Fyre Festival 2: Is it actually happening in Mexico next month? Here’s the update

The original Fyre Festival, held in 2017, turned out to be a complete disaster. It was marketed as a luxurious music festival featuring five-star accommodations, gourmet meals, and performances by A-list artists. However, attendees arrived to find tents in place of villas, soggy food instead of fine dining, and no musical acts.

This led to multiple lawsuits and the eventual conviction of McFarland, who was sentenced to six years in federal prison for wire fraud in October 2018. He was released early in March 2022 after serving four years.

In a press conference last month in Playa del Carmen, McFarland announced the beachside city as the official host of Fyre Festival 2. However, the city quickly responded with a statement clarifying that no permits had been issued and that there is “no event called Fyre 2” scheduled to take place there.

For the sake of transparency, both Fyre Fest and McFarland’s official Instagram accounts have shared documents that show they are working with the local government to stage the festival.

“All media reports suggesting our team has not been working with the government of PDC are simply inaccurate and based on misinformation. FYRE has operated as a good partner with PDC government and has followed the proper processes and procedures to lawfully host an event,” stated the post. “We will be sharing all relevant permits, payments, and communications.”

Yet, the organizers are facing difficulties in convincing people that the event will actually happen.

What’s in store for Fyre Fest 2?

According to the New Musical Express (NME) magazine, the permit that Billy McFarland has obtained grants authorization for a 250-person max capacity, that too between the hours of midnight and 4 AM over two days – May 30 and June 1. The permit also doesn’t allow for any live performances to be held at the venue, saying that it allows Fyre Fest 2 to only utilize “music grabada,” which translates to recorded music that can be played at the event.