Billy McFarland, of the massive failure that was 2017’s Fyre Festival, is claiming that 1) a Broadway musical about the 2017 event is happening and 2) the second installment of the festival is on.
McFarland initially announced the Fyre Festival II earlier this year. To jog your memory a bit, the first one, which he co-founded with rapper Ja Rule, enjoyed top-notch promotions and was launched via a huge influencer campaign. It was marketed as a three-day ultra-exclusive party on a private island in the Bahamas that used to belong to Pablo Escobar. With tickets selling for hundreds to thousands of dollars, it promised luxury accommodation and “the best in food, art, music, and adventure.”
What transpired, in reality, was the biggest festival disaster ever — it was so spectacular a failure that two separate documentaries were made about it. The festival didn’t just not meet expectations, all of it was pretty much a lie, and guests were put in a situation where there was inadequate food, water, and accommodation.
McFarland pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud a year later. He was sentenced to six years in the can and ordered to pay $26 million back to the investors of the festival. He was released two years early in March last year.
Now, McFarland is back doing what he’s good at — promoting. He went on TikTok to announce that the Broadway musical that he’s calling “Fyre Festival 1.5” is happening, and that he is “in talks with partners” to pay back the $26 million he owes in restitution and to “execute Fyre Festival 2 according to the original vision.”
McFarland did not give crucial details about his announcement, including anything about the “partners” who will help him pay for all of the things he just announced. He did describe the musical in an interview with journalist Adam Glyn: “Instead of like traditional Broadway actors, it’s going to be current music artists, combined with the Broadway format of the play — making fun of me, but also I think sharing some of the good sides as well.”
McFarland also claimed that previous investors are already “getting paid back and getting paid back, like right now.”
On Twitter last week, McFarland claimed that there will be a new documentary covering Fyre Festival 2. He also dropped a hint that it will be covered by a major streamer. The two documentaries about the first one were produced by Netflix and Hulu.
On Monday, he announced that he will be giving away passes to Fyre Festival 2. As of this writing, there are still no further details about the new festival.
Information for this story was found via The Independent, NME, Twitter, and the sources and companies mentioned. The author has no securities or affiliations related to the organizations discussed. Not a recommendation to buy or sell. Always do additional research and consult a professional before purchasing a security. The author holds no licenses.
