The creator of the Fyre Festival, Billy McFarland, announced on Wednesday that he and his team were selling the festival brand after having faced “challenges” while trying to produce Fyre Festival 2.
The festival, which was to take place in Playa Del Carmen, in Mexico, from May 30 to June 2, was McFarland’s second attempt to welcome a music festival of several days after the disastrum Fyre Festival, it was planned with rapper JA Rule in 2017, which made him plead guilty to thread fraud and to be sentenced to federal prison.
In an article on Instagram, McFarland explained that Planning Fyre Festival 2 was to “finish what I started and do things correctly”. But, he wrote that he and his team realized that “the best way to reach our goals is to sell the Fyre Festival brand, including its brands, digital information, digital assets, media scope and cultural capital – to an operator who can fully realize his vision.”
“Giving the brand control to a new group is the most responsible way to follow what we have decided to do,” said McFarland. “We will choose the new group according to their ability to execute the vision.”
Anyone interested in the brand can visit their website to see a list of assets that will be included in the purchase, including the contact lists by e-mail and text, and wallpapers of screenshot showing the scope of the social media of the Fyre Festival and the website traffic.
Interested buyers can fill out a form at the bottom of the page.
This news comes a week after being reported for the first time that the Fyre Festival 2 had been postponed. At that time, the organizers of the Fyre Festival told ticket buyers that they “verified new locations and will soon announce our host destination”, according to an email obtained by TMZ.
Katie Mather / Yahoo News
In May 2017, McFarland and JA Rule were continued for $ 100 million in a collective appeal on behalf of the participants. The following month, McFarland was arrested and accused of fraud by thread at the Federal Court of Manhattan for his involvement in the organization of the Fyre Festival. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to six years in federal prison in October 2018.
McFarland was moved to a transitional house in March 2022 after having served less than four years and was no longer assisted in September 2022. Two years later, he confirmed his plans to try to welcome another festival
This is what has happened since then.
September 2024: McFarland confirms the Today Show that Fyre Festival 2 will take place from April 25 to April 28, 2025.
“We have a private island off Mexico in the Caribbean, and we have an incredible production company that manages everything, from nut soup,” he said. He did not declare the name of the island.
February 24, 2025: The Fyre Festival 2 tickets are on sale, the cost of which is $ 1,400 to $ 1.1 million. The site announces that the second Fyre festival will take place on Isla Mujeres, a tropical island of Cancún, in Mexico. No artist is announced as participant in the event.
“Fyre 2 is real,” said McFarland in another appearance on Today. “My dream finally becomes a reality.”
Learn more about Yahoo Entertainment: Tickets from the Fyre Festival 2 will be on sale while Billy McFarland tries to return from the 2017 disaster: “ my dream finally becomes a reality ”
February 27: Edgar Gasca, a representative of the tourism management of Isla Mujeres, tells the Guardian when he was asked about Fyre Festival 2, “for us, it is an event that does not exist.”
March 21: McFarland announces on Instagram that the festival will now take place “in the heart of the Maya Riviera”.
March 27: Fyre Festival is organizing a press conference at Martina Beach Club in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. During the press conference, McFarland announces that the event will be held in Playa del Carmen from May 30 to June 2.
Learn more about Yahoo Entertainment: Fyre Festival 2 is still in progress, says Billy McFarland. How he plans to lock accommodation and musical artists.
March 30: McFarland publishes a video on Instagram labeled as an “important update of the Fyre Festival”. In this document, he claims that there will be 1,800 participants and that a program will soon be published.
“We will have DJs, rappers, reggae artists, pop stars, but also athletes, divers, models, pilots and creators who will direct the experiences of our guests,” said McFarland. “We will have dozens of artists in a private setting similar to parties.”
April 2: Playa del Carmen City Hall Posts on X: “There will be no event called” Fyre 2 “in Playa del Carmen.”
April 4: McFarland writes on X that he “worked directly with the government of Playa del Carmen (PDC) and their civil servants since March 5, 2025 to ensure a safe and successful event.”
April 16: NBC News reports that an alert has been temporarily published on the Fyre Festival 2 ticket office, saying that the event had been postponed and that participants would receive emails confirming a new date.
ABC News reports that the festival is postponed, citing an anonymous ticket which says it has received an e-mail saying: “The event has been postponed and a new date will be announced. We have given you a refund. Once the new date has been announced, at that time, you can buy if it works for your schedule.”
McFarland would have confirmed TMZ’s postponement, blaming the cost of permits and saying that he and the organizers were already looking for new locations and dates for ticket buyers. TMZ has published the so -called email organizers sent to ticket buyers, which indicates: “Fyre Festival 2 will no longer take place in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.”
April 23: McFarland publishes an announcement on Instagram that he sells a Fyre Festival brand to anyone interested. He says: “So that Fyre Festival 2 succeeds, it is clear that I have to step back and allow a new team to advance independently, giving life to the vision on this incredible island.”
