$12,000 luxury island festival descends into chaos after fans complain of “refugee camp” conditions
Blink-182 have cancelled their headline appearance at the event organized by rapper Ja Rule and promoted by Kendall Jenner.
A luxury festival on a private island in the Bahamas, organised by Ja Rule and due to feature appearances by Blink-182, Skepta, Rae Sremmurd and more, has descended into chaos after fans turned to a half-finished site that’s been likened to a disaster zone.
Fyre Festival, due to take place this weekend, had been advertised on social media as a hyper-glamorous getaway, promoted by supermodels including Kendall Jenner, Emily Ratajkowski and Bella Hadid who promised a beach paradise setting. Tickets to the event ranged from $4000 to $12,000.
Instead of a beach paradise, fans were subject to reported nine-hour delays getting on to the island, eventually making it the Exumas destination to what has been angrily likened to a “refugee camp”, with attendees taking to Reddit and other social media to complain of half-built tents, mountains of rubbish and sub-standard meals served in polystyrene containers.
In case you're wondering, those "cabanas" are actually disaster relief tents.#fyrefestival pic.twitter.com/jaZpkIKVT2
— Matt Halfhill (@MattHalfhill) April 28, 2017
Luxury dining on luxury boxed meals at luxury Fyre Fest. #fyrefestival #fyre #luxury pic.twitter.com/UPJw1s1yzf
— William N. Finley IV (@WNFIV) April 28, 2017
Early report is that many of the tents aren't assembled. Here's their tropical private island owned by Escobar! #FyreFestival pic.twitter.com/TNzBDbNAUJ
— FyreFestivalFraud (@FyreFraud) April 27, 2017
This is how Fyre Fest handles luggage. Just drop it out of a shipping container. At night. With no lights. #fyrefestival pic.twitter.com/X5CdZRyJWo
— William N. Finley IV (@WNFIV) April 28, 2017
As news spread of the sub-par conditions onsite, festival-goers awaiting flights at Miami International Airport were left stranded on the runway as flights were cancelled by festival operators.
A post shared by ⚡️aul // HOU (@dropout.bear) on
I look disgusting but everyone has been told to get off the flight… no update on what's happening #fyrefestival pic.twitter.com/cGX6kIR6tW
— Tahnee (@itstahnee) April 28, 2017
The festival, organized by Fyre Media company, was also due to feature Major Lazer, Disclosure, Kaytranada and G.O.O.D. Music artists. Blink-182 added to the festival’s woes by cancelling their appearance last night, explaining that “we’re not confident that we would have what we need to give you the quality of performances we always give fans” in a statement.
The festival tweeted a statement earlier today thanking ticket holders for “bearing with us as we attempt to accommodate guest needs” after the “unexpected start.” The statement also confirms that inbound flights have been cancelled and it is working on refunds. Read the full statement below.
The festival tweeted a statement earlier today thanking ticket holders for “bearing with us as we attempt to accommodate guest needs,” after the “unexpected start.” The statement also confirms that inbound flights have been cancelled and it is working on refunds. Read the full statement below.
A post shared by FYRE FESTIVAL (@fyrefestival) on
It’s not yet known if more performers will follow in Blink-182’s footsteps and cancel their appearances. Speculation is rife on social media that the full event will be cancelled.
