Fyre Festival 2's fate up in the air after event says it won't take place at Mexican resort
Organizers of a Fyre Festival sequel said Wednesday it will no longer take place in the Mexican resort town of Playa Del Carmen, after its website momentarily announced the event was postponed, sparking confusion among ticket holders.
The festival's promoter, Billy McFarland, told NBC News that the date is dependent on location, so it's not immediately clear if the plans to hold a multiday festival next month would change.
In a further statement to ticket holders, organizers were adamant the show would go on.
"FYRE Festival 2 is still on," it says. "We are vetting new locations and will announce our host destination soon. Our priorities remain unchanged: delivering an unforgettable, safe, and transparent experience."
But there was doubt earlier Wednesday when the event's website inexplicably told ticket buyers "FYRE 2 Festival is postponed and will be rescheduled for a later date in the future." The message was then updated to say tickets "currently are unavailable."
The change in venue — and the fate of the entire festival — comes after Playa Del Carmen officials disputed McFarland's claim that it was hosting a second Fyre Fest.
Government officials said in a statement April 2 that "after a thorough review, there is no record or planning of any such event in the municipality," casting confusion about where the event stands.
McFarland, who pleaded guilty to wire fraud and other crimes tied to the first Fyre Fest fiasco in the Bahamas in 2017, had posted documents on his social media April 4 that he said proved that organizers had been working with local officials since March 5 to obtain permits for a Fyre Festival 2.
The event's website had promised an "electrifying celebration of music, arts, cuisine, comedy, fashion, gaming, sports, and treasure hunting — all set in the stunning location of Playa Del Carmen, Mexico," from May 30 to June 2.
But one document shared by McFarland indicated that the event at the Martina Beach Club would have a maximum of 250 people during a 12-hour period, a far cry from the 1,800 guests it had planned for. Meanwhile, organizers had not yet announced a lineup of performers or celebrities who would be involved in the event.
Organizers in their statement to ticket holders on Wednesday shifted blame onto Playa Del Carmen officials.
"You can't make this stuff up," the statement said. "When a government takes your money, issues permits, promotes the event, and then pretends it's never heard of you, that's not just dishonest — it's theft. Due to this, we have decided to move FYRE Festival 2 elsewhere."
Playa Del Carmen officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
Organizers have been under scrutiny since McFarland announced in September that he was attempting a comeback with another Fyre Fest at a "privately owned island off Mexico."
McFarland told NBC News in February that he had secured festival operators, hotel partners, concierge groups and ticket companies for the event's location on Isla Mujeres, located off the coast of Cancún.
While he acknowledged there's a "risk" to people who buy tickets this time around, he added, "what makes Fyre so cool is we are selling the experience of Fyre."
But Isla Mujeres tourism officials disputed that they had granted any permits for such a festival.
In late March, event organizers said they had found a new location — Playa Del Carmen — during a beachside news conference in Mexico in which McFarland appeared via a video link because he remains under travel restrictions.
Ticket packages were being sold for $1,400 for one person, not including accommodations or travel, to $1.1 million, which organizers say covers eight people for a "Prometheus God of Fyre" pass guaranteeing complimentary accommodations and private air charter.
Soldout.com, which had partnered with ticket sales, told NBC News that it stands "firmly behind our 100% money-back guarantee. Given the recent changes to the date and venue of Fyre Festival 2, all customers who purchased tickets directly through our platform are eligible for a full refund."
Festival organizers also told ticket holders on Wednesday they would issue refunds given the change in location.
The original Fyre Fest in 2017 was promoted by social media influencers as a star-studded event with popular musical acts in a luxurious island setting. Attendees paid between $1,000 and $12,000 each.
Instead, the festival went viral for its canceled performers, meager food options, including boxed cheese sandwiches, and FEMA disaster tent accommodations.
In its wake, lawsuits were filed against McFarland, and the saga became the subject of Netflix and Hulu documentaries. In 2018, McFarland was sentenced to six years in prison after federal prosecutors said he lied to investors who lost more than $26 million.
In 2021, some attendees were awarded money in a $2 million class-action settlement. The following year, McFarland was released from prison early after earning good time credit.
But while still owing millions in restitution, McFarland, 33, has said the chance to hold another festival is about redemption.
"We have the chance to embrace this storm and really steer our ship into all the chaos that has happened, and if it's done well, I think Fyre has a chance to be this annual festival that really takes over the festival industry," he said in September.
He added that he hired a festival production company to "handle the stages and the bathrooms and all the stuff that I clearly don't know how to do."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Rhyl Journal
24 minutes ago
- Rhyl Journal
King ‘told Conclave author he watched papal selection film'
Robert Harris, 68, was formally made a CBE by Charles for services to literature in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday. Harris said it was 'eerie' and 'like an out of body experience' to see his 2016 book turned into a film, and then to see the papal selection process which he had researched in so much detail play out in May after the death of Pope Francis. '(It was) very odd, I suppose because I researched it very thoroughly, and really it's the sort of thing that can practically only be done in fiction because you have to have a lot of conjecture,' Harris told the PA news agency. 'And so it acted as a kind of primer for journalists and for people, so that was very strange. 'And then, of course, the extraordinary fact that the new pope watched it on the eve of the conclave.' Pope Leo's brother John Prevost told NBC News his younger sibling had watched the film before the secret vote. Harris said the King also asked about his new book. 'We talked a bit about Conclave, which he has seen,' Harris said. 'He's been reading my books for years, so it was nice to see him again.' The journalist-turned-novelist also joked about how seeing the inside of Buckingham Palace could provide him inspiration for his future books. 'There'd have to be some mystery in the throne room, yes, murder in the throne room! It's got possibilities.' Harris said it was a 'very generous gesture' to receive the honour and he had 'never thought about it' before being asked. Author Dame Jacqueline Wilson was made a Dame Grand Cross for her services to the same industry at the ceremony. The 79-year-old former children's laureate is widely known as the creator of Tracy Beaker and has written more than 100 novels. 'It feels like a dream,' Dame Jacqueline said on receiving the honour. 'I'm so pleased, so proud. 'I was just totally taken by surprise. To be utterly truthful, I didn't even know this particular honour existed. I'm so proud and so overwhelmed. 'If little girl Jacqueline could be told that I'd be standing outside Buckingham Palace with medals and a sash, she would have been astonished.' Dame Jacqueline said the King was 'jovial' and they laughed about getting her sash on over her 'silly hat'. 'And I did thank him, and particularly also thanked Her Majesty the Queen, because she takes such an interest in children's literature, and that makes all of us writers feel very pleased,' she said. Last year, Dame Jacqueline released her first adult novel since the 1970s as she returned to her beloved Girls series. The novel, Think Again, was nominated at this year's British Book Awards.
NBC News
32 minutes ago
- NBC News
Trump faces criticism of his broad mass deportation push from two different angles
The sister of a woman allegedly murdered by six noncitizens said President Donald Trump's administration is targeting the wrong people for deportation and is not doing enough to get the worst of the worst off U.S. streets, even as authorities embark on a massive deportation effort. Tiffany Thompson, whose sister Larisha Sharrell Thompson was shot and killed in South Carolina last month, said she was angered that while deportations have played a central role in Trump's administration, more hadn't been done to target those who were charged in the killing — particularly the alleged ringleader, who faced a previous charge before her sister was killed. 'It's frustrating that they're illegal and they committed this crime. They should have been deported, maybe this wouldn't have happened,' Thompson told NBC News in an interview. She added: 'I don't know where Trump is right now.' The notion that a family member of someone allegedly killed by an undocumented immigrant would call Trump to action over his signature issue comes amid broader questions about how the president is executing his mass deportation policy. Though from a different point of view, Tiffany Thompson's anger mirrors the angst rippling through Los Angeles over Trump's deportation efforts there, culminating in protests and some violent clashes and driven by the belief that the administration is indiscriminately removing noncitizens instead of targeting removal of criminals, in an attempt to laud a high number of arrests. Polling shows immigration remains Trump's strongest issue, though the most recent CBS News/YouGov poll conducted last week illustrated a gap: A 55% majority said they like the goals of Trump's deportation program, while 44% said they like how 'he is going about it.' Americans narrowly said they believe Trump is prioritizing dangerous criminals (53%) versus prioritizing nondangerous people (47%) for deportation. And to the extent there is sharp division over Trump's immigration policy, it's not over efforts to deport convicted criminals. More than 80% of Americans support deporting those who have committed violent crimes, according to the Pew Research Center data from late February and early March. 'What this administration is doing is going after low-hanging fruit: collateral arrests, stripping protections,' said Beatriz Lopez, co-executive director of Immigration Hub, a national immigration policy group. Lopez derided Trump administration tactics, including stripping Temporary Protected Status from Venezuelans and agents making arrests outside immigration courthouse hearings. 'They are creating the chaos,' she added. 'They aren't going after violent criminals. They are creating undocumented people.' Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, pushed back on that characterization on MSNBC's 'Morning Joe' on Monday, saying that the enforcement actions in Los Angeles last week stemmed from a criminal investigation targeting specific individuals as part of a larger alleged conspiracy. They were not, Homan said, a random immigration raid. 'I said from day one, Jan. 20, we will prioritize public safety threats and national security threats. However, we will enforce law, particularly — I may prioritize my family life over my work, doesn't mean I ignore my work,' Homan said. 'We're going to enforce immigration law. We've been honest about that from day one, especially in sanctuary cities. When we can't get the bad guy in the safety and security of a jail, they release them to the street. Well, we got to go to the street and find them.' Data show that violent crimes committed by immigrants are rare when compared to the general population. 'We often will hear about a very high-profile event, and not to reduce the tragedy of it — obviously, a crime is still a crime, and it's incredibly painful when you know when people are affected by those sorts of things — but looking at numbers and statistically speaking, it's not as though a higher presence of immigrants creates a higher presence of crime,' said Colleen Putzel-Kavanaugh, associate policy analyst with the Migration Policy Institute, an immigration policy think tank. 'That's been pretty proven through various studies over the years.' But as the Trump administration has pointed to arrestees as 'rapists' and 'killers,' competing narratives have stacked up with examples like a child suffering from cancer ordered to self-deport, university students targeted for removal and advocacy groups sounding alarms over violations of human rights and due process. Some Trump supporters have spoken out about the impact of a dragnet detaining those here legally. An Argentinian couple from North Carolina, who said they had backed Trump, were apoplectic after their 31-year-old son, a green-card holder in the country since he was a toddler, was arrested and detained in Georgia. 'He didn't say he was going to do this, that he was going to go after people who have been here for a long time,' the mother, Debora Rey, said of Trump in an interview with the Atlanta Journal Constitution. 'He said he was going to go after all the criminals who came illegally … We feel betrayed, tricked.' At the same time, noncitizens charged with violent crimes are still making headlines. Under President Joe Biden, Trump attacked such crimes as evidence of a broken system that required his election to fix. Now, he and Republicans hold up those incidents — including the recent attack in Boulder, Colorado — as evidence that deportations should be more widespread. Authorities announced they elevated their deportation efforts, and lauded a record-breaking day of arrests last week. 'President Trump is working at record speed to clean up Joe Biden's Open Border Disaster that let countless unvetted illegal aliens pour into the United States and threaten the safety of American citizens,' White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a written statement. 'The President has closed the border and now he's deporting illegal aliens, especially violent criminals. The recent attack in Boulder just underscores why the President's work is so important. 'We're grateful the media is now admitting that illegal aliens pose a risk to the safety of the American people and look forward to the stories about why Joe Biden let so many violent criminals into the country in the first place,' Jackson continued. The Larisha Thompson case In the Larisha Thompson case, six individuals who do not have legal status, according to the Department of Homeland Security, were charged. That includes 21-year-old Asael Aminadas Torres-Chirinos, who faces three firearms charges and, according to DHS, had previously been arrested on a domestic violence allegation. Lancaster County lawyer Doug Barfield said Chirinos' 2022 charge was still pending. He added that immigration authorities had placed detainers on all six of the individuals, which would prevent them from going free even if they posted bond. Tiffany Thompson said she 'wished they would have seen that,' referencing Chirinos' previous arrest and the fact that he was still in the country. She didn't specifically cast blame on any administration but remained angry that the suspects — including teens who were 13, 14 and 15 years old — were attempting to be released on bond. 'Would I like for Trump to get ahead of this? Yes,' she added. The pace of deportations has bothered the White House, and NBC News reported top Trump aide Stephen Miller berated and threatened to fire senior Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials in May if they did not begin detaining 3,000 migrants a day. Miller also threatened to fire leaders of field offices posting the bottom 10% of arrest numbers monthly, NBC News reported. Yet, that's exactly the tactic that immigration experts say will do little to protect against national security. 'There's really no incentive for ICE to spend a bunch of resources investigating and tracking down people in the field. It's about convenience primarily, and public safety is a distant second,' said David Bier, director of immigration studies at the Cato Institute, a libertarian-aligned public policy think tank. 'The Laken Riley Act specifically says you should be prioritizing resources to go after people who have been arrested on violent or property offenses. So they supported that bill,' Bier said, referencing the law Trump signed in January, which requires Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain undocumented immigrants who are arrested or face charges, or who have been convicted of 'burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting.' After signing the law, Trump said, 'That's why I'm here instead of somebody else. Actually, it's the biggest reason.' Bier said the argument after signing the law was, 'They said: 'This is going to prevent more Laken Rileys.' And then they have done nothing to implement it.' The administration and allies reject that assertion, saying they are arresting criminal noncitizens and are moving as quickly as possible to reverse the impacts of lax border policies under Biden. In March, DHS touted its success in deporting convicted criminals and those who had pending criminal charges. 'He is dealing with what Biden and Kamala Harris facilitated ... He keeps going as fast as he can, trying to fix a million different issues,' said Nicole Kiprilov, the executive director of The American Border Story, a group that elevates 'the human stories of American citizens impacted by the border crisis.' 'These people now who are committing crimes under the Trump administration are people who were brought in by Biden,' Kiprilov said. 'They were not brought in by Trump.' Kiprilov noted that Trump has turned off the flow of illegal immigration by shutting down the southern border. In a written statement, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said: 'Under Secretary Noem, we are delivering on President Trump's and the American people's mandate to arrest and deport criminal illegal aliens to make America safe. In the first 100 days, 75% of ICE arrests were criminal illegal aliens with convictions or pending charges. The shocking story here is that instead of deporting many heinous criminals, the Biden Administration chose to RELEASE these known public safety threats into our communities instead of deporting them.' Currently, 56% of those in ICE detention have either been convicted of a crime or have pending criminal charges, according to ICE data. The remainder do not have criminal histories.
NBC News
2 hours ago
- NBC News
Austrian school shooter was 21-year-old lone gunman from the area
A lone gunman killed nine people and injured several others at an Austrian high school in the city of Graz, the country's second-largest city. Police say the suspect died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. NBC News' Matt Bodner reports on what we know about the perpetrator.
