Believe it or not, we haven’t heard the last of Fyre Festival. The calamity that was the inaugural 2017 edition has not stopped organizers from taking a second try at the (would-be) luxury music festival.
Orchestrated by Billy McFarland and Ja Rule, the 2017 Fyre Festival was supposed to be an opulent, two-weekend musical extravaganza on Great Exuma, a Bahamian island once owned by Pablo Escobar. Instead, the event was cancelled at the last minute ñ after many ticket-holders were already on the island and because of issues with, essentially, everything.
As the New York Times noted, when guests arrived on the island of Great Exuma for the inaugural weekend, they found something closer to ëSurvivorí: grounds that were woefully lacking in the promised amenities, replaced instead by dirt fields, soggy tents and folding chairs. General disappointment soon turned to near-panic as the festival was canceled and attendees attempted to flee back to the mainland of Florida.
The end result for McFarland and Ja Rule was an octet of lawsuits that could wind up costing them millions plus an ongoing FBI investigation into potential fraud.
Recently, leaked emails added to the anger and frustration, showing that Ja Rule, McFarland, and the other Fyre Festival honchos knew they were not going to be able to deliver as promised long before anyone arrived on the island. Mic.com reported that festival executives knew at least a week beforehand that roughly 600 people would not have accommodations upon arrival.
But the organizers aren’t cutting their losses, instead doubling down with Fyre Festival 2018.
Tentatively scheduled for May 2018, next year’s event is part of the effort to placate angry fans, who essentially received zero value for their $1,200 tickets; the organizers are offering 2017 ticket-holders free VIP passes to next year’s event in lieu of a refund.
While a surprising number of people seem to be keen on the idea, they may not want to get their hopes too high. At 3/2, or 40% probability, the oddsmakers at Sports Betting Dime aren’t quite convinced that Fyre Festival 2018 will happen. If it does, they warn, don’t expect an idyllic, tropical island as it will probably take place somewhere in the lower 48.
