The Notorious Fyre Festival Is Attempting to Make a Comeback
Billy McFarland announced that Fyre Festival 2 is officially in the works, sparking excitement for some people and overwhelming apprehension for many others.
On Sunday, McFarland tweeted, “Fyre Festival II is finally happening. Tell me why you should be invited.” The comments were filled with skepticism and humorous callbacks to the disastrous original Fyre Festival in 2017.
🔥 Fyre Festival II is finally happening.
— Billy McFarland (@pyrtbilly) April 10, 2023
Tell me why you should be invited.
I’m tryna figure out how there’s a FYRE Festival 2 happening when there wasn’t a 1?!?!
— Coinsexual. (@Scooteuxr) April 11, 2023
Fyre Festival 2 includes massive upgrades such as a juice box and mayonnaise with the sandwich this time. pic.twitter.com/uHEZRxnpNP
— Michael Riley (@magicmikeriley1) April 11, 2023
Fyre Festival was the coolest musical festival that never actually happened. McFarland built the event with luxury and exclusivity in mind, promising a glamorous weekend of parties and musical performances for anyone willing to pay the price.
The destination festival was to take place in the Bahamas for two weekends in April and May. The lineup boasted global stars such as Blink 182, Migos, and Disclosure. Although McFarland was facing dire consequences due to poor planning leading up to the event, the logistical errors were hidden by impeccable marketing. With endorsements from the likes of Kendall Jenner and Emily Ratajkowski on Instagram, Fyre Fest quickly became a highly anticipated event of the year.
However, when attendees arrived in the Bahamas for the actual festival, they were shocked not only at the lack of luxury but also at the absence of basic accommodations. With little food or housing available and canceled departing flights, guests were essentially trapped on the island, and chaos quickly ensued.
The 2019 Netflix documentary on the now-infamous Fyre Festival revealed far more harrowing details about the impact the failed event had on the local community. When the festival took a turn for the worse, many of the Bahamian workers were left entirely unpaid after dedicating their time, labor, and even personal savings to the project.
everything about the fyre festival is insane and gross but the absolute worst is the Bahamian workers not getting paid!!!
— k nack (@__knack) February 2, 2019
McFarland was charged with wire fraud and sentenced to six years in prison after pleading guilty in 2018. He was released after four years and quickly got to work on making a comeback. In fact, McFarland reentered the public eye in 2022 to announce a treasure hunt with bottles hidden around the world for people to find.
In response to McFarland’s latest endeavor, the Bahamas Minister of Tourism stated, “The Government of the Bahamas will not endorse or approve any event in the Bahamas associated with him,” and continued to share that McFarland is “considered to be a fugitive.”
The Bahamas will likely not be hosting Fyre Festival 2 following the exploitation of its workers, land, and local businesses. And while McFarland has yet to release any additional information about the notorious festival’s re-boot, many people are already uneasy about what this news entails.
