Eight years ago, the world watched as Billy McFarland, founder of the doomed Fyre Festival, failed to deliver on extravagant promises to festivalgoers.
After serving four years in prison and facing the scrutiny of two documentaries about the fraud, McFarland is making a comeback — with promises larger than ever.
According to The Washington Post, McFarland confirmed that Fyre Festival 2 “is real.”
What is Fyre Festival?
In 2017, Fyre Festival made history as the “most talked about music festival in the world,” according to McFarland, reported by Today.
With advertisements featuring the faces of Kendall Jenner, Bella Hadid and Hailey Baldwin, it promised to be a luxurious weekend. Attendees paid up to $100,000 for a ticket to enjoy high-end cuisine, legendary music performances and adventure, per BBC.
When ticket holders arrived to island of Great Exuma in the Bahamas, they were shocked to be greeted with soggy mattresses in rain-sodden tents — a stark difference from the luxurious expectations they had been promised.
It didn’t take long for attendees to storm social media, posting pictures of the “best cuisine” they were expecting, which turned out to be a slice of cheese on top of two pieces of bread.
Among the poor living accommodations, the bands ticket holders were anticipating to see, such as Migos and Blink-182, never made an appearance.
The Fyre Festival fiasco went viral and was trending on all social media platforms.
After the catastrophe, McFarland was convicted of fraud wire charges and was sentenced to six years in prison, per BBC. He was released after four.
What will Fyre Festival 2 include?
On Monday, McFarland went on the “Today” show to announce that Fyre Festival 2 is coming in 2025.
Fyre Festival 2 is allegedly taking place May 30 to June 2, 2025, at Isla Mujeres, an island in the Mexican Caribbean, per the official Fyre Festival 2 website. Those who wish to attend can purchase tickets from $1,400 to $1.1 million, excluding service fees.
So far, the lineup of musical artists hasn’t been announced, according to The Washington Post.
“We’re announcing the artists over the next few months,” McFarland said on NBC, according to The Washington Post. “I’m not in charge of booking the talent.”
The event is said to be more than just a music festival, with claims of wellness, creative activities and extreme sports mentioned on the website.
“We might have a professional skateboarder do a demonstration,” McFarland said on NBC, reported by Today. “We might have an MMA champion teach you techniques in the morning.”
McFarland has stepped away from coordinating the event and has hired a production company, according to The Washington Post.
Fyre Festival documentaries
While you’re waiting to see how Fyre Festival 2 unfolds, two documentaries featuring the behind-the-scenes of the original Fyre Festival can be streamed on Hulu and Netflix.