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The [[Bahamas Ministry of Tourism]] apologized on behalf of the nation and denied having responsibility for how the events unfolded.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/39743303/luxury-fyre-festival-is-cancelled-with-ticket-holders-still-stranded-in-bahamas|title='Luxury' Fyre Festival is cancelled with ticket-holders still stranded in Bahamas|publisher=|accessdate=29 April 2017}}</ref>
The [[Bahamas Ministry of Tourism]] apologized on behalf of the nation and denied having responsibility for how the events unfolded.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/39743303/luxury-fyre-festival-is-cancelled-with-ticket-holders-still-stranded-in-bahamas|title='Luxury' Fyre Festival is cancelled with ticket-holders still stranded in Bahamas|publisher=|accessdate=29 April 2017}}</ref>


As a result of the festival, Ja Rule and McFarland are the subject of a $100 million lawsuit in the state of California. It was filed on behalf of plaintiff Daniel Jung by lawyer [[Mark Geragos]], who is seeking class action status for the lawsuit with over 150 plaintiffs.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pitchfork.com/news/73199-fyre-festival-hit-with-100-million-lawsuit/|title=Fyre Festival Hit With $100 Million Lawsuit|work=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|publisher=[[Condé Nast]]|first1=Sheldon|last1=Pearce|first2=Jazz|last2=Monroe|date=May 1, 2017|accessdate=May 1, 2017}}</ref>
As a result of the festival, Ja Rule and McFarland are the subject of a $100 million lawsuit in the state of California. It was filed on behalf of plaintiff Daniel Jung by lawyer [[Mark Geragos]], who is seeking class action status for the lawsuit with over 150 plaintiffs.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pitchfork.com/news/73199-fyre-festival-hit-with-100-million-lawsuit/|title=Fyre Festival Hit With $100 Million Lawsuit|work=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|publisher=[[Condé Nast]]|first1=Sheldon|last1=Pearce|first2=Jazz|last2=Monroe|date=May 1, 2017|accessdate=May 1, 2017}}</ref> Per the filing, Jung's lawsuit alleges fraud, breach of contract, breach of covenant of good faith and negligent misrepresentation.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://variety.com/2017/music/news/fyre-festival-mark-geragos-lawsuit-1202404487/|title=Mark Geragos Files $100 Million Suit Against Fyre Festival|publisher=Variety|author=Paula Parisi|date=1 May 2017|access-date=3 May 2017}}</ref>

On April 29, 2017, Fyre Festival announced to offer all attendees to choice between full refund or claiming VIP tickets to next year's festival.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-39779208|title=Fyre Festival offers ticketholders choice between full refund or VIP tickets to next year’s festival|publisher=NME|author=Sam Moore|date=2 May 2017|access-date=3 May 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title = FYRE Festival FAQ|url = https://www.fyrefestival.com/faq| website=fyrefestival.com|access-date = 26 April 2017}}</ref>


==See also==
==See also==

Revision as of 08:33, 3 May 2017

This article is about the 2017 music festival. For the annual literary festival, see The Frye Festival.
Fyre Festival
DatesApril–May 2017
Location(s)Bahamian island of Great Exuma
FoundersBilly McFarland/Fyre Media App[1]
Websitewww.fyrefestival.com

Fyre Festival was a music festival scheduled to take place on the Bahamian island of Great Exuma over two weekends in April and May 2017.

Organized by Fyre Media founder Billy McFarland as a luxury music festival to promote the Fyre music booking app,[1] the event was promoted on Instagram by Kendall Jenner, Bella Hadid, Emily Ratajkowski, and other models.[1] The event experienced problems related to security, food, accommodations and artist relations, and was indefinitely postponed after some festival-goers had already arrived.[2] As a result of the situation, the organizers are the subject of a $100 million lawsuit.

History

The festival was organized by Billy McFarland and rapper Ja Rule[2] to promote the Fyre music booking app.[1] Scheduled for two weekends in April and May 2017, the event sold day tickets for $1,500, and VIP packages including airfare and luxury tent accommodations for US$12,000. Customers were told they would be staying in "modern, eco-friendly, geodesic domes."[3] Customers had been promised gourmet meals produced by celebrity chefs.[4]

Writing for New York Magazine, one of the event organizers would later note that since at least mid-March, there were significant problems with the planning, and at one point it was agreed to outright cancel the 2017 festival in favor of working to perfect a 2018 one. These plans however were revoked at the last minute with the decision to go on with the event as planned.[5]

By mid-April, Page Six began reporting rumors that the festival organizers were too disorganized and "in over their heads".[6] The Wall Street Journal reported that there were issues with artists not being paid, and that the event had failed to acquire a complete lineup. Blink-182, the first weekend's headlining band, pulled out on April 27, the day before the festival was scheduled to begin.

At the venue

On April 27, attendees began arriving on chartered flights from Miami International Airport to Exuma International Airport operated by Swift Air and Xtra Airways. Initial arrivals were brought to an "impromptu beach party" rather than the festival grounds while later arrivals were brought directly to the grounds where the true state of the festival's site became apparent. Flights scheduled for the afternoon were delayed and then canceled when it became clear that the festival would not go on as planned. Around nightfall one musical act, a group of local musicians, took to the stage and played for a few hours. Afterwards it was announced that the festival would be postponed and that the attendees would be returned to Miami as soon as possible. Reports emerged of mishandling of guests' baggage, disaster relief tents with dirt floors,[7] port-a-potties,[7] inadequate and poor quality food including cheese sandwiches[8] made with slices of processed cheese on wheat bread served in styrofoam containers,[9] theft, and heavy-handed security. Many attendees were reportedly stranded as flights to and from the island were cancelled after the organizers postponed the event.[10][2]

The first flight back to Miami boarded at 1:30 AM on April 28 but was deboarded and delayed for hours due to issues with the flight's manifest. Ultimately it was deboarded after sunrise due to crew rest issues and the passengers were locked in the Exuma Airport terminal without access to food or water.[11] The flight finally left Exuma later that morning. Further charter flights departed Exuma throughout Friday to return attendees to Miami.

Involved parties

Organizers

With $3.1 million in venture capital to date and 25 employees, Billy McFarland also founded a card company called "Magnises," which promised members paying an annual $250 fee that they could "unlock their cities and take their lives to the next level," including "private members-only concerts, tastings with notable chefs, and exclusive art previews at top galleries." The Washington Post reported that "some of those benefits never materialized or were far from what was advertised."[12] "They send the same email for every problem, but it's like fill-in-the-blanks for what the problem is," a member reported to Business Insider.[13] Magnises reportedly became profitable last year.[13]

The Washington Post reported that McFarland "has a history of overpromising" in his previous business ventures, and cited multiple examples. For example, after McFarland sold tickets to the musical Hamilton for $430, the tickets were cancelled at the last minute. In a complaint to the Better Business Bureau, one customer seeking a refund reported getting no response to multiple queries over a month and a half.[14]

Event promoters

The event was promoted on Instagram by Kendall Jenner (who was paid $250,000 and has since deleted the post), Bella Hadid, Emily Ratajkowski, and other actresses and models.[1] Ratajkowski was reportedly the only actress or model to use the hashtag #ad,[15] but has also since deleted the post.[16] The Federal Trade Commission said #ad only worked if at the beginning of paid posts, and that the hashtag alone was not a sufficient disclaimer.[16][17]

Aftermath

Ja Rule posted a note on Twitter that said "it was NOT A SCAM" and "this is NOT MY FAULT".[18]

Fyre Festival posted a statement on their website.

"Fyre Festival set out to provide a once-in-a-lifetime musical experience on the Islands of the Exumas. Due to circumstances out of our control, the physical infrastructure was not in place on time and we are unable to fulfill on that vision safely and enjoyably for our guests. At this time, we are working tirelessly to get flights scheduled and get everyone off of Great Exuma and home safely as quickly as we can. We ask that guests currently on-island do not make their own arrangements to get to the airport as we are coordinating those plans. We are working to place everyone on complimentary charters back to Miami today; this process has commenced and the safety and comfort of our guests is our top priority. The festival is being postponed until we can further assess if and when we are able to create the high-quality experience we envisioned. We ask for everyone's patience and cooperation during this difficult time as we work as quickly and safely as we can to remedy this unforeseeable situation. We will continue to provide regular updates via email to our guests and via our official social media channels as they become available."

Many news organizations compared the chaos to William Golding's novel Lord of the Flies and Suzanne Collins's book The Hunger Games.[19][20][21][22]

The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism apologized on behalf of the nation and denied having responsibility for how the events unfolded.[23]

As a result of the festival, Ja Rule and McFarland are the subject of a $100 million lawsuit in the state of California. It was filed on behalf of plaintiff Daniel Jung by lawyer Mark Geragos, who is seeking class action status for the lawsuit with over 150 plaintiffs.[24] Per the filing, Jung's lawsuit alleges fraud, breach of contract, breach of covenant of good faith and negligent misrepresentation.[25]

On April 29, 2017, Fyre Festival announced to offer all attendees to choice between full refund or claiming VIP tickets to next year's festival.[26][27]

See also

Other festivals and conventions that suffered disastrous consequences due to poor organization and planning:

  • Altamont Free Concert, 1969 festival near San Francisco where an attendee was killed in a clash with a member of the Hell's Angels working as security.
  • DashCon, 2014 Tumblr enthusiast convention where organizers tried to mollify disappointed attendees by offering them free time in a small ball pit.
  • TomorrowWorld, yearly festival outside Atlanta canceled after 2015 iteration ruined by bad weather.
  • Woodstock '99, 30th anniversary concert outside Rome, New York, that devolved into near-riot conditions.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Gabrielle Bluestone (April 29, 2017). "A National Punchline". Vice. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  2. ^ a b c Joe Coscarelli, "Fyre Festival, a Luxury Music Weekend, Crumbles in the Bahamas," New York Times, April 28, 2017.
  3. ^ Laurel Wamsley (April 28, 2017). "Paradise Lost: Luxury Music Festival Turns Out To Be Half-Built Scene Of Chaos". NPR. Retrieved 2017-04-28.
  4. ^ ‘Literally Bread, Cheese, and Salad’: How Fyre Festival-Goers Were Duped After Promise of Celeb Chef Meals, People, April 28, 2017
  5. ^ Gordon, Chloe. "I Worked at Fyre Festival. It Was Always Going to Be a Disaster". NYMag. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
  6. ^ Mara Siegler (April 17, 2017). "Are Fyre Festival organizers in over their heads?". Page Six. Retrieved 2017-04-29.
  7. ^ a b No Food, No Water, No Luxury Tents: The $12,000-Per-Ticket Disaster That Was the Short-Lived Fyre Festival, eonline.com, April 28, 2017
  8. ^ The complete disaster of Fyre Festival played out on social media for all to see; ‘NOT MY FAULT’ says organizer Ja Rule, Washington Post, April 28, 2017
  9. ^ The Fyre Festival: The Fiasco We All Should Have Seen Coming, Wired, April 28, 2017
  10. ^ "'Like a refugee camp': Chaos at Fyre Festival". IQ Magazine. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
  11. ^ "Fyre Festival: Attendees 'locked in airport with no food or water'". 28 April 2017. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
  12. ^ The founder of the disastrous Fyre Festival has a history of overpromising ‘elite’ access, Washington Post, April 29, 2017
  13. ^ a b Madeline Stone (January 24, 2017). "Members of a private club for 'elite' millennials want their money back". Business Insider. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  14. ^ Amy B. Wang (April 29, 2017). "The founder of the disastrous Fyre Festival has a history of overpromising 'elite' access". Washington Post. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  15. ^ Megan Cerullo (April 28, 2017). "Rich millennials paid thousands for ja rules fyre fest and are now stranded on an island in disaster relief tents". Vice. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  16. ^ a b Lizzie Plaugic (April 28, 2017). "Ja Rule's music festival disaster is a good reminder not to trust Instagram sponcon". The Verge. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  17. ^ Sarah Frier (August 5, 2016). "FTC to Crack Down on Paid Celebrity Posts That Aren't Clear Ads". Businessweek. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  18. ^ Fyre Festival: When a $12,000 luxury festival in paradise turns into chaos, CNN, April 28, 2017
  19. ^ "A 'luxury festival' backed by celebrities descends into chaos as one guest calls it 'Rich Kids of Instagram meets Lord of the Flies'". The Independent. 2017-04-28. Retrieved 2017-04-29.
  20. ^ Wanshel, Elyse (2017-04-28). "Fyre Festival, Which Cost Thousands Per Ticket, Devolves Into Giant Mess". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2017-04-29.
  21. ^ "'Rich kids of Instagram meets Hunger Games': Guests at luxury Fyre Festival where tickets cost $12,000 'mugged, stranded and hungry'". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2017-04-29.
  22. ^ "Fyre Festival: From rich-kid party to national joke in one day". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2017-04-29.
  23. ^ "'Luxury' Fyre Festival is cancelled with ticket-holders still stranded in Bahamas". Retrieved 29 April 2017.
  24. ^ Pearce, Sheldon; Monroe, Jazz (May 1, 2017). "Fyre Festival Hit With $100 Million Lawsuit". Pitchfork. Condé Nast. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  25. ^ Paula Parisi (1 May 2017). "Mark Geragos Files $100 Million Suit Against Fyre Festival". Variety. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  26. ^ Sam Moore (2 May 2017). "Fyre Festival offers ticketholders choice between full refund or VIP tickets to next year's festival". NME. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  27. ^ "FYRE Festival FAQ". fyrefestival.com. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
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