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Fyre Fest 2.0 is back. But why are people buying tickets for The Greatest Party That Never Happened?

DailyBiteAugust 28, 2023 | 15:52 IST

Will you buy tickets worth Rs 41,000 to Rs 7 lakh for a festival which sounds like this:

  • Where? Somewhere in the Caribbean, but not sure
  • When? Sometime by the end of 2024, date unclear
  • Line up? Unknown
  • Host: Recently out of jail, with earlier charges of fraud for a failed festival

If you haven't heard yet, the Greatest Party That Never Happened, the Fyre Festival, is back for a second time. Billy McFarland, charged with fraud over the failed 2017 Fyre Festival, has announced the second festival. 

No line-up announced, we did not share the location and we sold out the first drop almost instantly. It's just so incredible to finally have the support to make the Fyre dream a reality and to really share it with the world.
- Billy McFarland (TMZ)
  • And if you think this is unreal, then you should also know that the first 100 tickets for $500 or $499 are already sold out. 
  • You better get ready with your credit card in hand when the next sets of tickets go on sale, because who can risk having FOMO on being scammed? 
  • McFarland says he's got support to make Fyre a reality now. And that all the money from the ticket sales will be held in an escrow account until the final date is announced. 
  • He said he's working with partners and the logistics to put up the show.

The 2017 botched attempt

  • If someone is tempted to attend this never-before-seen-before festival, they should perhaps recount what happened during the first one. 
  • The Fyre Festival was originally set to take place over two weekends on a private beach believed to be once owned by drug lord Pablo Escobar in the Bahamas.  
  • Revellers were promised an impressive line-up of artists, Instagram-worthy experiences, gourmet food and opulent accommodation. Tickets cost up to $12,780.
  • Their marketing videos showed a string of top models from Bella Hadid to Kendall Jenner. Several influencers were also roped in to market the festival. 
  • But when the revellers actually arrived, they were greeted with a rain-sodden campsite, with disaster relief tents as opulent accommodation, and cheese sandwiches in plastic containers as the gourmet food.

  • There was no running water or electricity. The line-up consisting of 33 artists, including Pusha T, Tyga, Desiigner, Blink-182, Major Lazer, all pulled out of performing.

  • There were definitely no models attending the festival. 
  • Businesses that were involved in the festival claimed they were not paid. 
  • The entire fiasco resulted in losses amounting to $28 million. 

But all of that doesn't seem to have fazed McFarland, who's back in the game. The only question is who are these rich people who want to give money to a man accused of fraud and whose first attempt was a spectacular failure that inspired the Netflix documentary Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened. Or is the website manipulated to show that all tickets are currently sold out?

Last updated: August 28, 2023 | 15:52
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