In 2017, promoter-turned-felon Billy McFarland brought us the trainwreck known as Fyre Festival. Now that he is out of prison, he is planning a follow-up festival which he swears is legit this time.
The First Fyre Festival
McFarland’s first attempt at this festival promised attendees luxury villas, gourmet food, and an extravagant music festival in the Bahamas. And, of course, with a ticket price that reflects such luxuries. But can you really put a price tag on what should be a once in a lifetime experience?
Instead, concertgoers were mostly housed in FEMA disaster relief tents and fed cheese sandwiches in plastic foam boxes. The event was such a disaster that most bands bailed on performing and the festival became a cultural punchline. As well as a collective moment of schadenfreude for those not privileged enough to afford a ticket.
As several documentaries and podcasts about the event have made clear, the main issue was McFarland’s lack of experience and outright lying about several key things. Fyre Festival flopping on such a massive scale led to a serious criminal investigation. A year later the organizer was sentenced to six years in prison and to pay $26 million in restitution on fraud charges. However, he only served four years and was released in 2022, and is still paying back the restitution.
“I was totally guilty. I committed a crime. Obviously went to prison, and I deserved that prison sentence,” McFarland told NBC News. “But it wasn’t until the day after the festival was canceled and I had one of my early investors call me and basically say, ‘We need to do this, this and this, or else you’re going to be in the front page of The Wall Street Journal in handcuffs.’”
He claims that is the “heart-skipping moment where it’s like, wow, I knew what I was doing was morally wrong.”
Fyre Fest II
By August 2023, McFarland released the first 100 presale tickets for Fyre Fest II. At $499 a pop, they sold out within 24-hours even with no lineup, location, or accommodations listed. He believes this demand is due to the first festival’s notoriety, but can’t discount people hoping for another failure.
“I think there’s a large number of people who want to go to Fyre II because they’re unsure of the outcome, and they would like to have a front-row seat no matter what happens,” said McFarland. “Thankfully, we have good partners who will make sure they’re safe and obviously make sure things work out.”
McFarland has also confirmed the event will be held on a privately owned island off Mexico. While currently unnamed, he swears the island already has hotels and villas. It will take place from April 25th through 28th. “We will have cheese sandwiches, though,” he joked. “They’re going to be super expensive, too. We’re going to make them, like, really good. Like, that’ll be the highest-priced food item, I think.”
What Might Be Different
McFarland blames a lot of the original Fyre Fest disaster on youth and inexperience since he was only 24 at the time. “We have the chance to embrace this storm and really steer our ship into all the chaos that has happened, and if it’s done well, I think Fyre has a chance to be this annual festival that really takes over the festival industry.” said the now 32-year-old.
The ticket prices for the follow-up festival are still exceedingly high after the pre-sale ended. Those looking to go will have to fork out at least $1,400, with luxury options going for up to $1.1 million. McFarland claims that these pricier packages will include luxury yachts, scuba diving, and island hopping.
He also hired a festival production company to “handle the stages and the bathrooms and all the stuff that I clearly don’t know how to do.” However, just like the island, he will not name the production company involved. We get that this may be to prevent the production company and island owner from being harassed. But given McFarland’s history of bending the truth, this lack of transparency is setting off alarm bells.
Doubly so since exactly zero artists are publicly attached to perform.
“It’s not about 10,000 people staring at a stage with their hands in the air,” McFarland said. “It’s about getting on a plane with six people — two might be your friends, three might be people you met that morning — and going and exploring an island or a beach or a reef that you didn’t even know existed until you got in the airplane.”
We’ll keep you posted on updates about Fyre Fest II as they become available.
