Music festival season is in full swing. As a huge fan of all things music related, this is the best time of year. From the amazing looks at Coachella, to the amazing lineup that was just released for the new Lost Lake Festival, I am thoroughly enjoying this year's music scene. Every year it seems that someone is trying to create the next big thing. For 2017, the Fyre Festival could possibly be one of the biggest music festival disasters in history.
For those of you who are not familiar with this topic, the Fyre Festival set out to create this one of a kind luxury music experience. Spearheaded by Ja Rule and Billy McFarland, they promised attendees great music, out of this world food, and the chance to party with people like Kendall Jenner. Now, these tickets were not cheap, and people spent thousands for the opportunity to live it up big in the Bahamas.
Now, this all sounds wonderful, right? Well, things went south really fast. Between cancelled flights, no money, bands pulling out, and a massive lawsuit, Fyre Festival is in some major trouble. As this story develops, I have so many questions for this festival. Let's get started, shall we?
1. Why didn't anyone fact-check these outlandish promises?
If you are going to spend thousands on a ticket for a weekend festival, wouldn't it be smart to make sure that you are going to get everything that was promised to you? In the promo video for the festival, it is mentioned that you would be partying on a private island in the Bahamas that was once owned by Pablo Escobar. Anyone with a map and some common sense could look up the location and realize it was actually hosted on an abandoned property owned by Sandals. Yikes.
2. Who was managing the money?
After the dust settled and people returned home, rumors started circulating that the coordinators spent all the money using influencers to promote the festival. These influencers were paid over $200,000 just to post and talk about the Festival. It is worth noting that they were told not to come to the Bahamas before the weekend started. Instead of focusing on making sure the bands were paid, they spent money on famous Instagram users...so sad.
3. Why did people blindly trust two people who have no experience creating a festival?
Come on now. Ja Rule and Billy McFarland had no idea what they were doing, and this blew up way bigger than they expected. When purchasing anything, it is smart to do research and make sure you are going to be delivered what you are promised.
4. Did they really not expect a lawsuit?
Guests showed up to the Bahamas expecting luxury, but in turn were thrown into a messy situation. The lodging they received were left over US aid relief tents, and the gourmet food was a cheese sandwich. There were reports of luggage being stolen, people being stuck inside an airport, and basically no direction of what to do or where to go. This was a complete failure, and a lawsuit was inevitable.
5. Why are they trying to sway people to not get a refund?
Instead of getting a full refund, they are trying to convince people to exchange their 2017 tickets for tickets to the Fyre Festival next year. So, instead of getting the money back, you can hold out hope that they might get it right next year. Unbelievable.
Moral of the story is this: Do not pay an insane amount of money for shady promises and nothing to back it up. Stick to festivals that are reputable, and do not buy something just because a pretty woman on Instagram tells you to.
