Billy McFarland says Fyre Festival 2 is ‘moving forward’ in Mexico. Tourism officials say ‘this is an event that does not exist.’

[Pelican Press 0]

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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.”

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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 says it’s still on

McFarland, who served

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for fraud related to the 2017 Fyre Festival, is adamant that the event will be a success. In a

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shared on

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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

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or on

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.

“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 ******** Caribbean with the world and helps make right for all the wrongs,” he said.

According to a post shared by

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, 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

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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

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. “Restitution is being paid. Since being released [from prison] 30 months ago, I’ve made 40 payments to restitution,” McFarland said in his Tuesday

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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.

‘This is an event that does not exist’

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

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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.”

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