Billy McFarland’s dream of reviving the Fyre Festival took a nosedive. But this time, it isn’t social media detectives or doubting festival-goers who are issuing red flags. The Isla Mujeres officials should be in the know, and they say no one has told them about Fyre Festival 2.
And McFarland, as the architect of the 2017 Fyre Festival disaster, has been promoting his latest enterprise as a redemption story: an opulent, glamorous affair in a stunningly beautiful corner of Mexico. Confidently announcing that Fyre Festival 2 would be held between May 30 and June 2, 2025, the ticket sale also featured ostentatious packages, which ran the gamut from a “budget-friendly” $1,400 ticket to an obscenely expensive $1.1 million VIP offering called the “Prometheus God of Fyre” experience. Nothing screams, “We learned from our mistakes,” like charging more than a million bucks for a festival that doesn’t have a lineup yet.
However, Mexican authorities don’t know of this event, neither have any contact with any person or company about this,” Edgar Gasca, a representative for Isla Mujeres’ tourism directorate, said in a direct statement to The Guardian. Which is to say, Fyre Festival 2 doesn’t exist as far as the local government is concerned.
That’s not exactly the kind of endorsement you want when trying to persuade people to cough up thousands for a tropical escape.
As a quick recap, McFarland’s original Fyre Festival claimed to be the pinnacle of luxury in the Bahamas, boasting upscale lodging, A-list entertainers, and gourmet food. Those ticket holders received a survival reality show disaster relief tents in place of villas, sad cheese sandwiches instead of chef-prepared fare, and a conspicuous absence of the promised entertainment. The operation fell apart spectacularly, with investors out $26 million and McFarland in prison for the better part of four years for fraud.
McFarland has set his sights on a comeback, claiming he’s learned his lessons the hard way. “I’m sure people think I’m crazy to be doing this again. But I have to do it again,” he said recently. “I have wonderful plans for FYRE 2 and after much reflection over years and now thoughtful planning with the new team.”
So far, there’s no sign of these “amazing plans.” No artist lineup. No logistics confirmed. And now, there is no actual festival site or none that the people responsible for authorizing one have deemed worthy. And it’s already in the worst sense of the word, with the internet preparing ourselves for another real-time train wreck.
As Chris McFarland clings to a glimmer of hope that he can fucking do it, the world waits to see if Fyre Festival 2 will be the phoenix that rises from the ashes or torch that burns up in the fire before it even starts. At this rate, anyone thinking about buying a ticket might want to temper their expectations and wallets. Because if history has taught us anything, those luxury beachside suites could soon be a disaster tent in disguise.
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