Billy McFarland, the famous fraudster behind the Fyre Festival fiasco, was spotted in the Hamptons celebrating his recent release from prison. Since the initial conception of the non-music festival in 2017, he’s been out of earshot – and now, he’s been heard talking about a Fyre Festival II.
Andy King, the event producer behind the initial festival, was seen with McFarland. He’s most remembered for his comments in the Netflix documentary “Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened”, where he stated he’d been willing to perform oral sex in order to get water bottles through customs in the Bahamas for the original festival. They were spotted at Montauk’s Dive Bar Pizza.
About 10 people congregated with the convicted scammer as he discussed his future plans. One of the pack was quoted as saying “He was ultra-nice and polite – Like he was humbled by his experience in prison.” As his demeanor may have pointed to positive change, the plans for a “Fyre Festival II” weren’t quite so admirable.
Although his sentence was set to last six years, he got released earlier than expected due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He pled guilty to 2 counts of wire fraud and the utilization of fake documents that effectively fooled investors out of $26 million in 2018 but has officially put federal prison in the past. That is, of course, if Fyre Festival II doesn’t culminate in the same types of charges.
He was released to house arrest in March of 2022, and freed in September of 2022 – but hasn’t been back on the scene since. His reappearance comes on the toes of this new announcement – claiming tickets would sell for $499 for the next event, scheduled for December of 2024. He’s advocating that all 100 tickets sold out already, but merch is for sale, including a $200 hoodie and $140 sweatpants.
Fyre Festival wasn’t McFarland’s first scamming endeavor. He was busted for $100,000 worth of fake tickets to events like Hamilton and the Met Gala. The original Fyre Festival ushered guests to FEMA tents without ever seeing a band play. Nevertheless, McFarland claims that this next pursuit will be successful.
McFarland doesn’t only have his eye on another festival – he’s considering creating a Broadway musical about Fyre Festival. Whether he succeeds in both endeavors or they end up resulting as prior attempts did, it’s bound to be an entertaining adventure. Many were excited about the original festival, putting McFarland in a position where he may be able to capitalize on the excitement again. In some cases, the thrill is bound to surpass the logic-based skepticism, resulting in the sales of tickets and merchandise before this next festival ever comes to fruition.
His Fyre Festival scam didn’t only affect himself – Kendall Jenner, one of the A-list spokespeople for the festival, had to deal with a lawsuit brought against her in the US Bankruptcy Court in New York by Gregory Messer. The lawsuit occurred in May of 2020 for a total of $90,000. This is bound to affect whether or not A-listers decide to promote this potentially upcoming festival. Stay tuned for the latest on Fyre Festival II – we’ll be keeping an eye on McFarland’s next move.
