Billy McFarland – Fyre Festival
He went to prison after taking money for a spectacularly failed festival. When he got out, he tried to do it again.
Billy McFarland sold tickets for thousands of dollars to the now-infamous Fyre Festival.
Guests paid small fortunes for a luxury music event on a Bahamian island, but they ended up riding in school buses, sleeping on bare mattresses in storm-damaged tents, and eating cheese sandwiches from foam containers.
The best entertainment to come of the fiasco were competing documentaries by Netflix, “FYRE: The Greatest Party That Never Happened,” and Hulu, “Fyre Fraud.”
McFarland received a six-year prison sentence in 2018 for fraud and still owes millions to his investors and ticket buyers.
“Billy McFarland has shown a disturbing pattern of deception, which resulted in investors and customers losing over $26 million,” said Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman following McFarland’s sentence. “Empty promises don’t lead to jet-setting, champagne, and extravagant parties – they lead to federal prison.”
McFarland was released in 2020 and immediately began promising a redo. He began selling tickets in early 2025 for Fyre 2. He billed it as a three-day event at Isla Mujeres off the coast of Cancun, Mexico, from May 30 through June 2, 2025.
Somehow, there were no sentencing requirements that would have prevented him from selling tickets to another dubious event.
Here’s how McFarland explained his do-over in a press release:
“I’m sure many people think I’m crazy for doing this again. But I feel I’d be crazy not to do it again. After years of reflection and now thoughtful planning, the new team and I have amazing plans for Fyre 2. The adventure seekers who trust the vision and take the leap will make history. Thank you to my partners for the second chance.”
Surprise, surprise – Fyre 2 never happened. McFarland apparently couldn’t find a big enough round of new suckers, so he canceled the event, and he put the Fyre brand up for sale in April 2025.
Here’s what he wrote about that on the festival’s Instagram page:
“After two years of rebuilding FYRE with honesty, creativity, and relentless effort, it’s time to pass the torch. We’re officially putting the FYRE brand up for sale. To the right buyer: the platform is yours. Execute the vision. Make history.”
When he’s making a pitch, McFarland often tells people they can make history with his big idea, but he’s the one who made history … as a shameless huckster.
Too bad no one showed up for the Fyre sale.