Billy McFarland touted the first FYRE Festival as an opulent dream for music fans. Instead, its colossal failure landed him in federal prison.
Now, convicted fraudster McFarland says he is bringing the doomed event back—for real—this summer. The 33-year-old announced his plans for FYRE Festival 2 on February 24 in a televised interview with NBC’s TODAY. “My dream is finally becoming a reality,” he said.
McFarland, the founder and former CEO of Fyre Media, has promised a sequel to the festival since 2017, when the original gathering turned into a poorly planned flop that stranded visitors and drew widespread scrutiny. Even after serving prison time for the large-scale scam, McFarland is still dealing with the repercussions as he touts this year’s event.
Here’s everything you need to know about McFarland’s life after the first FYRE Festival and what he has revealed about the planned 2025 festival.
What was FYRE Festival?
The original FYRE Festival was a luxury music festival organized by McFarland and rapper Ja Rule and scheduled to take place over April and May 2017 in the Bahamas. Thanks to heavy promotion from popular social media influencers including Kendall Jenner and Hailey Bieber, the event attracted thousands of music fans seeking an unforgettable experience.
Instead, a nightmare greeted them—with lavish food and accommodations replaced by cheese sandwiches and ramshackle tents. The festival was postponed and eventually canceled, with many attendees left stranded on the island. According to CBS News, some guests paid as much as $200,000 to attend.
With FYRE Festival officially scrapped, attention turned to the potentially nefarious actions of McFarland and organizers.
McFarland pleaded guilty to wire fraud
In May 2017, The New York Times reported the festival was the focus of a criminal investigation into possible mail, securities, and wire fraud. McFarland reportedly deflected blame for the debacle and vowed that FYRE would return the following year.
This wasn’t the case: Federal agents arrested McFarland inside his Manhattan home in June 2017. He was charged with one count of wire fraud relating to a scheme to defraud investors by misrepresenting financial information about Fyre Media.
In 2018, McFarland pleaded guilty to the wire fraud charge and additional charges of wire fraud and bank fraud for a separate scheme. He was sentenced to six years in federal prison. Ja Rule wasn’t charged criminally for his role in the festival.
The following year in 2019, Netflix released the documentary FYRE: The Greatest Party That Never Happened about the festival and McFarland.
McFarland served four years of his sentence before his early release in March 2022.
McFarland still owes $26 million in restitution
As part of his release agreement, McFarland was placed under supervision for three years and ordered to check in with a probation officer regularly, according to NPR. He was also required to work at least 30 hours per week “at a lawful type of employment, unless the probation officer excuses you from doing so.”
This likely explains why McFarland was able to announce his initial plans for FYRE Festival 2 in August 2023, with the event originally slated for December 2024. At the time, McFarland’s lawyer Jason Russo said any of his future projects would be “done solely for the purpose of generating the restitution for paying back his victims.”
As of February 2025, McFarland still owes roughly $26 million from the first FYRE. He has pledged a minimum of $500,000 from the upcoming festival, as well as 10 percent of the total profits, will go toward paying this debt.
When is FYRE Festival 2?
In the interview with TODAY, McFarland revealed FYRE Festival 2 will take place from May 30 through June 2 at Isla Mujeres, an island just off the coast of Cancún, Mexico.
There are no confirmed musical acts, but McFarland promises the performance lineup will feature artists across genres like electronic, hip-hop, and rock. A total of 2,000 tickets went on sale February 24, with the festival website listing packages ranging from $1,400 to $1.1 million.
Unlike the first iteration, McFarland isn’t directly handling preparations for the event and enlisted the help of a festival operator as well as ticketing, hotel, and travel companies. “FYRE 2 really isn’t about the past, and it’s not really about me. It’s about taking the vision, which is strong,” McFarland said.
Tyler Piccotti joined the Biography.com staff as an Associate News Editor and is now the News and Culture Editor. He previously worked as a reporter and copy editor for a daily newspaper recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors. In his current role, he shares the true stories behind your favorite movies and TV shows and profiles rising musicians, actors, and athletes. When he's not working, you can find him at the nearest amusement park or movie theater and cheering on his favorite teams.
