Fyre Festival II is “finally happening”, says Billy McFarland
The infamous Fyre Festival founder is going for a second attempt after his early release from prison
Failed Fyre Festival founder Billy McFarland claims the second attempt is "finally happening" in a new tweet.
McFarland didn't share any further details about the would-be Fyre Festival II, and prompted Twitter users to "Tell me why you should be invited", which was met with ridicule, criticism, memes and jokes.
Further down in the Twitter thread, McFarland replied to a user criticising his early release from prison in May 2022. "It's in the best interest of those I owe for me to be working," he said. "People aren't getting paid back if I sit on the couch and watch TV." (He previously tweeted that he owes $26 million.) He added: "And because I served my time."
Andy King, a Fyre Festival producer who gained infamy from the 2019 Netflix documentary 'Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened', shared McFarland's tweet with enthusiasm: "Let's go".
Since McFarland was released from US federal prison, where he served less than four years of his six-year sentence, he's been active on social media and appearing on podcasts, recently guesting on Julia Fox and Niki Takesh's Forbidden Fruits. (In October 2020, McFarland was placed in solitary confinement for launching the Dumpster Fyre podcast.) He frequently tweets about new projects — "I'm filming another doc" — and promotes his new Bahamas-based treasure hunt company, PYRT, and himself.
In April 2021, a class action settlement won Fyre Festival ticketholders payouts of $7,226. Talent booked for the disastrous event, including Disclosure, Major Lazer, Blink-182, Emily Ratajkowski and Kendall Jenner were sued for performance and promotion fees. Settlements were eventually reached with partial fees returned.
Fyre cofounder Ja Rule sold an oil painting of the festival logo as an NFT for $122,000 in March 2021.
In 2018, Billy McFarland plead guilty to two counts of wire fraud for his role in organising the failed Fyre Festival, planned for April and May 2017. In the immediate fallout, McFarland and Ja Rule were sued for more than $100 million in a class action lawsuit.
