The infamous Fyre Festival returned with a debut pop up shop for one night only yesterday. Just when you thought the drama was over and the memories of a failed festival were gone, commemorative merchandise from the disaster became available for purchase. An email was sent out Monday morning announcing an RSVP to their event. Located near Union Square in Manhattan at 873 Broadway, 6th floor, the shop opened from 6pm to 9pm.
Anyone have thoughts on this or attended? The pop-up shop organizer issued a press release boasting about the “amazing finds you can discover at auctions these days“. Clothing and merchandise from the pop-up shop were not available for preview beforehand. Pieces of authentic Fyre Festival caps, T-shirts, and wristband passes have been rumored to go for as much as $300 on eBay. Who knows exactly where the money will go from this, but you gotta admit you’re curious about going right?
Here’s a recap of what we already know: Ja Rule and Billy McFarland’s Fyre Media company organized the event. They wanted to develop an image of luxury after a major social media campaign involved famous celebrities posting on Instagram. To highlight the festival’s beach “paradise” offerings, the festival was born. Tickets ranged from $4,000 to $12,000 with their lineup featuring Major Lazer, Disclosure, Skepta, Kaytranada and many more. However, artists pulled out before the festival began without any ticket holders’ knowledge. Therefore, guests arrived and became stranded on an empty beach, met with abysmal tent conditions, feral dogs and the saddest bread and cheese offerings.
Festival founder McFarland plead guilty to federal wire fraud. Investors ordered Billy to pay back their $26 million as well. The owner faces up to 40 years in prison on top of $100 million worth of civil lawsuits. When it rains, it pours and Hulu is creating a documentary series about the festival fiasco. It just goes to show you that he who wants everything every time, will lose everything any time.
