Fyre Festival fraudster announces major career move amid second act controversy
Billy McFarland, creator of the failed 2017 Fyre Festival music event, on Wednesday announced that he is selling the Fyre brand after attempting to organize Fyre Festival 2 in Mexico between May 30 and June 2.
McFarland spent several years in prison after failing to deliver what he promised would be a luxury music festival with big-name acts in the Bahamas, ultimately defrauding 80 investors out of $24 million and scamming event ticketholders and staff out of thousands of dollars when they showed up to a glorified campsite with no entertainment.
"FYRE is one of the most powerful attention engines in the world," McFarland wrote in a Wednesday statement posted to Fyre Festival's Instagram. "Since 2017, FYRE has dominated headlines, documentaries, and conversations as one of the most talked-about music festivals. We knew FYRE was big, but we didn't realize just how massive the wave would become. That wave brought us here: to a point where we know it's time to call for assistance."
McFarland added that the Fyre brand "deserves a team with the scale, experience, and infrastructure to realize its full potential."
"We have decided the best way to accomplish our goals is to sell the FYRE Festival brand, including its trademarks, IP, digital assets, media reach, and cultural capital – to an operator that can fully realize its vision," McFarland wrote.
The announcement comes just weeks before Fyre Festival 2 was set to take place in Mexico – first in Isla Mujeres and then Playa del Carmen – following what appeared to be miscommunication between the respective city governments and Fyre organizers.
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The festival has since been postponed, though Fyre organizers never announced the postponement on their website or social media. Rather, Fyre's partners confirmed to Fox News Digital and other outlets that the event had been paused and tickets refunded.
Earlier this month, Fyre Festival organizers fired back at Playa del Carmen's statement saying the Mexican city's government had no knowledge of the event.
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"FYRE has been working directly with the government of Playa del Carmen (PDC) and their officials since March 5, 2025, to ensure a safe and successful event," organizers said.
"All media reports suggesting our team has not been working with the government of PDC are simply inaccurate and based on misinformation," the statement read. "FYRE has operated as a good partner with PDC government and has followed the proper processes and procedures to lawfully host an event."
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McFarland also posted a video of a press conference he and his team held in Playa del Carmen on March 28, which included government representatives from the area.
But Playa del Carmen posted its own statement to social media, saying "[i]n response to rumors about a supposed event called ‘Fyre 2,’ we inform you that no event of that name will be held in Playa del Carmen."
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It was the second statement from a government entity denying the festival's existence since March. The event was originally scheduled to take place in Isla Mujeres, Mexico, between those dates, but it recently moved to Playa del Carmen, Mexico, after Isla Mujeres said Fyre Festival organizers had not requested permits in the popular vacation town.
Tickets for Fyre Festival 2 started at $1,400 per person for general admission and went up from there. The most expensive tickets were selling for more than $1 million and offered private air and yacht travel, luxury villa accommodations and festival access over four days to eight people.
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After the 2017 Fyre Festival's failure, it went viral on social media when Hulu and Netflix published documentaries about the failed beach bash, making the #fyrefraud hashtag go viral at the time.
The festival reached a settlement with 277 ticket holders in 2021, when it was ordered to pay each recipient an award of $7,220.