As The ‘Storm Area 51’ Event Approaches, Everyone Is Trying To Cash In On Aliens

A viral Facebook event has the potential of 2.1 million people converging on Area 51 this Friday as people try to storm Area 51 and find out if the base is really hiding aliens there. While the event organizers have made it quite clear that it is a gag event and that people shouldn’t actually turn up at Area 51 on September 20, there is still the potential that a small percentage, at least, will actually attend.

With the viral sensation, there is also a horde of people and organizations that are now cashing in on the gag event. As Forbes points out, there are loads of items to purchase that are geared towards the Storm Area 51 event.

There is already plenty of merchandise with the Storm Area 51 slogan emblazoned across them on offer. In addition, Kool-Aid has limited-edition “UFO-Yeah Intergalactic Green” canisters on offer. Arby’s a large chain of sandwich restaurants will offer the Storm Area 51 Basecamp, which will be located near the Alien Research Center in Hiko on Nevada’s Extraterrestrial Highway. Food, along with entertainment will be present during this event.

Of course, it was the creators of the original Facebook event that first got the ball rolling regarding making money off the viral hit. AlienStock was initially organized as a music event. However, due to problems with organization, this event has been canceled and replaced with the Area 51 Celebration, which will be held in Las Vegas on September 19. Bud Light will sponsor this event.

If you are still desperate to head to the area but are not keen on getting arrested, Kings is offering trips to Nevada for after the event. In addition, they are also giving away $500 cash prizes to those who have the best Area 51-themed costumes.

And, for those who are truly adventurous, a search of “Area 51 romance” on Amazon will also give you something to read should you be that way inclined. As Salon recently pointed out, the sci-fi romance genre has been growing in popularity over recent years and is now peaking thanks to the Area 51 event.

However, not everyone is aiming to cash in on the phenomena. One group of authors have quickly put together an anthology entitled, We Know the Truth, Do You?, with all proceeds from sales benefitting U.S. veterans. It is also being billed as a great way to find out what might actually be inside Area 51 without having to actually travel and risk the consequences of entering the Area on September 20.

As previously reported by The Inquisitr, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has preemptively closed air space over Area 51 ahead of the Facebook event. In addition, the Department of Justice also states that those willing to head into U.S. exclusion zones could face fines of $500 and potential jail time. These penalties apply to any “military, naval, or coast guard reservation, post, fort, arsenal, yard, station or installation over which the United States has exclusive possession.”

As for whether or not people will still turn up to Area 51 on September 20 remains to be seen and people around the world are watching closely to see what happens.