The only concrete detail of FYRE Fest II so far is the price tag
God help us all, Billy McFarland is doing it again
Almost four years behind bars has apparently taught Billy McFarland nothing. Well, almost nothing. The infamous fraudster and convicted felon’s time away from his startup buddies clearly taught him only how to seize the opportunity to do the funniest possible thing—or in his words, to “make the impossible happen.”
In a new YouTube video, titled (sigh) “Announcing FYRE Festival II,” a completely straight-faced McFarland delivers a line that will undoubtedly find its way into the opening of at least one follow-up documentary: “It has been the absolute wildest journey to get here, and it really all started during the seven-month stint in solitary confinement.” McFarland was allegedly placed in solitary for podcasting in 2020, which again, clearly taught him nothing except how to “write a 50-page plan of how I would take this overall interest and demand in FYRE… how I would find the best partners in the world to allow me to be me, while executing FYRE’s vision to the highest level.”
While McFarland initially announced the resurrection through a series of winky Tweets back in April, his newest, um, progress towards executing that vision is exactly what you’d expect: a website selling $499 tickets to nothing. The location? “The Caribbean.” The date? “Targeted for the end of 2024.” The actual event? As vague as anything has ever been.
Instead of Blink-182, luxury villas, and a private plane, your $499-$7,999 FYRE pass (more on that later) secures your access to the festival, whatever that may be, as well as additional “FYRE Events, Experiences, and Community.” These apparently include “Documentary and Film Screenings,” “Weekend Trips,” and something very ominously titled FYRE fights, which we’re assuming isn’t necessarily a reboot of the OG’s skirmish to secure rickety tents, wet beds, and rolls of toilet paper for the night. (But honestly? This writer’s fingers aren’t not crossed that it is.)
And that wild price range? Prices go up exponentially as pre-sale packages are purchased, kind of like the other major ticket scandal that went down before all of this was announced. Maybe McFarland did learn something after all.