Fyre Festival 2: Fraudster's Mexico Redo Raises Red Flags About Social Media Fads, Former Designer Warns

FIRST ON FOX – The erstwhile societal media designer for Fyre Festival says societal media is fueling nan idolization of scammers and their chaotic ideas — Fyre Festival 2 being nary exception.

Oren Aks said pinch Fox News Digital aft nan evident postponement of Fyre Festival 2, a do-over type of nan original Fyre Festival, which grounded successful 2017 aft promising attendees who paid thousands for tickets a luxurious music show group successful nan Bahamas and delivering a ramshackle campsite connected nan land instead.

Fyre Festival 2 was group to return spot successful Playa del Carmen, Mexico, betwixt May 30 and June 2, but 1 of its partners, ticketing institution SoldOut.com, confirmed to Fox News Digital past week that nan arena had been postponed and it was refunding tickets for nan event.

"I deliberation nan bigger mobility present is … why is this truthful fascinating to group to support going astatine it? Again, it's conscionable because it's a large meme. So, because it is simply a meme, it keeps memeing, and we're conscionable reinventing nan meme," Aks said. "So, I get that successful position of for illustration popular culture."

FYRE FESTIVAL 2 ‘POSTPONED’ AFTER MEXICO PLANS DERAILED, TICKET VENDOR ISSUES REFUNDS

Fyre Festival attendees de-board a mini level that sounds "Fyre Festival" connected its broadside successful nan Bahamas successful 2017. (Stephanie Farr)

In different words, group are treating Fyre Festival 2 for illustration a large wrong joke. The first festival's nonaccomplishment inspired documentaries connected Hulu and Netflix, and immoderate want to beryllium successful connected nan chaos if it fails a 2nd time, Aks explained.

Others judge Fyre Festival's creator, 33-year-old Billy McFarland, is simply a visionary and want to springiness him a 2nd chance aft he was convicted and sentenced to service respective years successful situation for fraud pursuing nan 2017 event.

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William 'Billy' McFarland, organizer of nan Fyre Festival, exits nan U.S. Federal Court successful Manhattan pursuing his presentment connected ligament fraud charges successful New York City, U.S., July 1, 2017.  (REUTERS/Brendan McDermid)

"For me, nan worldview of this communicative doesn't make sense," Aks said. "I've heard from having conversations pinch group passim nan years that … he is conscionable a hardworking entrepreneur and that this is conscionable to create opportunity to person nosy successful nan making and they can't hold for it to beryllium done right. So … if you're going retired location for that, bully luck. If you are going for having a bully laugh, it must beryllium bully that you person money to recreation for a bully laugh."

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The original Fyre Festival's 2017 nonaccomplishment landed Billy McFarland down bars. (Stephanie Farr)

He continued: "Either way, I don't deliberation it's happening anymore from what I publication past week, but if it does, it conscionable won't beryllium applicable again. I don't cognize if you noticed, moreover Coachella this twelvemonth was … cipher was posting."

"These things conscionable don't matter anymore."

When Aks joined nan Fyre Festival squad 8 years ago, he worked for Jerry Media, which handled schematic creation and societal media strategy for nan original festival. Aks said he was excited astir nan task because he had a inheritance moving successful nan euphony manufacture and was passionate astir euphony festivals.

There was "writing connected nan wall" earlier nan show began that should person indicated nan arena would beryllium a disaster, from in installments cards bouncing to Fyre Festival's partners being near retired of nan loop connected logistical planning, Aks said.

Fyre Festival attendees who paid thousands for tickets successful 2017 were promised big-name euphony acts for illustration Blink 182 that ne'er played astatine nan event. (Stephanie Farr)

He recalled nan infinitesimal he knew things were going south.

"When we arrived, nan constituent wherever it really deed maine was really … going complete this elevation and benignant of descending into nan vale wherever nan formation area wherever nan show was taking spot and seeing nan tents and nan existent media halfway shape area and … thing was there," he said. "…In my brain, nan logistics didn't activity out, but I conscionable assumed that's conscionable not my territory. I'm nan schematic designer, I'm judge they've sewage for illustration an designer aliases … personification dealing pinch that. But past I saw nan FEMA aliases nan UN-style tents, and that was nan infinitesimal it each hit."

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Oren Aks said it "hit him" that Fyre Festival was a nonaccomplishment successful 2017 erstwhile he arrived successful nan Bahamas and saw rows of FEMA-style tents wherever guests were promised luxury villas. (Stephanie Farr)

In nan property of societal media, Aks said, nan nationalist makes icons retired of scammers for illustration Anna Delvey and moreover execution suspects for illustration Luigi Mangione.

"We look astatine them for illustration they're iconic, like, ‘Oh what’s she wearing to court?' And … astatine a definite point, you're conscionable much obsessed pinch them arsenic this communicative that you've built alternatively than who they really are. … If you met Billy, you wouldn't beryllium impressed," Aks said.

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Anna Delvey leaves her New York City flat successful nan East Village for a imaginable tribunal day connected Oct. 11, 2022.  (splash / SplashNews.com)

Aks added that nan public, particularly nan American public, does not talk astir nan occurrence stories of millionaire and billionaire business moguls successful nan aforesaid measurement nan nationalist discusses scammers and "money grubbers," peculiarly connected societal media.

"We glorify nan bad, nan scammy, nan evil, and we look astatine those group arsenic heroes."

"It utilized to beryllium … this inspirational way you would return successful your profession to benignant of move up a ladder aliases gain a surviving and bargain a location aliases something. Now, we vilify those people, and we glorify nan bad, nan scammy, nan evil, and we look astatine those group arsenic heroes," Aks said. "Like style icons aliases state fighters, aliases immoderate different imaginary title you want to delegate them. And I deliberation it's, well, it's very worrying arsenic a societal shift. … Why are we doing this?"

Nearly quiet plates of snacks seen beside integrative tables astatine Fyre Festival successful 2017. (Stephanie Farr)

Aks said he believes McFarland hasn't lived his "15 minutes of fame" yet aft nan first Fyre Festival, and he is still moving to execute nickname for Fyre Festival 2.

Fyre Festival 2 did not respond to Fox News Digital's questions astir a postponement, and thing connected nan event's website aliases societal media pages mentioned thing astir changed plans.

CONVICTED FYRE FEST FRAUDSTER BILLY MCFARLAND'S RETURN TO MEXICO ‘SOUNDS LIKE A TICKING TIME BOMB’: EXPERT

Rows of tents seen astatine Fyre Festival successful 2017. (Stephanie Farr)

Earlier this month, Fyre Festival organizers fired back astatine Playa del Carmen's connection saying nan Mexican city's authorities had nary knowledge of nan event.

FYRE FEST FRAUDSTER'S REDO LOOKS LIKE ‘NEW DISASTER’ FOR TROPICAL MUSIC BASH: EXPERT

"FYRE has been moving straight pinch nan authorities of Playa del Carmen (PDC) and their officials since March 5, 2025, to guarantee a safe and successful event," organizers said.

Fyre Fest laminitis Billy McFarland is successful nan process of readying a comeback pinch Fyre Festival 2, which was primitively scheduled to return spot successful Isla Mujeres, Mexico, betwixt May 30 and June 2 but has since been moved to Playa del Carmen, Mexico.  (iStock)

"All media reports suggesting our squad has not been moving pinch nan authorities of PDC are simply inaccurate and based connected misinformation," nan connection reads, on pinch screenshots and photos of "relevant permits, payments, and communications" pinch Playa del Carmen officials. "FYRE has operated arsenic a bully partner pinch PDC authorities and has followed nan due processes and procedures to lawfully big an event."

McFarland besides posted a video of a property convention he and his squad held successful Playa del Carmen connected March 28, which included authorities representatives from nan area. 

A photograph of nan sandwiches that were served astatine Fyre Festival successful 2017. (Stephanie Farr)

The connection came successful consequence to Playa del Carmen's societal media station saying that "[i]n consequence to rumors astir a expected arena called ‘Fyre 2,’ we pass you that nary arena of that sanction will beryllium held successful Playa del Carmen."

It was nan 2nd connection from a authorities entity denying nan festival's beingness since March. The arena was primitively scheduled to return spot successful Isla Mujeres, Mexico, betwixt those dates, but it precocious moved to Playa del Carmen, Mexico, aft Isla Mujeres said Fyre Festival organizers had not requested permits successful nan celebrated picnic town.

Two women airs arsenic if they are fighting complete a container of h2o astatine Fyre Festival successful 2017. (Stephanie Farr)

Tickets for Fyre Festival 2 commencement astatine $1,400 per personification for wide admittance and spell up from there. The astir costly summons sells for much than $1 cardinal and offers backstage aerial and yacht travel, luxury villa accommodations and show entree complete 4 days to 8 people.

In 2017, Fyre Festival guests arrived successful nan Bahamas to find bare-bones tents erstwhile they were promised luxury accommodations; cheap, boxed meals erstwhile they were promised a high-end culinary experience; unclean port-o-potties; and canceled music acts that they paid to see complete nan people of nan festival.

WATCH FYRE FESTIVAL FOUNDER BILLY MCFARLAND SPEAK WITH JESSE WATTERS:

The original Fyre Fest promised euphony acts including Blink 182, Migos and different artists; celebrity exemplary attendees, including nan Hadid sisters and Emily Ratajkowski; luxury accommodations and good food, pinch tickets ranging from $1,200 to complete $100,000. 

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After nan festival's failure, it went viral connected societal media erstwhile Hulu and Netflix published documentaries astir nan grounded formation bash, making nan #fyrefraud hashtag spell viral astatine nan time.

The show reached a colony pinch 277 summons holders successful 2021, erstwhile it was ordered to salary each recipient an grant of $7,220.