Fyre Festival 2 ‘Does Not Exist’ According To Isla Mujeres Tourism Board, Organizer Still Claims It’s ‘Real’
“No person or company has requested permits from this office or any other municipal government department for said event,” Isla Mujeres’ city hall claims
THEO WARGO/GETTY; GETTY
Fyre Festival 2 is nowhere near fruition despite organizer Billy McFarland’s claims, Mexican officials say.
Tickets for the late May/early June 2025 event, reportedly being held on Isla Mujeres, have gone on sale, but the necessary paperwork hasn’t been filed yet, officials say.
On Wednesday, Feb. 26, the Ayuntamiento de Isla Mujeres (the city hall for the Mexican Island) released a statement about the planned follow-up to the chaotic 2017 event. The “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,” it read.
The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!
GETTY
The city hall shared the same statement when reached out by PEOPLE and advised travelers to get information about tourism-related events from their “official communicated channels.”
Edgar Gasca, Director General of Economic Development and Tourism of Isla Mujeres, also denied that officials were aware of the festival, telling The Guardian in a story published on Thursday, Feb. 27, “We have no knowledge of this event, nor contact with any person or company about it. For us, this is an event that does not exist.”
According to its website, Fyre Festival 2 is going to be held from May 30 to June 2, with general tickets starting at $1,400.
PEOPLE reached out to Mexican government officials for comment but did not immediately hear back.
SPLASH NEWS
The original iteration of Fyre Fest took place in April 2017 with big-name models and influencers set to be in attendance. Upon arrival, guests learned the event was disorganized, with makeshift tents and box lunches — a far cry from the promised luxurious experience.
McFarland was found guilty of two counts of wire fraud in relation to the festival and served time in prison from 2018 until 2022.
Following comments from Mexican officials regarding Fyre Festival 2, McFarland spoke out in a video on Instagram, saying, “I figured it would be best to hear directly from me what’s actually happening.”
“First, Fyre 2 is real. Second, we have incredible partners leading the festival. They’re in charge of all the logistics, productions and operations. This includes an incredible production team in Mexico who does not F around. There is no way they would ever take on a fake festival,” he said.
McFarland told viewers that the festival had accommodations and talent are set to perform.
“My partners and I have remained in communication with local and state government to ensure full compliance and a successful event that benefits the local economy, shares the beauty of the Mexican Caribbean with the world and helps make right for all the wrongs,” he said.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“Fyre 2 is moving forward and we are moving forward with full integrity. From now on, updates will come directly from me,” continued McFarland.
Related Articles
Follow Us
BILLY MCFARLAND RESPONDS AFTER MEXICO SAYS FYRE FEST 2 ‘DOES NOT EXIST’
Fyre Festival founder Billy McFarland has issued a public statement after claims by Mexican officials this week that they had not been contacted about staging the recently announced event.
In his video posting on Instagram, McFarland claimed that the second Fyre Festival is indeed “real,” and he addressed several of the concerns that have been brought up including the fact that there’s a partner team behind putting on the event, there there are arranged accommodations and that there is talent already on board.
Earlier this week, The Guardian published an article in which they spoke with Isla Mujeres tourism directorate Edgar Gasca, who claimed, “We have no knowledge of this event, nor contact with any person or any company about it. For us, this is an event that does not exist.”
Among Gasca’s claims, he stated that he had spoken with the minister for tourism in Quintana Roo and also reached out to hotels that Fyre Festival had listed on their website and learned that neither had been contacted about the festival.
He then added, “I think they thought they would just announce it and see if it got traction, then ask for the permits halfway down the path. It’s a bit of a naive way to think.”
“This festival is not going to happen. There are red flags all over the place,” commented Garza, who then cited that the festival website offers coordinates for the event that will take you to the ocean in between Cancun and Isla Mujeres when entered into Google Maps.
READ MORE: 2025 Rock + Metal Festival + Cruise Guide
In addition, the local government of Isla Mujeres issued a public statement through their social media that no person or company had requested permits for the festival or any other Municipal Government departments.
This comes after the events of the initial Fyre Festival. The concert never even got off the ground at all. In the end, the non-festivities amounted only to the now-infamous photo of a cheese sandwich presented to attendees in place of the “authentic island cuisine experience” they were promised. Some attendees were left stranded on the islands. After the event, multiple lawsuits were filed.
The Guardian article came with a rebuttal to the Mexican officials claiming to have no knowledge of the event. “We’re producing a highly exclusive, boutique and sustainable experience for FYRE Festival 2, set for May 30 – June 2, 2025,” said Fyre Fest 2 producers Lostnights in their statement to The Guardian “Fyre Festival 2 has secured top-tier private venues and hotels in partnership with our local allies who have established communications with the corresponding authorities to ensure full compliance and flawless execution.”
“We’re producing a highly exclusive, boutique and sustainable experience for FYRE Festival 2, set for May 30 – June 2, 2025,” said Fyre Fest 2 producers Lostnights in their statement to The Guardian “Fyre Festival 2 has secured top-tier private venues and hotels in partnership with our local allies who have established communications with the corresponding authorities to ensure full compliance and flawless execution.”
As for McFarland, he provided a point-by-point video response through both his own and the festival’s Instagram accounts.
He started by suggesting that after his interview about Fyre 2 on The Today Show last week, he’s seen his comments “shared, retold, twisted and covered by journalists from all over the world,” so he decided to address all the questions directly.
“First, Fyre 2 is real,” stated McFarland right up front.
“Second, we have incredible partners leading the festival. They’re in charge of all the logistics, productions and operations. This includes an incredible production team in Mexico who does not F around. There is no way they would ever take on a fake festival,” he added, while discussing that there is more than just him involved in the event.
“Three, we have accommodations. Naturally, this is a huge point of emphasis given the issues surrounding Fyre 1. Our accommodations include contracts with a number of villas, yachts and hotels,” he added.
“It also includes two hotels that were contacted by the media and in response gave misleading statements saying they’ve never heard of Fyre and they aren’t working with us. After hearing this, I asked my team to terminate those contracts and to focus on the hotels and other partners that are eager to work with and support Fyre,” revealed the Fyre founder referring to the report from Mexican officials stating that hotels listed were unaware of the festival.
“Four, we have talent. Artists, athletes and other performers are on board and scheduled for Fyre 2,” he continued.
As for his own past that included spending a jail sentence after pleading guilty to charges of wire fraud related to the first Fyre Festival, McFarland assured, “Five, restitution is being paid. Since being released 30 months ago, I’ve made 40 payments to restitution. I’ve also made it my mission to do more than [is] legally required. Part of this has been giving a large percentage of Fyre 2’s budget and profits directly to restitution.”
Looking to further inspire confidence about the upcoming event, he continued, “Six, my partners and I have remained in communication with local and state government to ensure full compliance and a successful event that benefits the local economy, shares the beauty of the Mexican Caribbean with the world and helps make right for all the wrongs.”
He then concluded, “Seven, Fyre 2 is moving forward and we are moving forward with full integrity. From now on, updates will come directly from me. I look forward to continuing to work with my great partners to bring the vision of Fyre to life and to help make right for all the wrongs. If anybody wants to join us and help us make history and help show the truth and the vision of the intentions, please DM me. I’m here day and night. Thank you very much and I look very forward to sharing this with the world.”
Fyre Festival 2 is currently on track to take place between May 30 and June 2 this year. McFarland has stated that the new festival would take place in Isla Mujeres.
A total of 2,000 tickets will be sold ranging in price from $1,400 to $1.1 million. The festival is expected to feature a mix of electronic, hip hop, pop and rock acts, as well as professional athletes providing demonstrations. However, at press time, the names of who will be appearing are being kept under wraps.
You can learn more about Fyre Festival 2 and purchase tickets through the event’s website.
Gallery Credit: Philip Trapp
MJ Kim, Getty Images
YouTube: EDMT’s Party Videos
YouTube: Bestival
Christopher Polk, Getty Images
Samir Hussein, Getty Images
Facebook: Rock Ambassadors Media
YouTube: sebby c morello
Patrick McMullan, Getty Images
Scott Gries, Getty Images
YouTube: Electric Zoo Festival
YouTube: fenderplm
YouTube: Andres Capparelli
Danny E. Martindale, Getty Images
Alex Bierens de Haan, Getty Images
Sean Gallup, Getty Images
15 MOST DISASTROUS MUSIC FESTIVALS IN HISTORY
Glastonbury Festival 2005
The Hudson Project (2014)
Bestival 2008
TomorrowWorld 2015
Isle of Wight Festival 2012
Blue Ridge Rock Festival 2023
Powder Ridge Rock Festival (1970)
Fyre Festival (2017)
Woodstock ’99
Electric Zoo 2013
Altamont Free Concert (1969)
Time Warp Argentina 2016
Roskilde Festival 2000
Astroworld Festival 2021
Love Parade 2010
MORE FROM LOUDWIRE
LATEST NEWS
INFORMATION
FOLLOW US
What Mexican Officials Recently Said About Fyre Fest 2
What Fyre Fest 2 Officials + Billy McFarland Have Said
About Fyre Festival 2
Billy McFarland says Fyre Festival 2 is ‘moving forward’ in Mexico. Tourism officials say ‘this is an event that does not exist.’
Is Fyre Festival 2 actually happening? It depends on who you ask.
Billy McFarland, the disgraced founder behind the disastrous 2017 festival, announced that Fyre Festival 2 is scheduled for May 30 to June 2 on Isla Mujeres, an island off of Cancún, Mexico.
However, the island’s tourism officials have denied any involvement. “We have no knowledge of this event, nor contact with any person or company about it,” Edgar Gasca, from the tourism directorate of Isla Mujeres, told the Guardian in a story published Feb. 27. “For us, this is an event that does not exist.”
Yahoo Entertainment reached out to Gasca and the tourism board for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Gasca’s statement stands in contrast to McFarland’s claims on social media as well as in a Feb. 24 interview with Today in which he said “Fyre 2 is real” and that his dream is “finally becoming a reality.”
McFarland, who served nearly four years in prison for fraud related to the 2017 Fyre Festival, is adamant that the event will be a success. In a video statement shared on Instagram Tuesday, the founder doubled down on what he called “twisted” reports by the media.
“First, Fyre 2 is real,” he said in the video. “Second, we have incredible partners leading the festival. They’re in charge of all the logistics, productions and operations. This includes an incredible production team in Mexico who does not eff around. There is no way they would ever take on a fake festival.”
McFarland also stated that there were accommodations for festivalgoers, which “include contracts, the number of villas, yachts and hotels.”
He also said that “artists, athletes and other performers are on board and scheduled for Fyre 2,” though no lineup has been released on its website or on social media.
“My partners and I have remained in communication with local and state governments to ensure full compliance and a successful event that benefits the local economy, shares the beauty of the Mexican Caribbean with the world and helps make right for all the wrongs,” he said.
According to a post shared by festival organizers, Fyre Festival 2 is produced by Lostnights, a “premier live event producer with nearly 20 years of experience.”
“Fyre Festival 2 has secured top-tier private venues and hotels in partnership with our local allies who have established communications with the corresponding authorities to ensure full compliance and flawless execution,” the event company said in a statement to the Guardian.
Tickets for Fyre Festival 2 went on sale with packages ranging from $1,400 for general admission to $1.1 million for a luxury package that includes a yacht or villa. The festival website says the Fyre experience includes “water adventures, extreme sports, leisure & wellness, [and] cultural & creative activities.”
According to NBC News, at least $500,000 from the event’s proceeds will go toward his court-ordered restitution payments of more than $26 million. “Restitution is being paid. Since being released [from prison] 30 months ago, I’ve made 40 payments to restitution,” McFarland said in his Tuesday Instagram post. “I’ve also made it my mission to do more than legally required. Part of this has been giving a large percentage of Fyre 2’s budget and profits directly to restitution.”
Despite his past failures, McFarland remains unfazed. “Fyre 2 is moving forward, and we are moving forward with full integrity,” he said.
Yahoo Entertainment reached out to McFarland but did not immediately receive a response.
Despite McFarland’s claims, the local government on Isla Mujeres said that it has had no contact with him or any festival organizers.
“Due to the information circulating in the media regarding the event ‘FYRE FESTIVAL II,’ the General Directorate of 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,” the local government office shared in a Facebook post on Feb. 26.
Gasca, who told the Guardian he was attending a tourism fair in Bogotá, Colombia, with other officials when the Fyre Festival 2 announcement was made, said that neither the state’s tourism minister nor the hotels listed on the festival’s website had been informed about it.
Impression Isla Mujeres, one of the high-end resorts listed as an accommodation option for festivalgoers, told the Guardian that it had not received “any approach or enquiry with regards to the event” and was investigating the matter.
McFarland appeared to respond to the Guardian report in his video statement, saying that “two hotels who were contacted by the media” gave “misleading statements” about working with the festival. “After hearing this, I asked my team to terminate those contracts and to focus on the hotels that other partners are eager to work with and support Fyre,” he said in the video.
Gasca told the Guardian that festival organizers “didn’t even bother to approach the authorities.”
“It’s very strange, because any manager knows that if you’re going to hold an event, let alone a massive event, you need municipal authorisation,” said Gasca. “I think they thought they would just announce it and see if it got traction, then ask for the permits halfway down the path. It’s a bit of a naive way to think.”
