Latest news with #Fyre
New York Post
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Billy McFarland sells controversial Fyre Festival brand for shocking amount
This sale was not on Fyre. Billy McFarland sold the rights to his infamous Fyre Festival brand on Tuesday, but he wasn't happy about the amount it went for. After the week-long sale involving 175 bids, the undisclosed buyer paid $245,300 for the Fyre Festival IP, brand trademarks and social media assets. 8 Billy McFarland leaves federal court in New York in March 2018. AP 'Damn. This sucks, it's so low,' McFarland, 33, said about the final bid while livestreaming the auction, according to NBC News. In a statement on his Instagram, McFarland wrote: 'I would like to congratulate the winning bidder in the FYRE Festival IP auction on eBay. I look forward to working with them to begin the process to finalize the sale.' 8 Billy McFarland in an Instagram video. pyrtbilly/Instagram 'FYE Festival is just one chapter of my story,' the convicted fraudster stated, 'and I'm just excited to move onto my next one.' McFarland claimed that the auction 'became the most-watched non-charity listing on eBay during its run, proving once again that attention is currency, and views are the root of attention.' 8 Billy McFarland's statement about the Fyre Festival sale. pyrtbilly/Instagram 'That belief is at the core of what I'm building next: a tech platform designed to capture and power the value behind every view online,' McFarland added, teasing that his next project is 'coming soon.' The original Fyre Festival, co-organized by McFarland and Ja Rule, ended disastrously back in 2017. 8 Views of the Fyre Festival in the Bahamas in 2017. Lee/Prahl/ Splash News 8 Billy McFarland went to jail for is involvement in the Fyre Festival scam. Attendees who paid thousands of dollars for tickets arrived in the Bahamas expecting a luxe celebrity experience only to be stranded with no musical acts, no electricity, no running water and a limited supply of cheese sandwiches and FEMA huts to nourish and shelter them. 8 Tents and a portable toilet set at the Fyre Festival. AP In 2018, McFarland pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud after the federal government determined he had defrauded investors out of more than $26 million. He was ordered to pay the full amount in restitution and sentenced to six years in prison, but was released in 2022 after serving just four years. The Fyre Festival controversy has been explored in several documentaries, including Netflix's 'FYRE: The Greatest Party That Never Happened' and Hulu's 'Fyre Fraud.' 8 Billy McFarland leaving Manhattan Federal Court on July 1, 2017. TNS McFarland announced last year that Fyre Festival 2 was in the works. He claimed it would take place on 'a private island off the coast of Mexico in the Caribbean' and promised that 'an incredible production company' was handling the event. The festival was later slated for May 2025 in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, until a dispute with the location occurred. 8 Billy McFarland in an Instagram video. pyrtbilly/YouTube After Fyre Festival 2 was postponed indefinitely, McFarland revealed he was selling the brand. 'We have decided the best way to accomplish our goals is to sell the FYRE Festival brand, including its trademarks, IP, digital assets, media reach, and cultural capital – to an operator that can fully realize its vision,' McFarland said in April. The entrepreneur stated that Fyre Festival 'deserves a team with the scale, experience, and infrastructure to realize its potential.'
Euronews
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Euronews
Convicted fraudster Billy McFarland (under)sells Fyre Festival on eBay
Billy McFarland, the scam artist and convicted fellon who gained notoriety for the disastrous 2017 Fyre Festival, has officially sold the rights to the event's brand on eBay for $245,300 (approx. €211,135). The auction, which reportedly drew a 175 bids, included intellectual property, trademarks, and social media accounts tied to the Fyre name. The identity of the buyer remains unknown. In a livestream during the eBay auction, McFarland appeared disappointed with the result, commenting: 'Damn. This sucks, it's so low.' According to Rolling Stone, the sale will barely make a dent in his outstanding $26 million (approx. €22.3m) restitution order tied to his criminal conviction. Nonetheless, the disgraced founder took to social media after the sale, saying: 'Fyre Festival is just one chapter of my story, and I'm excited to move onto my next one.' He continued: 'The auction became the most-watched non-charity listing on eBay during its run, proving once again that attention is currency, and views are the root of attention. That belief is at the core of what I'm building next.' McFarland then shared that he's working on a 'tech platform designed to capture and power the value behind every view online.' Cue: death by a thousand eyerolls. Une publication partagée par Billy McFarland (@pyrtbilly) McFarland was given a six-year prison sentence in 2018 for wire fraud related to the original Fyre Festival. He was released early in 2022 and attempted to relaunch the event multiple times - without success. What happened at Fyre Festival? McFarland founded Fyre Festival with rapper Ja Rule. As part of their advertising scheme for the supposed luxury music festival, they employed influencers including Kendall Jenner, Bella Hadid and Emily Ratajkowski to post on Instagram about the festival. The influencers didn't clearly disclose that it was a paid advert. McFarland also falsely claimed that the festival's location was on Pablo Escobar's private island. In reality, it was located on a beach in the Bahamas, and when the glamorous (and wannabe glamorous) flocked to McFarland's promised luxury event in 2017, all was not as it seemed. When the punters arrived, they were confronted with unfinished stages, tents instead of fancy accommodation, and a notoriously rubbish welcome meal of some pre-sliced cheese and a depressing-looking salad on dry bread. As for the star-studded line-up of acts including Pusha T, Tyger, Blink-182, Disclosure, Migos, and Skepta... They all pulled out. To make matters worse, the 500+ guests were stranded on the island, as flights were cancelled by the Bahamian government. The ordeal was captured in the Netflix documentary FYRE: The Greatest Party That Never Happened, as well as the Hulu doc Fyre Fraud. McFarland and Ja Rule were hit with multiple lawsuits for fraud and other charges seeking damages. McFarland was investigated by the FBI for mail fraud, wire fraud and securities fraud. After pleading guilty to two counts of wire fraud, he was sentenced to six years in prison and ordered to hand over $26 million. Since his release from prison, McFarland reportedly arranged meetings with rappers for Donald Trump's most recent election campaign – in a bid to reach and appeal to more Black voters. Une publication partagée par Billy McFarland (@pyrtbilly) And because once a scammer, always a hardened scammer, McFarland has tried to revive the festival – adventurously named Fyre Fest II. It was announced that the second edition of the festival would be taking place on a tropical island off Cancún, Mexico. However, it was soon revealed that the permit McFarland had obtained only allowed for a 12-hour listening party that only could have fewer than 300 people. McFarland set the tickets for between $1,400 (€1,200) and $25,000 (€21,500) – with 'premium packages' priced as high as $1.1 million (€947,000). As you can guess, the Fyre Fest II never took place. Now that the rights to the Fyre brand have been sold, anyone else fearing the outcome of McFarland's new tech platform 'designed to capture and power the value behind every view online'?
Express Tribune
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Billy McFarland sells Fyre Festival brand on eBay for over $245,000
Billy McFarland, the controversial figure behind the infamous 2017 Fyre Festival, has officially sold the rights to the event's brand on eBay for US$245,300. As reported by NY Daily News, the auction included intellectual property, trademarks, and social media accounts tied to the Fyre name, and drew 175 bids before concluding on Tuesday afternoon. McFarland, who previously served four years in prison for wire fraud related to the original Fyre Festival, had attempted to relaunch the event multiple times without success. One such attempt was a promoted May 2025 revival in Isla Mujeres, Mexico. The promotional campaign included a website, named producers and partners, and ticket packages priced between US$1,400 and US$1.1 million. However, the event quietly faded without any follow-through. In a livestream during the eBay auction, McFarland appeared disappointed with the final result, commenting, 'Damn. This sucks, it's so low,' when bids surpassed US$240,000. According to Rolling Stone, the sale will barely make a dent in his outstanding US$26 million restitution order tied to his criminal conviction. Following the original Fyre Festival disaster—which was chronicled in the Netflix documentary The Greatest Party That Never Happened and Hulu's Fyre Fraud—McFarland insisted there was still public interest in the brand. In a 2024 interview with The Music Network podcast, he said, 'The idea of Fyre 2 is still there. People want to escape reality for three days.' In a more recent Instagram statement, McFarland announced his decision to step away, writing: 'This brand is bigger than any one person. It's clear that I need to step back and allow a new team to move forward independently.' The identity of the buyer remains unknown.
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Fyre Festival name, branding sells for $245k on eBay
Organizers of the Fyre Festival failed to deliver on the event's lofty promises. (Credit: eBay) The Fyre Festival brand, including its IP, trademarks and social media assets, sold for $245,300 on eBay on Tuesday afternoon. The ill-fated festival became infamous in 2017 after its founder, Billy McFarland, was unable to deliver on lofty promises and flashy marketing — resulting in attendees receiving tent lodging and packaged sandwiches instead of promised villas, despite some paying thousands for tickets. Advertisement McFarland later pled guilty to wire fraud and was ordered to pay $26 million to those harmed by the event. 'I've done a lot of crazy things, but this might be the craziest thing yet,' McFarland said on Instagram last week. 'Today I am taking the most famous festival brand, Fyre Festival, and putting it up for auction on eBay, starting at one cent. We've had over 1,000 offers for the Fyre brand, but I am done playing games.' Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct, the premier company for collectible content.
Time of India
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Sol Ruca retains WWE Speed title with signature 'Sol Snatcher' move on Alba Fyre
Sol Ruca successfully defended her WWE Speed Championship with a thrilling victory over Alba Fyre , sealing the win with her trademark ' Sol Snatcher ' finisher in Wednesday's episode of WWE Speed. The high-energy bout showcased Ruca's athleticism and agility, as she countered Fyre's offense with dynamic flips and rapid reversals. The title bout, aired from the WWE Performance Center , marked Sol Ruca's second successful defense of the championship since capturing it earlier this year. With just 49 seconds remaining, Ruca delivered her signature Sol Snatcher to defeat Fyre, reinforcing her dominance in WWE Speed's unique five-minute title match format. Play Video Pause Skip Backward Skip Forward Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 0:00 Loaded : 0% 0:00 Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 1x Playback Rate Chapters Chapters Descriptions descriptions off , selected Captions captions settings , opens captions settings dialog captions off , selected Audio Track default , selected Picture-in-Picture Fullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. — WWE (@WWE) Ruca originally captured the championship from Candice LeRae in April and has since successfully defended it against Ivy Nile and now Fyre, whose real name is Kayleigh Kerr, showcasing her growing momentum. Live Events WWE Speed victory kicks off a crucial week for Ruca, who is slated to compete in two more major title defenses. With three high-stakes matches on her schedule, this stretch could prove pivotal in shaping her summer - and future - within WWE's rapidly evolving women's division. — SolRucaWWE (@SolRucaWWE) SOL RUCA'S WEEKEND BATTLES NXT Great American Bash (July 12, Saturday): Ruca is set to defend her NXT Women's North American Championship in a singles clash against Izzi Dame . The match will be one of the featured bouts during the afternoon Premium Live Event, scheduled to kick off at 3PM ET in Atlanta. WWE Evolution( July 13, Sunday): Ruca transitions from defending champion to title contender, at WWE Evolution , as she teams up with Zaria in a high-stakes Fatal Four-Way match for the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships . Current champions Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez will put their titles on the line against the duo of Ruca & Zaria, the formidable team of Asuka & Kairi Sane, and the returning powerhouse pairing of Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss. Ruca's packed schedule during the weekend has made her one of the most active competitors during WWE's action-packed July. With more title opportunities ahead, this intense stretch could prove to be a defining chapter in the young star's rapidly rising career.
