Fyre Festival II “is finally happening”, says Billy McFarland

11 April, 2023

It looks like Billy McFarland’s ill-fated Fyre Festival could be making a return, per the disgraced co-founder.

Yesterday (April 10), McFarland took to social media to announce the return of Fyre Festival, writing on Twitter: “Fyre Festival II is finally happening. Tell me why you should be invited.”

McFarland, who co-founded the festival in 2016, has not shared any further information at the time of publishing.

Following the tweet, several Twitter users have responded to McFarland’s announcing, chiming in with jokes and memes. One user asked McFarland, “tell me why you shouldn’t be in jail”, to which he responded “It’s in the best interest of those I owe for me to be working. People aren’t getting paid back if I sit on the couch and watch TV. And because I served my time.”

Andy King, a producer of the festival who has since risen to prominence for his candid involvement in Netflix’s documentary on the festival, has since joined in to echo McFarland’s announcement.

Chris Bakke, the founder of tech firm Laskie and Interviewed, has since shared a screengrab of McFarland extending an invite to the supposed follow-up festival. McFarland said to Bakke: “I mean shitposters are the new supermodels. Want to join?”

McFarland would go on to reply to Bakke’s tweet, this time tagging Elon Musk. He wrote: “Going to crush the island version first, but [Elon Musk] Fyre 3 definitely needs to be in space”.

McFarland – who pleaded guilty to multiple counts of fraud for the original Fyre Festival – was released from prison last year, serving only four of the six years he was sentenced to.

In March this year, McFarland laid out his plans to repay the US$26million dollars he owes to investors, writing on Twitter: “Here’s how I’m going to pay it back: I spend half my time filming TV shows. The other half, I focus on what I’m really, really good at. I’m the best at coming up with wild creative, getting talent together, and delivering the moment.” He concluded his tweet with a number at which people could contact him with business opportunities.

Fyre Festival, which was scheduled to run over two weekends on a private beach on the island of Great Exuma in the Bahamas, was revealed as a fraudulent event once punters had arrived on the scene with less than favourable conditions and a lack of food and water.

Billy McFarland has since launched a new business venture last year which is set to take place in the Bahamas. Titled PYRT, the event will see McFarland lead a treasure hunt which begins with participants tracking down one of 99 bottles with a message contained inside.

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