Referring to Fyre Festival’s upcoming second edition as a comeback would be an overstatement considering how disastrous the fraudulent music festival’s debut was back in 2017. At the time, organizers— Billy McFarland and rapper Ja Rule— had promised to stun the world with a sonic offering of an unprecedented kind, one which would consist of hosting the first-ever luxury-centered music gathering reserved for the elites and all those that could afford the hefty price tag that came with the super exclusive tickets.
Promoted by a slew of internationally recognized celebrities, including A-list supermodels Bella Hadid, Kendall Jenner, and Emily Ratajkowski, the event, which was marketed as a high-end exclusive experience, was a major flop, aptly described by Netflix as “The greatest party that never happened” in its iconic documentary, FYRE. Indeed, the organizers never managed to deliver on their ambitious plans, leaving guests stranded on a desert island, alone, and with all rudimentary supplies and infrastructure sorely lacking or simply missing.
With attendees reportedly unable to find adequate accommodation upon their arrival, nor sufficient amounts of food and water to cater for all (except for cheese sandwiches), in addition to a complete total absence of the promised entertainment and performances, in the aftermath, organizers faced serious legal repercussions, with the mastermind behind the ill-fated festival, McFarland, who was then 26, ultimately being convicted of fraud, and served with a six-year-long sentence behind bars as a result.
Released just last year, after only serving four years from the initial six pronounced against him, McFarland is showing no signs of giving up as the former federal prisoner just announced a second edition of the disgraced event to take place at the end of next year, allegedly in the Caribbean, despite not much information having been teased up until now.
In a TikTok video that dives deeper into the controversial comeback’s plans, the now 31-year-old shared his plans to regain the trust of industry insiders, artists, and audiences, claiming to have secured funding and that it’s just a matter of time before we see the festival materialize.
@pyrtbilly FYRE Festival 2 is LIVE! 🔗 in bio
Expected to launch in December 2024, McFarland’s account on the Chinese video-sharing app also shares some insight on how he is coping since his release from prison, the struggles of getting back to business, and his vision for the sophomore iteration of the festival— which really should be considered as a debut as the first barely even took place.
“It has been the absolute wildest journey to get here, and it really all started during the seven-month stint in solitary confinement,” the festival founder said in one video before explaining having taken that time to pen a 50-page plan on how to bring his concept back from the abyss, revive its hype, direct a documentary about it all as well as create a Broadway show called Fyre Festival: The Musical.
With the festival’s lineup, precise dates, and venue still under wraps, 100 tickets were still surprisingly put up for sale. Priced at $499 per entry, these tickets formed the first rung on a ladder of tiers, with impending categories, marked as “coming soon” ranging from $799 to a staggering $7,999. What’s more shocking, the pre-sale tickets to Fyre Festival II have all sold out.
The first FYRE Festival II drop has sold out.
Since 2016 FYRE has been the most talked about festival in the world. We now saw this convert to one of the highest priced GA pre-sales in the industry.
FYRE is about people from the around the world coming together to pull off…
— Billy McFarland (@pyrtbilly) August 22, 2023
Whether the organizers aim to redeem their concept through perseverance and demonstrate its merit despite a shameful first attempt, or if they are exacerbating an already existing catastrophe to birth another one, it goes without saying that the intent behind the entire endeavor remains a strong subject of speculation. And as long it is, our advice would be to stay clear and exercise extra caution if you happen to be bold and brave enough to even consider getting involved or purchasing tickets.
