Music

Billy McFarland Tried To Sell the Fyre Fest IP, but the Seven-Figure Deal Fell Through

FYRE Fest founder Billy McFarland revealed that he was close to selling the brand in a seven-figure deal, but it fell through last minute.

By Stephen Andrew Galiher

July 8, 2025, 2:39pm

FYRE Fest owner/founder Billy McFarland recently tried to sell off the brand’s IP in a seven-figure deal, but the sale fell through. Over on Instagram, McFarland shared the news that an arrangement to sell FYRE Fest was not moving forward and that this meant anyone interested in buying the brand from him still had an opportunity to do so.

“We had a seven-figure deal for the complete Fyre brand and IP package that fell through this morning,” McFarland said in a social media clip. “But now, the opportunity to own the Fyre brand is back on the table.” He also offered some info on how interested parties could throw their hat into the ring for a chance to purchase FYRE Fest.

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NME reports that the canceled deal appears to be one between McFarland and documentarian Shawn Rech, which was first announced back in April. At that time, Rech explained that he was planning to launch a FYRE Fest streaming service after acquiring some of the brand’s IP.

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A post shared by Billy McFarland (@pyrtbilly)

McFarland failed to relaunch FYRE Festival earlier this year, and subsequently stated he’d be taking a step back from the brand, but then began promoting a pop-up hotel experience based on the concept.

The Fyre Hotels experience, set to take place from September 3 to 10 at Coral View Utila in Honduras, in the Caribbean. Per a recently unveiled Fyre Hotels website, McFarland’s idea for the hotel experience is rooted in the same 2013 incident that inspired him to create the FYRE Festival.

“A software engineer and hobbyist pilot challenged Billy to leave NYC and to try and fly a small plane from NYC to a remote Caribbean island,” the site reads. “Along the way, Billy overshot, ran out of gas, and was saved by a landing strip on a remote island. The magic of the island created a legend that quickly spread back home.”

“These trips grew from a single-engine propeller plane with four crazy entrepreneurs to the talent-led and adventure-infused trips that became FYRE Festival,” the site adds.

It’s currently unclear if the Fyre Hotels experience will be impacted by the current uncertainty surrounding the brand.