Second City Denies Fyre Fest 2 Happening in Advertised Location

Officials in a second city have now expressed they have no record of Fyre Fest 2 taking place in their city despite Billy McFarland organizing a press conference in late March publicly announcing a new location for the event.

You may recall in late February, McFarland announced that Fyre Fest 2 would be taking place May 30 through June 2 in Isla Mujeres near Cancun, Mexico. That news apparently came as a surprise to tourism officials when Isla Mujeres tourism directorate Edgar Gasca commented, “We have no knowledge of this event, nor contact with any person or any company about it. For us, this is an event that does not exist.”

McFarland quickly countered that top-tier private venues and hotel partnerships had been secured and that hotels that had denied their involvement had given misleading statements to the media and he was cutting ties to the contracts with those hotels. He then reiterated his personal commitment as well as those of the festival’s backers to put on the event while assuring that talent had been booked and plans were being secured.

Fyre Fest 2 Finds a New Location

On March 28, McFarland organized a press conference to announce that Fyre Fest 2 had found its new home. Playa Del Carmen in Mexico was revealed as the host for the event during the press conference held at the Martina Beach Club, which was revealed to be one of the official venues of Fyre Fest 2.

“Our relationships with Playa may be new, but I know I speak for the rest of the team when I say we couldn’t ask for a better group of people,” said McFarland at the time of the press conference (which can be seen in full in the videos below).

Billy McFarland Hypes the New Location

A few days after the press conference, McFarland returned to social media to share his excitement for the festival.

“First I am so grateful to be bringing together 1800 people who not only have the courage to take a chance on me but have the courage to prove the impossible possible and the courage to be part of history,” he stated.

“We’ll have DJ, rappers, reggae artists, pop stars, but also athletes, divers, models, pilots and creators who will lead the experiences for our guests. Fyre is all about these intimate experiences. We’ll have dozens of artists in a private party-like setting. Fyre is all about the people you’ll meet, the memories you’ll make and the stories that you will be able to tell for the rest of your life,” continued McFarland.

READ MORE: 15 Most Disastrous Music Festivals in History

“If you and your friends want to ATV through the jungle with a Super Bowl champion, if you want to swim with the sharks with a pop star of if you want to learn MMA on the beach with the UFC champion, DM me and I will personally help you and your friends get set up,” he added before concluding, “Let’s make history everybody,” as he took a sip from a bottle of Evian water.

Tickets for the event are currently on sale through the Fyre Fest 2 website.

A Second City Denies Existence of Fyre Festival 2

For the second time in his attempt to stage Fyre Fest 2, McFarland has received pushback from local officials.

The Mexican city’s communication office issued a statement through their social media that reads (as translated to English), “#ComunicadoOficial || There will be no event called ‘Fyre 2’ in Playa del Carmen. There is no record or planning. This government prioritizes order, security, and truth.”

Within a larger statement letter posted, it’s also written, “… No such event with that name will take place in our city,” and it’s mentioned, “There is no existence of a registry nor plans that would indicate such an event taking place in this municipality.”

Why Fyre Festival’s History Raised Red Flags

The initial Fyre Festival became the stuff of meme legend and e legal nightmare for organizer Billy McFarland.

Marketed as a “luxury music festival,” the original Fyre Festival promised an upscale experience on an island in the Bahamas on April 28-30 and May 5-7, 2017. Promotion leading up to the festival relied heavily on social media influencers and models sell tickets.

Prices for the festival ranged anywhere from $500 all the way up to a $12,000 option that included airfare and a luxury tent. The billed lineup included Blink-182, Major Lazer, Migos and others who never played.

The festival turned into a disaster thanks to no music, heavy rain, promised experiences never happening and a social media post showing a cheese sandwich.

The following months saw multiple lawsuits brought against Fyre Festival organizers Billy McFarland and Ja Rule. Both Netflix and Hulu released popular documentaries showing planning and failed execution of the event.

McFarland was granted an early release from federal prison in 2022 after previously pleading guilty to charges of wire fraud.  Later that year, McFarland began dropping clues about his next venture before announcing his intent to stage a second Fyre Festival. Then, in late February of this year, dates were announced for Fyre Fest 2.