-If you sat down, I think, and talked to everybody,
"Why are you here?"
it all has to do with the superstition
of something out there.
-Something greater. -Which is the truth.
-Yeah. -The truth is out there.
-It is. -Plus, we actually met an alien.
-We did.
-He's hiding in the mine shaft right now.
-Holy -- -You can see people coming down
the road here, hoping to see the aliens.
When a Facebook event planning a raid on Area
51 went viral, it wasn't clear how many people were joking
and how many would actually show up
at the secretive military base in search of aliens.
-Do you want this in the background
since it's, like, kind of -- -Yeah, sure, yeah, yeah.
-Little A'Le'Inn.
-Oh, I wouldn't move that. -No, you can't move it.
-Yeah. -Put it back.
-100%. -There we go.
-Defacing property. -I'm like 100% confident
that I paid to be here.
-So you think everyone here is here ironically?
-Yeah, this is a meme.
-I think 99% of people are here ironically.
-99%?
I've talked to a lot of people, and so far,
people here have some,
like, genuine interest in aliens and a belief.
Yeah.
At least 2,000 people came to a festival in Rachel, Nevada,
located near the gates leading to Area 51.
-Yeah, we could only get so much time off of work.
We decided that consequences don't exist,
so we might as well come here
and have a good time while we're down.
-What actually happens when a joke on the Internet
crosses over into real life?
What are you here to do?
-Free the aliens. -I had to see for myself.
I'm following this pair who I met who are incredibly charming,
this pair of women,
one of whom turns 53 today, has bright blue-green hair.
She told me a story of how she had had a close encounter
with a UFO in 1984 as a young woman, as a teenager.
-Happy birthday, Karen. -Yeah, thank you.
Pulled over the car, opened the door.
I got out.
I walked right up to it and just stood and watched it
as all the lights just -- Like I said, when I called --
We called the sheriff's department
after the whole thing,
and they said they had hundreds of calls that night.
They were not shocked.
When I got home, my parents are sitting there.
I'm 18 years old -- 17. I walked in.
I said, "You're not gonna believe this."
And they said, "What?"
I said, "You ready?
We just saw, very apprehensive, a UFO."
And my mom immediately laughed, and my dad looked at me
pretty serious and said, "I believe you."
I don't even want to make people believe if they don't.
You don't believe there's life somewhere else,
this is it, that's fine.
That's your own, you know -- I -- I'm open.
-The raid was originally planned on Facebook
to take place between 3:00 and 6:00 AM on September 20th.
Karen and her best friend, Marge,
invited me to come with them
to the so-called front gate that dawn.
Alright.
Okay.
It is -- It's 4:30?
Well, that's halfway between 3:00 and 6:00,
when the raid is officially
originally supposed to happen on Facebook.
And I am driving out to the front gate to not trespass,
but rather to see if anyone else has.
-Oh, there they are. -Yeah.
-Okay, we're going down.
We're going down to Area 51 from Wisconsin.
Whoo!
-I got my cell. Let's see them aliens.
-They can't stop us all.
And we're the only all out of all that Facebook stuff.
Are you kidding?
Huh?
-I said, maybe we should try the other gate,
but it's almost 6:00.
-I know.
-While things at the front gate were peaceful,
the scene at the back gate was another story.
-Everyone, we're not here for photos!
We're here to rescue the aliens!
[shouting]
-Think they can hear you? -Yeah.
Let's see them aliens!
We know what you're hiding.
Come on, bring them out!
-As morning arrived, despite the lack of a raid,
a UFO sighting, or any signs of alien life,
Karen had gotten what she came for.
Are you glad you came down? -I am so glad I came.
This experience, I wouldn't give it up for the world.
This is awesome.
Area 51.
This is a bucket-list place.
You have to come.
Alien life.
Whoo!
Alien life.