Controversial music festival stops ticket sales, issues refunds – Syracuse.com

Billy McFarland is seen on July 13, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by jfizzy/Star Max/GC Images)GC Images
The second installment of Billy McFarland’s Fyre Fest is seemingly postponed indefinitely as tickets refunds are being issued and sales are halted.
On Thursday, The Washington Post reported that one of its reporters who planned to attend Fyre Fest II had received a full ticket refund of $1,604.17 from Soldout.com, the event’s ticketing partner. Tickets for the festival also stopped being sold on said site Wednesday evening.
After months of red flags, it became clear yesterday that Fyre Fest II, scheduled for next month, might not happen because of issues securing a location. But reports about what was actually happening were inconsistent. ABC News reported Wednesday that a ticket holder received the following message: “The event has been postponed and a new date will be announced. We have issued you a refund. Once the new date is announced, at that time, you can repurchase if it works for your schedule.”
However, the New York Times also spoke with the festival’s organizers on Wednesday, who claimed that while the festival, which was slated to take place in Playa del Carmen, would need to find a new location, it was “still on.” In fact, organizers told the outlet: “We are vetting new locations and will announce our host destination soon. Our priorities remain unchanged: delivering an unforgettable, safe, and transparent experience.”
Fyre Fest II is McFarland’s second time putting together a music festival. The original Fyre Fest held in the Bahamas in 2017 was a total flop after attendees arrived to find laughable accommodations, food, and zero promised music acts. It has since become the subject of two documentaries and various internet memes.
As a result, McFarland, who continued to promote the event despite knowing it was ill-fated, was sentenced to six years in prison for defrauding investors of $26 million.
Released from prison in 2022, he revealed last September that he would be trying his hand at music festival planning again and Fyre Fest II would take place this April. In February, despite the fact that there hadn’t been any musical acts announced, tickets went on sale for the event, ranging from $1,400 to $1.1 million.
At first, Fyre Fest II was slated to take place on Isla Mujeres, a tropical island off of Cancún, Mexico. Two days after ticket sales opened, The Guardian asked a representative from the tourism directorate of Isla Mujeres about said festival, who responded: “For us, this is an event that does not exist.”
In March, the location was changed to Playa del Carmen and rescheduled to May 30 to June 2. Earlier this month, the municipality’s city hall posted on X that there wasn’t a “Fyre 2″ event scheduled.
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