"[There were] about a hundred people at the gate", Higbee said. "They took pictures, had some fun, about 3:00 a.m. they wandered back to Rachel. It [the raid] didn't happen, it stayed pretty peaceful, we're happy".
Rachel is a town in Nevada some 12 miles from Area 51, which is a US Air Force facility suspected by the public of being the site where the US government holds aliens or Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs).
Higbee said Lincoln County area hotels showed between 7,000 and 10,000 rooms booked before the event was scheduled to take place.
Good to know the Area 51 raiders come with good intentions... pic.twitter.com/kZv7eTXPIZ
— Malik Forté 🎤 (@Malik4Play) September 20, 2019
However, Higbee pointed out that he noticed a steady stream of cars heading out on Friday morning.
"People come and go, they take pictures, buy some souvenirs and then leave", Higbee said.
A music festival is expected to take place over the weekend for those visitors who have decided to extend their stay for several days.
Photos on social media showed alien enthusiasts gather in front of the Area 51 gates and taking pictures together, holding signs with messages such as "Save E.T. From the Government" and "Locked Up For What?"
“No one is gonna actually try to raid Area 51, it’s a joke...” pic.twitter.com/7PspRc19ga
— Kendall Rae💫 (@KendallRaeOnYT) September 20, 2019
In June, Facebook user Matty Roberts jokingly created the event "Storm Area 51, They Can't Stop All of Us", which was scheduled to take place early on Friday morning. More than 2 million people had responded that they would go to the site.
