New twist in Fyre Festival 2 saga after tickets went on sale for $1MILLION as officials say doomed event ‘doesn’t exist’
THE sequel to the disaster Fyre Festival looks set to be just as scandalous as the original.
The island chalked to host the festival has insisted the event "does not exist" - despite the organisers flogging tickets for over $1million.
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The founder of the 2017 event, Billy McFarland, was convicted of defrauding investors of $26million after the festival turned out to be a sham.
The 33-year-old scammer went behind bars for almost four years until May 2022, and then began plotting his return.
He claimed the upcoming party, hosted on Mexico's Playa del Carmen, would "take over the festival industry".
The sequel was thrown into turmoil when a message appeared on its website announcing it would be postponed - only for it to disappear.
Then, ticket sales were halted entirely, with the site listing them as "currently unavailable".
And now, officials from the resort city have said the festival simply does not exist.
The Playa del Carmen government said "no event of that name" was expected to take place in the city - despite McFarland previously claiming he had permits from them.
The scammer pushed back against the announcement on social media, sharing documents which he said proved he had applied for venue permits.
He wrote on Instagram: “First, Fyre 2 is real. Second, we have incredible partners leading the festival.
"This includes an incredible production team in Mexico who does not F around. There is no way they would ever take on a fake festival.”
His team had promised “boundary-pushing and beach-side performances at night” - with ticket prices ranging between $1,400 and $1.1 million.
Last week, Edgar Gasca, a tourism representative for Isla Mujeres, said he had not been in contact with the organisers and that "for us, this is an event that does not exist".
He told The Guardian: “This festival is not going to happen. There are red flags all over the place.
"If you go on their website and take the coordinates they provide, then put them in Google Maps, it takes you to the ocean — between Cancún and Isla Mujeres.”
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The coordinates were subsequently changed to line up with the Marina Beach Club in Playa del Carmen.
McFarland then told NBC news that the date is dependent on location, so it's not immediately clear whether the schedule for next month would change.
In a further statement to ticketholders, organizers were adamant the show would go on.
It said: "FYRE Festival 2 is still on. We are vetting new locations and will announce our host destination soon.
"Our priorities remain unchanged: delivering an unforgettable, safe, and transparent experience."
Billy's former colleague J.D. Beebe warned those interested in the messy event in an exclusive interview with The U.S. Sun.
"I don't even think there's been enough promise to go as advertised, so I don't even know what people are signing up for," he said.
"I don't believe that what he said people have paid for is true, he has a long history of stating things that aren't true, in terms of x numbers, tickets, and this, that and the other.
"It seems like there's an event that's going to happen. But who knows what it's going to be, you know? I don't know. Is that a victory, that an event is going to happen?
"Is it going to go on as as advertised? No, because he's advertised nothing."
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The event's location has changed twice since being announced.
A ticket obtained by The U.S. Sun for the event listed the date as December 6, 2024, but it has been pushed back several times since then.
As of today, the event is slated to go on from May 30 through June 2, 2025- just weeks away.
In addition to his Fyre Festival drama, Billy also owes the government nearly $35 million in overdue taxes and restitution to his past victims, The U.S. Sun previously reported.
The inaugural FYRE Festival remains one of the most infamous event disasters in history.
Attendees were left devastated after spending tens of thousands of dollars to attend the event, only to arrive on an island in the Bahamas lacking food, water, and accommodation- not to mention the musical acts all pulled out at the last minute.
The debacle was magnified by social media, with disgruntled influencers sharing their outrage after stepping onto Great Exuma expecting the party of a lifetime.
Instead of the promised luxury villas, festival-goers were greeted by re-purposed emergency FEMA tents.
Enticed by the allure of world-class cuisine, ticket holders found themselves served cold cheese sandwiches in foam containers.
Despite the spectacular failure, Billy exclusively told The U.S. Sun in an interview that he has his reasons for attempting the event a second time.
Billy said: "This is the most tangible way to repay the $26 million that I owe, and having real partners gives an opportunity in the next five to seven years, to actually pay back that $26 million.
"And unfortunately, no one's offering me $26 million to work somewhere else."
The convicted felon, who faced charges for misleading his investors, went on to say he is taking full advantage of his notoriety.
"We are literally the most talked about music festival in the world. We've had three times as many mentioned this Coachella, which is in second place and there's a huge drop-off after that.
"It's an incredible opportunity to steer that ship into the storm and embrace everything that's happened."
thesun
