FYRE Festival 2 is not happening in Playa del Carmen, a city official has exclusively told The U.S. Sun.
In a stunning revelation, a representative at Playa del Carmen’s City Hall called the event “fake news” and went on to claim that there is no event called Fyre Festival 2 scheduled in the area.
“I am sorry there is no Fyre Festival 2, Playa del Carmen knows nothing about it,” the official told The U.S. Sun.
The city hall elaborated on the subject in an official statement written in Spanish.
“In light of rumors about an event called ‘Fyre 2’, we inform that no event with that name will be held in Playa del Carmen.
“After a responsible review, there is no registration or planning in the municipality.
“This government acts with responsibility and commitment to safety, public order and social coexistence,” the statement said before adding any further information will go through “institutional channels.”
During a press conference last week, Fyre Festival founder Billy McFarland’s group claimed they had the appropriate permits for the event and introduced a local official as well.
Playa del Carmen’s secretary of citizen security, Raúl Tassinari González, was briefly introduced by a woman hosting the event.
In Spanish, the official said: “We are already in coordination with the whole group, looking into the security issue. You are obviously having a formidable event.”
During the press conference, Billy called on his Fyre 2 partner Mike Falb, who has been living in Mexico for the last six months.
After Mike spoke, he handed the microphone over to someone who he only called his “partner Fernando.”
Fernando said: “As you know we already have the authorities here. We are very happy to have this festival…in Playa del Carmen.
“We already have permits, so this is going to be very successful, and we are very happy to have the Fyre Festival.”
A comment call to Billy was not immediately returned.
The U.S. Sun reached out to local officials for clarification on Playa del Carmen’s secretary of citizen security’s participation in the press conference.
The event’s location has already changed twice in a month’s time from Isla Mujeres to Playa del Carmen after the former’s tourism board said the event didn’t exist.
The statement from Isla Mujeres read: “General Directorate for Tourism of Isla Mujeres informs that no person or company has requested permits from this office or any other municipal government department for said event.”
PRESS CONFERENCE PROMISES
During last week’s press conference, Billy and his team made big promises about the event currently scheduled for May 30 through June 2.
Billy announced that the second Fyre Festival will serve as a chance for him to redeem himself following the catastrophic 2017 event, which left attendees stranded on a Bahamian island without proper food, water, or lodging.
The convicted felon, who was seen on a screen at the press conference last week from Playa del Carmen, in Quintana Roo, Mexico, that “For the attendees, for the partners sitting on stage, Fyre Festival 2 is about being a dreamer.
“Being a traveler and being an adventure seeker around the world, converging on Playa del Carmen to live like Jack Sparrow, or live like Lara Croft for 3 days.”
The team claimed they were preparing for 1,800 guests and said they would have 40 live performances.
The team said they weren’t ready to announce performers yet, and there would be an update this week over social media.
however, as of this writing it is Thursday, April 3, and there has yet to be any announcement.
Later in the press conference, Manuel Reta, the head of artists and commercial relations for the Mexican event organizer Lostnights, said the Fyre Festival 2 team has found a home for the festival in Playa del Carmen.
“The reality is that all of those, doubts and concerns are fixed with a very simple thing – we are in Mexico,” he said.
FYRE Festival & Billy McFarland
The inaugural FYRE Festival remains one of the most infamous event disasters in history.
Attendees were left devastated after spending tens of thousands of dollars to attend the event, only to arrive on an island in the Bahamas lacking food, water, and accommodation- not to mention the musical acts all pulled out at the last minute.
The debacle was magnified by social media, with disgruntled influencers sharing their outrage after stepping onto Great Exuma expecting the party of a lifetime.
Instead of the promised luxury villas, festival-goers were greeted by re-purposed emergency FEMA tents.
Enticed by the allure of world-class cuisine, ticket holders found themselves served cold cheese sandwiches in foam containers.
Despite the spectacular failure, Billy exclusively told The U.S. Sun in an interview that he has his reasons for attempting the event a second time.
Billy said: “This is the most tangible way to repay the $26 million that I owe, and having real partners gives an opportunity in the next five to seven years, to actually pay back that $26 million.
“And unfortunately, no one’s offering me $26 million to work somewhere else.”
The convicted felon, who faced charges for misleading his investors, went on to say he is taking full advantage of his notoriety.
“We are literally the most talked about music festival in the world. We’ve had three times as many mentioned this Coachella, which is in second place and there’s a huge drop-off after that.
“It’s an incredible opportunity to steer that ship into the storm and embrace everything that’s happened.”
“We’re in the Riviera Maya, we’re in Playa del Carmen. There is no lack of 5-star hotels or 5 star culinary experiences.”
As The U.S. Sun previously exclusively revealed in the agreement for ticket holders, there are a slew of ominous warnings for what one might expect with their pricey purchase.
Among a complex maze of cautions is a direct warning that reads “All Ticket sales are final. NO REFUNDS OR EXCHANGES.”
In 2018, McFarland pleaded guilty to two charges of wire fraud in federal court in Manhattan and confessed to using fraudulent documents to entice investors into putting over $26 million into his company.
He agreed to forfeit the $26 million, and had previously claimed to The U.S. Sun that his attempt at Fyre Fest 2 would help him pay down his restitution.
