The fraudulent music event FYRE Festival is getting a reboot, after the man at the head of it all was released from prison last year.
Billy McFarland, the co-founder of the infamous FYRE Festival as seen in the popular Netflix docuseries Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened, was sent to prison in 2018 over several charges of fraud related to the failed 2017 music festival.
During a “seven month stint in solitary confinement”, McFarland devised a plan for FYRE Festival 2. The first 100 tickets to the event, which cost USD $499 (AUD $770), are already sold out after one day.
“It has been the absolute wildest journey to get here,” McFarland announced in a video posted on his Instagram account.
“I wrote out this 50-page plan of how it would take this overall interest and demand in FYRE, and how it would take my ability to bring people from around the world together to make the impossible happen, how I would find the best partners in the world to allow me to be me while executing FYRE’s vision to the highest level.”
People paid up to USD $12,780 (AUD $19,894) for tickets to the original FYRE Festival in 2017, which, as found in the lawsuit, McFarland led them to believe it would be a luxury event with major acts headlining the event, resort stays, high-end food and drinks and more. McFarland used influencers like Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid to promote the event.
Instead, hundreds of people were stranded in small tents in the Bahamas, with little food, water and electricity. Businesses went unpaid and suffered thousands of dollars in losses. Overall, the failed FYRE Festival saw more than USD $26 million (AUD $40.5 million) in losses.
McFarland pleaded guilty to the fraud charges related to FYRE, on top of additional fraud charges related to his company NYC VIP Access, which sold fake tickets to major music, sporting and fashion events, including the Met Gala.
He was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment in 2018, but released in March 2022 after serving four years.
Eighteen months after his release, McFarland is planning to organise “pop-up” events around the world over the next year, before FYRE Festival 2 kicks off on December 6 2024.
“Guys, this is your chance to get in. This is everything I’ve been working towards,” he said in the Instagram video.
“Let’s f***ing go.”
Although a date has been set for the festival, there is no indication of exactly where FYRE Festival 2 will take place, who will be performing, among other key details.
Some people commenting on the video on Instagram were excited and supportive of McFarland’s pursuits.
“Proud of you, nothing like a good comeback story!” one person wrote.
“Let’s gooooo,” said another.
But most were shocked that McFarland is allowed to go ahead with organising the reboot of one of the biggest music festival disasters.
“Some people just don’t learn,” said one person.
“Do we have a date for the Netflix documentary part II?” a second wrote.
A third comment: “If this guy has the courage to do this, why are you scared of asking your crush on a date?”