(CelebrityAccess) — Billy McFarland, the convicted fraudster whose Fyre Festival brand became became widely cited as a cautionary tale for mismanaged and exploitative music events, has announced that the notorious Fyre Festival brand is for sale.
In a statement shared on the event’s website and social media accounts, McFarland said:
“This brand is bigger than any one person and bigger than what I’m able to lead on my own. It’s a movement. And it deserves a team with the scale, experience, and infrastructure to realize its potential.
We have decided the best way to accomplish our goals is to sell the Fyre Festival brand—including its trademarks, IP, digital assets, media reach, and cultural capital—to an operator that can fully realize its vision.
There is a clear path for operators and entrepreneurs with strong domain expertise to build Fyre into a global force in entertainment, media, fashion, CPG, and more. For example, in the two years since we re-launched Fyre Festival, Hollywood and entertainment executives have already licensed the brand to develop properties specifically in theatre, music streaming, and Free Ad-Supported TV.”
McFarland became a high-profile figure in the music industry in 2017 after Fyre Festival—billed as a luxury destination event with a lineup of international talent—turned out to be anything but. Fans arrived in Great Exuma to find a half-assembled festival site, with inadequate food and shelter falling far short of what had been promised in promotional materials.
The event was ultimately canceled after just a few performances by local musicians, with attendees reportedly stranded with no running water, insufficient transportation, and little to no phone service.
Following the collapse of the festival, McFarland faced multiple civil lawsuits and was charged with wire fraud. He ultimately spent several years in federal prison for his involvement in multiple fraudulent schemes before being released in 2022.
News of the Fyre Festival brand sale comes after McFarland announced plans to stage a second edition of the festival from May 30 to June 2, 2025, in Cancún, Mexico. A total of 2,000 non-refundable tickets went on sale, with prices ranging from $1,400 for a single pass to $1.1 million for an all-inclusive destination experience for eight, according to Rolling Stone.
However, in the weeks following the announcement, alleged resort partners and government officials in Mexico claimed they had not been contacted about the event, raising concerns about the likelihood of it actually taking place. No artist lineup had been announced, even though the event was scheduled to occur in just two months.
The event was ultimately canceled, with multiple media outlets reporting that ticketholders had begun receiving refunds.
Read McFarland’s full statement here:
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