![Fyre Festival II: Fraudster Billy McFarland says tickets sold out Fyre Festival II: Fraudster Billy McFarland says tickets sold out](https://i0.wp.com/content.fortune.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/GettyImages-1077353252-e1692800855231.jpg?fit=%2C&ssl=1)
The infamous 2017 Fyre Festival, which was supposed to push the “boundary of the impossible,” turned out to be an over-the-box hit, leading to its disastrous failure that spawned two documentaries and sent its founder to prison.
None of that, though, has stopped fans from flocking to festivals again, according to “Fyre” creator and convicted fraudster Billy McFarland.
McFarlane, who spent four years in prison as founder of the original Fyre Festival, claimed in a statement postal The first round of tickets for his upcoming Fyre Festival II was sold out on Platform X on Tuesday.
The pre-sale is sold out.
Waitlist: https://t.co/t2dby3MZQD
— Billy McFarlane (@pyrtbilly) August 22, 2023
The 30-year-old first announced in April that he would be bringing the infamous tournament back, less than a year after his start. Early release He was from the low-security FCI Elkton Prison in Ohio and was serving a six-year sentence for defrauding Fyre investors.
“Since 2016, Fyre has been the most-watched festival in the world,” McFarlane said Tuesday. “We’re now seeing that translate into one of the highest priced (general admission) pre-sales in the industry.”
The first round of tickets to Fyre Festival II was priced at $499 each, with potential attendees snapping up tickets without even knowing when the event was taking place.
“Fyre is about people coming together from all over the world to accomplish the impossible,” McFarlane added. “We look forward to surprising the world with our partners and making Fyre and Fyre Festival II the island adventure of a lifetime.”
Fare Festival Disaster
The original Fyre Festival, held a few months after McFarland and rapper Ja Rule came up with the concept, was billed to attendees as the Bahamas’ luxury music festival, Admired by many famous supermodels Including Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid.
after Chaotic and fast planning processwhen festival-goers discover that their so-called high-end experience actually includes pop up tent, band canceledhellish weather and lack of working bathroom.
participants, who Pay up to $250,000 Each ticket is actually sent to an island no infrastructure to support the scale of the event.
Fyre’s disastrous reality leads to documentary on Hulu and Netflix, class action McFarlane goes to jail.
However, he insisted on Tuesday that his second attempt at hosting the event would not repeat the mistakes of 2017.
“We’ve had incredible support this time around,” he said. “I will be doing what I love while working with the best logistics and infrastructure partners. Additionally, all proceeds from ticket sales will be held in escrow until a final date is announced.”
Ja Rule will not be participating in Fyre Festival II because tell the media Back in April, he “knew nothing about it.”
McFarlane responded to the comments assertion His former partner was “absolutely not invited” to the festival’s second round.
In addition to hosting the Fyre sequel event, McFarland is also selling Fyre-themed merchandise, including a $161 limited-edition hoodie and a $200 jacket, both of which are sold out.
According to the campaign’s website, $50 of each jacket sale will go “directly toward recovery,” with $25 going toward repayment owed to the Bahamas and $25 toward restitution.
When McFarlane was sentenced for the crime in 2017, he Ordered to pay $26 million in restoration.
Svlook