Fate of Fyre Festival 2 up in the air after website announces postponement

Organizers of a Fyre Festival sequel announced on its website Wednesday that the event has been postponed after scrutiny over its intended location.

The announcement comes after Mexican officials this month disputed that a multiday musical event will be held next month in the popular resort town of Playa Del Carmen.

“FYRE 2 Festival is postponed and will be rescheduled for a later date in the future,” the Fyre website said. “If you have purchased tickets already, you will receive an email once the new date is confirmed.”

Billy McFarland, the promoter 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 on April 4 that he said proves organizers had been working with local officials since March 5 in obtaining 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 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.

Playa Del Carmen 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.

Organizers have been in the spotlight 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 that “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.”

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.

Instead, the festival went viral for its canceled performers, meager food options, including styrofoam-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.”