Fyre Festival 2 calls off Mexico plans but insists event is not dead
A festival organizer said the event would not start as planned in Playa del Carmen on May 30.
Organizers of the sequel to 2017’s infamously fraudulent Fyre Festival canceled plans to hold it in Mexico next month, blaming a dispute with local officials for the event’s second major disruption since it was announced in February.
On Thursday, a day after ticket holders started receiving abrupt refund and postponement messages, festival spokesperson Nick Lawson released a statement confirming the event would not start as planned in Playa del Carmen on May 30.
The statement offered no new location or date but insisted, “FYRE Festival 2 is still on.”
“We are vetting new locations and will announce our host destination soon,” the statement continued. “Our priorities remain unchanged: delivering an unforgettable, safe, and transparent experience.”
The news marked another setback for Fyre founder Billy McFarland, who was sentenced to six years in prison for defrauding investors of $26 million over the first version of the festival, held in 2017. Concertgoers were promised a premier event and instead were stuck with little food, sparse amenities and logistical problems. The original Fyre Festival became the subject of two documentaries and widespread internet memes.
McFarland announced a sequel to the Fyre Festival in February – nearly three years after he was released early from prison – immediately raising eyebrows and suspicions. The original Fyre Festival was held in the Bahamas.
“I’m sure many people think I’m crazy for doing this again,” McFarland said in a release posted to Instagram when the sequel event was announced. “But I feel I’d be crazy not to do it again. After years of reflection and now thoughtful planning, the new team and I have amazing plans for FYRE 2. The adventure seekers who trust the vision and take the leap will help make history.”
Tickets went on sale the same month, with packages ranging from $1,400 to $1.1 million, butthe new festival quickly ran into problems.
Fyre Festival 2 was initially set for Isla Mujeres, another Mexican tourist hot spot near Cancún. But a tourism official for the island said the event didn’t exist, and a Facebook page for the location said no permits for such a festival were approved, either.
Organizers said in March that they had moved the locationto Playa del Carmen, and a luxury hotel there confirmed a partnership with Fyre to The Post. However, no lineup of performers was announced, raising speculation about whether the event was real.
Then, in April, officials with Playa del Carmen disputed claims about the festival being held there. But McFarland said he had conversations with the local government about the event, sharing a timeline of events on the Fyre Festival’s Instagram page. “All media reports suggesting our team has not been working with the government of PDC are simply inaccurate and based on misinformation,” the page read.
On Wednesday, a Washington Post reporter who planned to attend the festival received an email receipt for a refund worth $1,604.17 from Soldout.com, the ticketing partner for the event. Similar reports proliferated online.
In their statement Thursday, Fyre 2 organizers said the Playa del Carmen government originally approved of the festival, only to change their tune “after international media coverage.”
“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,” Lawson said.
McFarland has yet to comment on the postponed festival. As of Thursday afternoon, the festival’s website still showed the event as set for May 30 in Playa del Carmen, but a link to buy tickets wasn’t working.
A merchandise page was still selling $70 T-shirts that say “Fyre Festival 2 is real.”
Refunds will be issued to ticket holders who reach out to the festival, according to the Thursday statement. “If you keep your ticket, it will be honored at the new location. No additional tickets will be released until we announce the new venue,” Lawson said.
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