Fyre Festival offering 2018 VIP passes in lieu of refunds

by: Robyn Dexter May 2, 2017

In the days since the Fyre Festival meltdown, the Bahamian festival’s colossal failure has consumed headlines across the globe.

Attendees, who paid thousands of dollars to attend, were promised the “unparalleled best in music, cuisine, design and hospitality on a private island in the Exumas.” When they arrived, however, they were met with the total chaos of a completely underprepared event.

Founders Billy McFarland and Ja Rule have been on a damage control mission since the event’s meltdown on April 27, promising makeup dates at a different location in 2018 and refunds for all guests.

The festival has already been hit with a $100 million lawsuit, which claims the festival’s “lack of adequate food, water, shelter, and medical care created a dangerous and panicked situation among attendees – suddenly finding themselves stranded on a remote island without basic provision – that was closer to ‘The Hunger Games’ or ‘Lord of the Flies’ than Coachella.”

Despite all of this, the event’s founders seem determined to repair the festival’s in-shambles reputation. In a questionnaire issued to those who attended the flop of a festival, 2017 attendees are being offered double the amount of VIP passes for 2018 in lieu of refunds.

In a statement issued on the festival’s website, organizers have promised to add more “seasoned event experts” to the festival staff, along with noting that the 2018 festival will take place on a United States beach instead of in the Bahamas.

just fyi: Fyre Festival customers can forgo a refund in exchange for VIP passes to next year’s festival :) pic.twitter.com/nUWWlpKX9R

— Joe Coscarelli (@joecoscarelli) May 1, 2017