All Fyred Up Again

Billy McFarland is selling $25,000 tickets for Fyre 2. Who's in?

This must be a test, some kind of sociological experiment, to gauge the burgeoning stupidity of humankind.

Billy McFarland, 33, the guy who went to prison for the infamous Fyre Festival, is now selling $25,000 tickets for Fyre 2. He says it will be a three-day event at Isla Mujeres off the coast of Cancun, Mexico, from May 30 through June 2.

“I’m sure many people think I’m crazy for doing this again,” he says in a press release issued today in Instagram. “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 make history. Thank you to my partners for the second chance.”

If you’re into disaster films, you probably saw the 2019 Netflix documentary, “FYRE: The Greatest Party That Never Happened.” Guests who arrived expecting a luxury concert event on a Bahamian island ended up riding in school buses, sleeping on bare mattresses in storm-damaged tents, and eating cheese sandwiches from foam containers.

If not, you may have seen, Fyre Fraud on Hulu, or heard references to the nightmare in a reference made during a Saturday Night Live skit or in a joke at the Oscars. As fraudsters go, this guy should be almost as notorious as Bernie Madoff.

Would you pay thousands for this? (Illustration: AI generated.)

McFarland got a six-year prison sentence in 2018 for fraud and still owes millions to his investors and ticket buyers.

Here’s what Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman said at the time:

“Billy McFarland has shown a disturbing pattern of deception, which resulted in investors and customers losing over $26 million in two separate fraud schemes. …Today, McFarland found out the hard way that empty promises don’t lead to jet-setting, champagne, and extravagant parties – they lead to federal prison.”

McFarland was released in 2020, and has been promising a redo ever since.

“It’s going to be very hard to get other opportunities, whether that’s a marketing job, a podcast appearance, a TV show or a relationship,” he told The Wall Street Journal in September. “People are going to be hard-pressed to trust me if I put it all on the line and fail at it twice.”

So let’s parse his statements:

• He knows people think he’s crazy but he’s had “years of thoughtful reflection” – some of it while in solitary confinement.

• Anyone who will “trust the vision and take the leap will make history.” – As if history books are filled with the names of hedonists who attended music festivals.

• He’s putting “it all on the line” to regain trust. – It’s really all about him.

• And “thank you … for the second chance.” – Which means typing in your credit card number now.

The reaction on Fyre 2’s Instagram page restores at least some of my faith in humanity as it continues to express itself in so many odd ways online.

Here’s a glimmer of hope that the world is not as narcissistic, hedonistic and stupid as Billy McFarland thinks.

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