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After much anticipation, two documentaries that give a behind-the-scenes look into 2017's hellish Fyre Festival will finally air on our screens.
2019-01-19
Hulu's version launched on Monday, and Netflix's followed just a few days later.
Billy McFarland, the 27-year-old founder of the company behind the festival, was sentenced to six years in prison in October and faces a $26 million forfeiture order. He is featured in an exclusive interview in the Hulu documentary.
Fyre Festival, which promised a VIP experience on the island of Great Exuma in the Bahamas, turned into a nightmare situation as attendees were stranded with half-built huts to sleep in and cold cheese sandwiches to eat.
Here's what happened:
The three-day party was supposed to be on a private beach on the island of Great Exuma in the Bahamas.
YouTube/Fyre Festival
It was supposed to be over two weekends in 2017: April 28-30 and May 5-7.
YouTube/Fyre Festival
It was described as an "immersive music festival."
YouTube/FyreFestival
A host of supermodels had promoted it on social media, including Hailey Baldwin, Emily Ratajkowski, and Bella Hadid.
YouTube/Fyre Festival
Guests expected to party on white-sand beaches.
YouTube/Fyre Festival
But when they turned up, it didn't look anything like the advertisements.
So Fyre Fest is a complete disaster. Mass chaos. No organization. No one knows where to go. There are no villas, just a disaster tent city. pic.twitter.com/1lSWtnk7cA
They were told they would fly in from Miami on a custom, VIP-configured Boeing 737 ...
A private jet shown in the festival's commercial.YouTube/Fyre Festival
... to have the full VIP experience.
YouTube/Fyre Festival
Instead, guests ended up waiting for hours at the airport ...
Twitter/@WNFIV
... and collecting their luggage from the back of a shipping container in the dead of night.
Twitter/@WNFIV
The ticket cost was meant to include gourmet food.
YouTube/Fyre Festival
Guests were expecting Starr Catering Group to be there, but the group told Business Insider it had terminated its services with Fyre in early April 2017. Instead, there were makeshift food tents.
Festivalgoers were promised luxury, eco-friendly domes and villas to stay in that were included in the ticket prices. But one guest described it as a "disaster tent city."
But for some, that wasn't possible, and they ended up stranded in the airport.
Twitter/@WNFIV
One guest said she was kept in a room without food or water, waiting for a flight to take off. She said a person fainted because the conditions were so bad.
Not exactly the VIP experience they had envisioned.
Images of the festival made the rounds on social media and were widely reported across global news organizations. This left many wondering whether it had damaged the reputation of the Bahamas altogether.
Great Exuma in the Bahamas.YouTube/FyreFestival
Locals told Mic that tourism had not been affected by the event. However, some resort owners who provided food or services for the festival said they were still awaiting payment.
In March 2018, McFarland pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud.
AP Photo/Mark Lennihan
He was arrested again on June 12 in a separate fraud case. He was charged with earning $100,000 from selling fake tickets to events including Coachella and the Met Gala through a company called NYC VIP Access.
Mark Lennihan/AP
Prosecutors said McFarland began running the business late in 2017, several months after he was arrested on charges that he had defrauded investors out of $26 million.
On June 19, a judge revoked his bail, deeming him a flight risk.
In July, the Securities and Exchange Commission announced that McFarland, two companies he founded (Fyre Media and Magnises), a former senior executive, and a former contractor had agreed to settle charges against them.
AP Photo/Mark Lennihan
Grant Margolin, McFarland's chief marketing officer, agreed to a seven-year director-and-officer ban and would pay a $35,000 penalty, the SEC said.
It also said Daniel Simon, an independent contractor for McFarland's companies, agreed to a three-year ban and would pay over $15,000 in disgorgement and penalty.
Later that month, McFarland pleaded guilty to one count of fraud related to the NYC VIP Access ticket scheme.
Magnises
He also pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud for writing a check with the name and account number of one of his employees without authorization.
Before his sentencing in October, McFarland's attorney, Randall Jackson, asked the judge to give him a lighter sentence, citing a psychiatrist report that said he was diagnosed with a bipolar-related disorder.
Jackson said McFarland had "delusional beliefs of having special and unique talents that will lead to fame and fortune," The Associated Press reported.
On October 11, McFarland was sentenced to six years in prison.
AP/Mary Altaffer
"The remorse I feel is crushing," he said during his sentencing, Vice News reported. "I lived every day with the weight of knowing that I literally destroyed the lives of my friends and family."
On Monday, Hulu released its documentary, "Fyre Fraud."
This documentary features an interview with McFarland.Hulu
Watch the full trailer here:
The Netflix version of the event will be available to stream on Friday.
Netflix
Here's the full Fyre Festival promo video:
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Mary was an editor on the business news team, where she worked with reporters and editors to cover sectors including technology, finance, transportation, retail, careers, and real estate.Previously, Mary was a senior retail reporter based in New York and London, covering apparel, luxury, fitness, big-box, and grocery companies. She has reported on major brands including Victoria’s Secret, Lululemon, LVMH, Costco, Dollar General, and Peloton, providing in-depth analysis of trends shaping the industry.Mary earned a master’s degree in Business Journalism from CUNY Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism. She has appeared on several TV and radio outlets, including BBC Business, Cheddar, and Good Morning America, and has taken part in industry panels and conferences about trends shaping the retail world.
