statement could have sparked the curiosity of over two million people? What began as an innocent joke gradually developed into something a tad more serious, that is, what you would assume when over two million people RSVP to go storm into a top secret government base. 

People always have a motive. So what was the motive in this case? It’s really an insane amount of possibilities, ranging from hoping to discover a government secret to becoming friends and chilling with the aliens. But, what is the government not telling us? If it wasn’t such a big deal, the FBI wouldn’t take “precautions” and release official statements about what will result if the raid occurs. 

In fact, more specifically, the Air Force actually released a statement discouraging the approachment to the military facility. Also, the Federal Aviation Administration had closed any overhead flights or passenger aircraft that came near Area 51, just in case.

And there is one person to thank for this whole event, Matty Roberts. Just an ordinary guy with an extraordinary love for video games who came across the idea late one night. He created the Facebook event, “Storm Area 51: They Can’t Stop All of Us” and within a few days it went viral. People were reposting and making memes to the point where Roberts couldn’t tell if it was still a joke.

This is when he came up with the idea of Alienstock, a music festival for alien lovers that would compensate for the official raid not actually happening “after Roberts got a visit from the FBI.” This event was originally going to be held in Rachel, Nevada, but due to safety concerns, the event was held in Las Vegas, Nevada on Sept.19 and co-sponsored by Bud Light. 

Yesterday, at the beginning of this so-called raid, only around 150 people showed up at the base. No one really did anything major, but according to CBS News, one person got arrested and one person was detained. Though, as the day went on, the crowd grew considerably since. There were people dressed in alien costumes, tons of posters and people raving. The alien games had begun.