Sometimes I wish I were more delusional, because it often seems to go hand-in-hand with outsized self-confidence. In 2017 Billy McFarland conned (mostly) millennials into spending thousands of dollars on tickets for Fyre Festival, an elite concert in the Caribbean. When ticket holders arrived there was no adequate housing, food, plumbing, or [reviewing the charges again] musical acts. McFarland was subsequently convicted of fraud. Now released after only serving four years of a six year sentence, McFarland has had time to reflect on his crimes and how it all went wrong. And has decided to do it all over again:
Billy McFarland — the founder of the fraudulent Fyre Festival — has followed through on his promise to announce a follow-up to the 2017 festival.
“Fyre Festival II tickets are officially on sale,” McFarland announced in a video Monday. “It has been the absolute wildest journey to get here, and it really all started during a seventh-month stint in solitary confinement. I wrote out this 50-page plan of how it would take this overall interest and demand in Fyre and how it would take my ability to bring people from around the world together to make the impossible happen.”
The business entrepreneur added that the Fyre Festival II will be returning to the Caribbean. “In the meantime, we’ll be doing pop-ups and events across the world. Guys, this is your chance to get in. This is everything I’ve been working towards.”
McFarland’s ambitious plan comes a year after he was released early from prison to a halfway house in New York City after he was sentenced to six years in prison in October 2018 for defrauding Fyre Festival investors.
McFarland may be taking a page from his past with the announcement of Fyre Festival II. Like his first attempt, this announcement does not provide details on an exact Caribbean country for the festival, a confirmed venue, a date or a musical lineup.
“FF II is targeted for the end of 2024 in the Caribbean. The FYRE Festival Pre-Sale FYRE Pass gets you 1 ticket to FYRE Festival II, as well as immediate VIP access to FYRE Events, Experiences, and Community,” the website states.
In a disclaimer, the website adds: “FFII date subject to change. Pre-events and pop-ups to be announced, but FYRE will host a minimum of 4 events prior to FFII.”
Tickets for the presale range from $499 for the first 100 tickets sold to $7,999 for the final presale.
As of Tuesday, Fyre Festival II has not sold the first 100 tickets. Many social media users have brought up the festival’s previous failure as a deterrent from purchasing.
“How can you have a part 2 if the first one never went down?” one person wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
On Instagram, a social media user commented, “Third time scamming is crazy. Your hustle inspires me though.”
“500 bucks 😂😂😂… careful billy the feds are watching,” another added.
You guys, I can’t. I’m done. I watched the announcement video and am a worser woman for it. Where to start. A man of McFarland’s, how shall I say, character? I don’t think solitary confinement is the best environment for that kind of mind. He needs other people pushing back on him, not more time to become enamored with his own ideas. So at least to me, that’s not the selling point he thinks it is. As for writing out a 50 page plan, Mazel Tov Billy, you wrote a paper. Now show us. Cough it up or it doesn’t exist. Lastly, a request to the National Media: can we stop describing him as a “business entrepreneur” please?
As of Tuesday night the Fyre website says the first 100 tickets are sold out. McFarland just made $50K on this promise: “Like his first attempt, this announcement does not provide details on an exact Caribbean country for the festival, a confirmed venue, a date or a musical lineup.” Who the f— bought these tickets?
Photos via Instagram
It astounds me that there are people gullible enough to fall for this after his history.
This just proves White men always fail up. This dude spent 4 years in jail for wire fraud ! Yeah so by all means, companies jump at the chance to work with him, give him money, and trust him.
You know, after reading this, I’m going to stop worrying about how well I do at work. People–men–like this always land on their feet. What am I so worried about?
“A fool and his money are easily parted”
Or Billy’s failed Magnises card-based membership club that he co-founded. This also turned into a scam. Also ripped off a bunch of people by selling fake Coahchella & Met Gala tickets…never trust a scammer when he shows his colours 1, 2, 3……or more times!
Solitary confinement usually sends people crazy and this sociopath is so impervious to that – he wrote a whole business plan, y’’all. A new iteration of the original fraud, hahahahahaha. I’m glad he didn’t go crackers in there.
I really don’t see where there are any crackers he hasn’t already been.
There are thousands of people with great ideas who will actually work to make those dreams happen. Why do people like him keep getting publicity and money? My guess is the tickets were sold to his “investors” or to journalists.
Fool me once, shame on you
Fool me twice, shame on me.
Several fools and their monies…
Not sure I take them at their word that they sold 100, but I’m sure some people will fall for this scam. I doubt he can get any celebs to promote it this time, though. Kendall Jenner & others got in trouble when Fyre turned out to be a huge fraud.
There’s a good chance McFarland goes back to prison where he belongs.
Thought the same thing. I am not taking a con artist at his word that he sold out tickets. Sounds like a lie to motivate real people to buy in or to drum up hype/interest. He’s full of it. The woman who wrote a book on con artists and was interviewed in one of the docs said that he would never learn his lesson because it’s who he is. That he’ll get out of prison and keep running cons. She was obviously dead on.
There are too many really, really stupid people in this world.
How could ANYONE possibly even consider paying this guy for a festival after what happened last time? According to the article, “his announcement does not provide details on an exact Caribbean country for the festival, a confirmed venue, a date or a musical lineup” so it sure sounds like there is no measurable evidence that this will be any different than the first time.
Very rarely do you see a criminal so nostalgic for the crime that got them put behind bars that they immediately (and very publicly) try to repeat it as soon as they’re released from jail. What a spectacle to witness.
I think what infuriated me the most about this scam artist, is how he stiffed all the workers, the caterers and people trying to set up the Fyre Fiasco. It is crazy that anyone would purchase tickets from him for an undetermined date/place/lineup.
#1. This reeks of a guy who needs money quickly because he’s been in jail for the last 4 years and also has fines and legal bills due.
#2. Fifty pages does not seem CLOSE to adequate for the festival itself, not to mention the 4 events planned before.
#3. THE AUDACITY.
#4. I kinda hope it happens. At this point anyone who chooses to attend is on their own hook, and a sh*tshow is still a show.
“A sh*tshow is still a show.”
I need to embroider that on a pillow or something 😂
😆 I think we all deserve a more light-hearted calamity to look forward to, don’t you think? 😆
@Courtney
Re:#1….exactly! I’m sure buried in the website is a disclaimer about “no refunds”. So even if this is a total scam, there’s nothing they can do. They paid for tickets from a publicly known scammer with a no refunds policy. Too bad, so sad for them.
Meanwhile, assuming the $499 tickets were real and not an embedded scam to sell bigger tickets, and also assuming the $499 tickets did sell out, he’d be $49,990 richer in the blink of an eye.
Right?? How do we know he’s even serious about it? How do we know he’s not just taking what he can get for now and never actually plans on putting anything together? Because really, the people who would buy tickets now and the people who would buy tickets for an event HE actually organizes probably all have the same kind of selective memory.
You still can’t lie about what you are selling and just say “no refunds” to avoid any charges of fraud though!
I’m really looking forward to the next Netflix special about this. But also hoping no other hardworking locals get roped into this next scam.
I recently bought tickets to a rock festival without a line up announcement so I could get the best price. The difference between this and FFII? Welcome To Rockville has always happened. The dates and place were announced. The production company has a good solid history of multiple festivals in multiple places happening successfully.
So why would anyone buy tickets to Fyre Festival II when the first one didn’t even happen? If they’ve got that money to drop into a black hole, I’ll give them my address!
Does anyone else think/know this is a shell game? McFarland has a history of it, it’s the whole premise of his super special black card from years ago. He’s got to pay restitution to the first round of festival ticket holders who were scammed. So he makes up a new festival, charges money, people pay him and that goes to the settlements.
The Netflix doc on the first Fyre scam is a must watch. It’s unfu*kingbelievable, the way this tool used and abused people.
Forget even paying people – when he left the island, the locals he contracted for food and construction were left having to pay the people they hired and got things that were purchased out of their own pockets. They lost money. Im some cases, all their savings or went into debt.
It’s really something to see this big-chinned white guy throw parties for models and realize that it’s all black and brown people who were literally paying for it.
The racism of it all is why there are still people who want to believe him.
ITA Lurker25. Watching that documentary on Netflix was infuriating. Bahamian people lost their retirement and all their savings while this tool skipped the island. When you look at the conditions of those tents etc. it’s a miracle no one was raped or killed. It was absolute chaos and those people were left to fend for themselves in darkness – their tents were accessible to anyone and everyone. I was terrified watching it.
The audacity for him to proceed as if nothing happened and then to call the new “Festival” by the same name is outright sadistic. He has legal bills to pay and a lot of restitution and needs some new suckers to foot that bill.
Everyone should watch that documentary.
Yeah, I remember that poor lady that used her savings to pay workers.
If I recall correctly, people did a fundraising for her after the docu went online and she got her money back.
My first thought was the same as someone mentioned in the article: how can you have Fyre Festival II if the first one never happened?
I also wouldn’t believe a word that comes out of his mouth. 100 tickets sold? IF (and that is a big if) he sold any tickets at all, it has been to people who know this festival won’t happen and they hope for a spot in the next documentary about all of this.
I bet when he looks in the mirror he sees Ryan Reynolds.
Can’t convince me he sold all those $499 tickets/passes. I don’t think they ever existed. I think they were part of a bait and switch!.
So…..how would one even “save the date” since there is no date given?
How does one pre-plan travel if there is no destination given?
I’m looking forward to watching just who bites at this thing….and are they dumb enough to brag about it.
Anyone stupid enough to buy a ticket to this deserves anything coming their way, lousy sandwiches and leaky tents included.
Can you say “narcissist”?
I remember the Tumblr memes as Fyre was unfolding 😀
Those sad sandwiches! 😂
This guy is one of the biggest liars I’ve ever seen (I watched both Fyre documentaries multiple times). I HIGHLY doubt he’s sold 100 tickets. Even in a world of dumb people I don’t think there are 100 people THAT stupid.
This would actually be his 4th scam: Magnesis, Fyre Festival, the “exclusive tickets” scam he was running while waiting to be sentenced and now this.
“ Who the f— bought these tickets?”
*the media who want to report on FFII:The Scammening
*rich white dudes who think it’s hilarious and want to be able to use this as amusing party conversation (“… so then I said “what the hell, why not? At the worst it will be funny but if it actually happens it will be a week to remember!” “Aw dude, that’s so money! What’s the website?”)
*stupid ass rich people who actually believe narcissistic grifters will change.
*Other grifters who want to see the grift up close to analyze the parts that worked and the parts that fail so they can develop a similar grift.
*his mom/rich relative who “just wants to support Billy as he rebuilds his life. I’ve seen the plan and it is amazing! I do5 know how he got crayons in prison but he’s a true genius!”
*there are no $499 tickets, it was a lie to get people to the website but since they are “sold out” here’s a discount on the $7999 ticket if you buy in the next fifteen minutes!
Well, dammit. I may have a knack for this grifting thing. Brb, gotta go scribble “I can do it!” on 50 pages…
**don’t know how
Stupid typo…
Why is he even allowed to try again in the same field he did the SCAM,he was condemned for?
Is there no laws against it?
Welcome to Rich White People Grifting 101! In this course you’ll learn the basics of rich white people creating failing businesses over and over because business laws were written by rich white people who protect other rich white people and boohoo to all the poors who haven’t figured out how to bootstrap* their way into insane wealth.
*Bootstrapping 101: a course designed to show how mega wealthy people “bootstrapped” their mega wealth by being born into mega wealthy families who tossed a million dollars at them. Case studies will include Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Michael Dell, any and all Hiltons, and so many more! Prerequisite: Rich White People Grifting 101.
🤣🤣🤣,i have the same bunch of billionaire parasites here AT home in France,with Bernard Arnault (LVMH),and the heirs of chanel, L’Oréal, Hermès,kering (YSL),etc .
But even if corruption is everywhere,in french justice system,if a trial proves you guilty of scamming in this kind of business,you can lose right to be in ceo position.people find ways to access to it anyways,but we try to oppose it….
@Nem, I’m wondering the same exact thing right now about a certain presidential candidate. How are there not common-sense laws about things like this?!
@lorelei, watching you know who easy path to power has been nightmarish.
Everyone knew about him,being scammer extraordinaire,awful dishonest,malicious,compromised person, for ages…
And not only he suceeded getting access to white house,but he remains free to return after covid denial, a coup d’état and stolen classified files(in the w.c🤢) ,etc. ?
The us justice system needs great amends …and better martial laws against conspiracies,because this is too much …
I pray for his trials to be as effective as the madoff ones (hundreds of years in prison)
The only ones who bought the tickets are the Neflix crew , getting ready for documentary no.2 on this scammer.
Rich people are dumb. That’s the only thing this confirms for me. Anyone who would give this man money after the first fiasco deserves to be scammed.
Rich people can afford to be dumb and make bad decisions. Hey, it’s only money, right?
It’s us poors that can’t afford it. It could be the difference between eating and not eating for us.
I very much dislike his face.
Why?
It’s soooo punchable.
This makes the project manager in me twitch. I was pacing the room during the documentary because it was so triggering for me. So many fundamental things done incorrectly, run by a man who has never noticed the invisible labor helping him along the way. If this guy was middle class, he’d tell his wife, “What do you mean? The house is always clean?”
I love the Netflix documentary on FireTrash island …all the influencers bragging on their way to the hell whole lot of lies being sold to them…..
He got in trouble made bail and went back to scamming people out of their money on camera…. Can’t be too bright……
He also never paid the workers on the island that were building/setting up the stage…..never paid for the release of the food stuff that was being held hostage …..
And I truly doubt anyone paid this guy any money…. He is just lying which he does so well.