However, attendees at last year’s infamous Fyre Festival had a lot more to complain about when they arrived at the luxury festival in the Bahamas – finding a space looked pretty sparse, meaning that there was no stages, no accomodation, and no Blink 182 as promised. People were stuck in a foreign country, people panicked over their catering which consisted of semi-stale sandwiches, and the rest of the world watched in real time as Fyre Festival began to burn.
It was a far cry from the sun-soaked promo photos posted by the likes of Emily Ratajkowski, Bella Hadid and other Instagram it-girls, and the shitstorm that ensued afterwards pointed blame at organisers and investors like Ja Rule. Still, Ja Rule gave us quality rap crossover hits like ‘Always On Time’ and ‘Mesmerised,’ so most of the criticism landed on the shoulders of festival organsier, Billy McFarlane.
Having been involved with numerous sketchy startups prior to the Fyre Festival clusterfuck, it came as no surprise that McFarlane’s mammoth task of staging an international festival fell apart at the 11th hour. Today, it has been revealed McFarlane has plead guilty to misleading his investors and wire fraud in a New York Court. While the prosecutors and McFarlane’s team have reportedly agreed on a 97 to 120 month sentence, the judge will have the final word, and he faces up to 40 years in prison.
“As he admitted today, William McFarland tendered fake documents to induce investors and a ticket vendor to put more than $26 million into his company and the disastrous Fyre Festival,” U.S. attorney Geoffrey Berman said. “He now awaits sentencing for his admitted swindle.”
I can’t even get through breakfast without burning my toast, so I can’t even imagine the steps in planning a mammoth luxury festival on an island. Let’s hope that the disastrous and curious tale of Fyre Festival sets an example for the future of large-scale events.
Expectations:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkovBKfcSJ8
Reality: