Fancy burning your own money? Tickets for Fyre Festival II are now on sale
'It really all started during a seven month stint in solitary confinement,' fraudster Billy McFarland says of his second attempt at a Caribbean blowout.
By Jon Blistein
Everyone’s favorite grilled cheese salesman and concert industry scammer Billy McFarland is back with a brand new opportunity for you to give him money and ostensibly see a concert.
The infamous Fyre Festival founder/fraudster — who pleaded guilty to fraud charges and spent a little less than four years in prison the last time he tried to throw a music festival in the Caribbean — has put tickets on sale for a second music festival in the Caribbean. Fyre Festival II does not have an official date (they’re targeting end of 2024), location, or lineup — but the first 100 presale tickets are up for grabs at the low, low price of $499. After that, the price will steadily rise, with the final presale tier going for a whopping $7,999.
As of publication — about 16 hours after McFarland first announced Fyre Festival II tickets — it appears there are still plenty available from that first batch, surprising absolutely no one.
Despite his track record and rap sheet, McFarland has remained the consummate salesman, pitching Fyre Festival II in a front-facing video while wearing a white bathrobe. “It has been the absolute wildest journey to get here,” McFarland said, in what may go down as the single greatest quote in human history. “And it really all started during a seven month stint in solitary confinement.”
McFarland went on to say that, while he was in prison, he “wrote out this 50-page plan” (sure) detailing how he would “take this overall interest in Fyre” (that’s one way to put it) and his “ability to bring people from around the world together to make the impossible happen” (uh-huh). He also spoke about working to find “the best partners in the world to allow me to be me, while executing Fyre’s vision to the highest level” — well, we all know how that turned out last time.
Nevertheless, he persisted. In the video, McFarland noted his recent post-prison efforts have included a Fyre Festival documentary and Broadway musical (details about which remain scant), though he clearly sees Fyre Festival II as his crown jewel. McFarland claimed there were offers on the table to bring the festival to places in the Middle East or South America, though they ultimately settled on heading back to the Caribbean (though it remains to be seen who will actually take them). McFarland also promised a smattering of “pop-ups and events across the world” in the lead-up to Fyre Festival II.
“Guys, this is your chance to get in,” McFarland said at the end of the clip. “This is everything I’ve been working towards — let’s fucking go.”
Just a friendly reminder: You absolutely do not have to fucking go.