Featured Image Credit: Netflix
Topics: Crime, Music, Social Media, World News, Netflix
Britt Jones
The second attempt at 'the greatest party that never happened' has been postponed indefinitely following a very controversial start.
You may remember a little incident which saw festival-goers out of pocket by thousands, stranded on an island with little food, amenities and headliners to keep them occupied.
That’s right, it was the notorious 2017 Fyre Festival.
The first event, held on a private island in the Bahamas, saw its organiser Billy McFarland be thrown into jail for four out of the six years handed to him for fraud after he advertised an event that just simply did not live up to what it had claimed to be.
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Not only was Billy in trouble, but so were celebrities that endorsed it, such as Kendall Jenner who had promoted it on social media, leaving her $90,000 out of pocket when she was ordered to pay a fine in 2020.
While you might think that this would be enough to stop Billy from creating another event, you’d be wrong.
He had been gearing up to host Fyre Festival 2 from 30 May to 2 June of this year when suddenly, it was postponed indefinitely.
Just over a month ahead of its scheduled opening date, Billy’s team sent a message to ticket holders.
ABC News state that the message read: "The event has been postponed and a new date will be announced. We have issued you a refund. Once the new date is announced, at that time, you can repurchase if it works for your schedule."
This festival was intended to be a redemption for Billy’s failed venture, which became the subject of Netflix's Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened in 2019.
It was supposed to be held on the Isla Mujeres in Mexico, with ticket prices ranging between $1,400 and $25,000. For premium packages, you could expect to pay as much as $1.1m. Money well spent, eh?
At the time, Billy said a statement: "I'm sure many people think I'm crazy for doing this again. But I feel I'd be crazy not to do it again."
"After years of reflection and now thoughtful planning, the new team and I have amazing plans for FYRE 2," he added.
It was claimed that the event would provide an 'electrifying celebration of music, arts, cuisine, comedy, fashion, gaming, sports, and treasure hunting — all set in the stunning location of Isla Mujeres, Mexico', with the festival’s website reading: "Experience unforgettable performances, immersive experiences, and an atmosphere that redefines creativity and culture."
However, there were (of course) issues from the get go.
In the run up to the festival, Mexican officials with the Quintana Roo Tourism Department and the Playa Del Carmen government said that they had no knowledge of the Fyre Festival 2 taking place there.
Bernardo Cueto, the tourism secretary of the State of Quintana Roo, said to ABC News that his agency was in charge of handing permissions to event organisers and that the festival’s name was not something he had been told about.
He was totally unaware of any event by that name happening in the area.
But Billy hit out at this and on 4 April, he released screenshots of messages between him and the PDC to the festival’s Instagram account.
"All media reports suggesting our team has not been working with the government of PDC are simply inaccurate and based on misinformation," he said in the post.
"FYRE has operated as a good partner with PDC government and has followed the proper processes and procedures to lawfully host an event."
Now, the event is no more and we can't say we're too surprised.