Luxurious accommodation in a tropical resort. World-class hospitality. Daily “covering boundaries” excursions. Beachside musical performance at night. And the exorbitant ticket prices for booting.
All of that may sound familiar to those who followed the rich saga of Fyre Festival, the unfortunate musical carnival that was a very epic failure that produced a duel documentary between Netflix and Hulu in 2017. Not there. Festival organizer Billy McFarland went to prison for almost four years after he went into a guilty plea to charges including wire fraud.
But McFarland, 33, a self-proclaimed high-tech entrepreneur, has returned. He's trying everything again.
McFarland said this week that all the trap-filled FireFestival 2 above will be held on May 30th to June 2nd at Islam Geres, a Mexican island and holiday destination, several miles from Cancun. We announced that it is scheduled for a remote holiday destination. More specifically, according to the festival's website, the event will be performed on “Playa Fyre,” but the GPS coordinates provided on the festival's website refer to landless locations west of Isla Mujeres. It seems to be.
Skepticism isn't out of place when it comes to sequels to events where everything seems to go wrong, but some tickets are already on sale so anyone willing to roll the dice can start right away.
What is planned for the sequel?
The festival is touted as “a moving celebration of music, art, cooking, comedy, fashion, games, sports and treasure hunting.”
However, details were scarce and organizers were unable to comment immediately. McFarland told NBC's “Today” in an interview this week that the genre will include electronic, hip-hop, pop and rock, but no music artists have been announced.
“I'm not in charge of booking talent,” McFarland added.
Representatives of the Tourism Commission for Isla Mujeres did not immediately respond to a request for comment. So far, the board has not mentioned the event on its social media pages.
How do tickets work?
A total of 2,000 tickets are currently available, with prices ranging from $1,400 to $1.1 million.
A $1.1 million ticket covering the entry of eight participants is being billed as the “Prometheus” tier, with round-trip airfares via “FireAir” from Miami to Cancun, and helicopter rides to Islam Geres , and a 4-seat yacht or 4-bedroom villa.
The festival organizers said it was “not for the timid people, not for casual attendees. It's for those trying to stand up, not just for the history, but for the people who want to witness it. I'm eager to share it.”
Doesn't this look very similar to the original Fire Festival?
That's certainly true! In 2017, the festival was originally billed as an exclusive music-themed holiday in the Bahamas. This is a kind of Coachella with the wonders of a 5-star resort. The event was scheduled for two weekends in April and May 2017.
McFarland, who partnered with rapper JA Rule on the venture, said he booked musical acts such as Major Razor, Migos and Brink 182 to perform for guests who are willing to pay a premium price.
The event was promoted on social media by celebrities and influencers such as Kendall Jenner, Emily Ratakovsky and Bella Hadid. McFarland called them “firestarters.”
Participants were told that “morning yoga and guided meditation on the beach can be started every day,” and “massages, henna tattoos, sound soothing, chill-out sessions and festive Bahamian Jun Canoe Parade will be held every weekend. I also enjoy kicking off to the
The high-end ticket package included the $400,000 “Artist Palace.” This is said to include four beds with one of the festival performers, eight VIP tickets and dinner.
What was wrong?
When participants arrived, they discovered that their gorgeous villa was in fact a disaster relief tent at a makeshift campsite. Their gourmet meal was sometimes cheese sandwiches. All of the headline music acts had been backwards. Thousands of guests were stuck. Many local businesses also lost their money after agreeing to sign McFarland for a variety of products and services. The owner of a local restaurant reported losses of more than $50,000. This was ultimately recovered through a donation to the GoFundMe page.
The festival sold a total of around 8,000 tickets over both weekends, but only a few planes reached Great Exa Island, where the event will be staged, according to the lawsuit.
In other words, it was an unmitigated disaster.
It turns out that McFarland and his company had been selling tickets even before the location was nailed. Fire employees later said that the Higher House created some of the more luxurious elements of the festival to see if people would pay them. (For example, the artist's palace was never built.)
In a statement, organizers condemned “the situation we are out of control.”
Why did Billy McFarland go to prison?
Two months after the Fire Festival collapsed, McFarland was arrested by federal agents and charged with wire fraud. He later entered a guilty plea and was sentenced to six years in prison.
McFarland scams investors and clients of $26 million of $26 million, prosecutors said he played a role in organizing the festival and launched a fake ticketing business while releasing bail. It was said in both of these.
“Perhaps doing that added years to my sentence,” McFarland told The Times after being released from prison in 2022.
Why is McFarland trying this again?
McFarland said on Instagram that many people would think he was “crazy about doing this again.”
He still owes nearly $26 million to those he scams, and “Today” reported that some of the proceeds from Fyre Festival 2 will go to them. McFarland also said he is partnering with Mexico-based event producers, Lostnite and established vendors to help the event run smoothly.
“After years of reflection and now thoughtful planning,” McFarland told Instagram: Thank you to my partner for a second chance. ”
