If you regret not losing thousands of dollars and wistfully think about cheese sandwiches that could have been, boy, have we got some good news for you.
On Monday, convicted fraudster Billy McFarland announced that his infamous Fyre Festival will return next year.
Videos by VICE
The event, which follows the ill-fated 2017 festival, will take place April 25 through April 28 on a private island off of the Caribbean Coast in Mexico, McFarland revealed in a video on X.
McFarland—who served nearly four years in prison and forfeit $26 million after the first Fyre Festival debacle—told TODAY’s Savannah Sellers that he’s partnered with a production company that will handle “everything from soup to nuts” for Fyre II.
While McFarland stayed mum about the name of the island where the festival will take place, he assured doubters that the location features existing bathrooms and areas for sleeping and eating, which is good news as that all proved problematic the first time around. Actual festival events, however, will require a build by McFarland’s team.
As for what those events will be, McFarland said he’s yet to book any talent for the festival that’s less than a year away. No word yet from Ja Rule.
“It’s not going to be just music—for example, karate combat,” he said. “We’re in talks with them to set up a pit to have, like, live fights at Fyre Festival II.”
Despite past failures, the New York-based fraudster is confident he’ll be able to get acts to sign on.
“We have the chance to embrace this storm and really steer our ship into all the chaos that has happened,” he said. “And if it’s done well, I think Fyre has a chance to be this annual festival that really takes over the festival industry.”
Though attendees will risk getting stuck on an island sans necessities like food and shelter, and despite the fact that the event’s specific location and talent have yet to be revealed, McFarland claimed that Fyre Festival II has already sold 100 tickets for $500 each.
The price point only goes up from there. It’ll cost you $1,400 for FYRE Starter ticket, $5,000 for FYRE VIP, $25,000 for FYRE Artist Pass, and $1.1 million for PROMETHEUS.
The latter package, McFarland said, will include a boat, a scuba diving experience with him, and small plane travel to nearby islands. Currently, you have to apply for any kind of tickets.
Through it all, McFarland, who is currently working to pay off that $26 million in restitution, said he and his team will try “to find small ways to give back to everybody that was hurt” in 2017.
One thing that won’t change, though, is the social media-famous cheese sandwiches.
“We will have cheese sandwiches,” McFarland said. “They’re going to be super expensive, too. We’re going to make them, like, really good. That’ll be, like, the highest priced food item, I think.”
While the festival’s return may be a head-scratcher for many, Chris Smith, the director of Netflix’s VICE Studios-produced Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened, told VICE in 2019 that McFarland was unlikely to be done for good.
“I have no doubt that Billy could become super successful,” Smith said. “He’s super focused, he’s very determined, he’s very smart, and I think he’s probably learned a lot.”
