OLD FLAME
Fyre Festival TWO is ‘finally happening’ says disgraced boss of first doomed party Billy McFarland
THE fraudster behind the doomed Fyre Festival has teased the prospect of a sequel of the scandalous event.
Disgraced businessman Billy McFarland boldly announced he is back up to his old tricks and planning phase two of his botched project.
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Fresh off the heels of his four-year prison sentence, it seems he has been preparing to relight the fire under his ruined reputation.
McFarland revealed he was in the process of cooking up an idea for another exclusive party island experience.
The 30-year-old was at the center of the scandal in 2017 when the celebrity-endorsed Fyre Festival went down in flames.
The event had promised an epic party for the ages in paradise, replete with luxury villas and decadent dishes cooked by the world's finest chefs, with tickets costing up to $100k.
But instead of luxury villas, attendees were housed in emergency FEMA tents and instead of world-class cuisine, they were served cold cheese sandwiches in foam containers.
McFarland is now trying to make a comeback in the industry by throwing himself into producing a new remote-island extravaganza.
Taking to Twitter on Sunday, he wrote: "Fyre Festival II is finally happening."
The New York native then brazenly asked his 8,043 followers to tell him why they deserved an invite to his latest venture.
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One user was quick to remind him of his last failed festival, asking McFarland to explain why he "shouldn't be in jail."
He hit back: "It’s in the best interest of those I owe for me to be working.
"People aren’t getting paid back if I sit on the couch and watch TV. And because I served my time."
But it seems he is attempting to move away from his scandalous past by rebranding himself as the boss of PYRT, despite it having all the hallmarks of the infamous Fyre Festival.
Although he insists his new proposal isn't a festival, it is still set to host a slew of influencers on a tropical island.
McFarland previously told NBC News: "I was talking to somebody yesterday and they’re like, ‘You can crawl in a hole and die, or you can go and try to do something and just like not promise any results."
But he has already laid out his plans to repay the $26million he scammed out of investors in a tweet last month.
The convicted fraudster has been vocal about his desire for fresh financial backing, even sharing a contact number online for people to approach him with business opportunities.
He wrote: "Here’s how I’m going to pay it back: I spend half my time filming TV shows.
"The other half, I focus on what I’m really, really good at.
"I’m the best at coming up with wild creative, getting talent together, and delivering the moment."
Festival fans aren't holding their breath after the shambolic bash he threw together in the Bahamas - that he conned attendees into believing was on Pablo Escobar’s former private island.
TAKE TWO
One joked: "If you need any help with planning, there’s a great documentary on this!"
Another added: "I’ll show up with 100 crates full of bananas. No one will go hungry this time around."
And a third quipped: "I’m just waiting for the documentary sequel."
McFarland's former business associate Andy King has also raised concerns about his ex-pal's new projects.
The fraudster, who partnered with rapper Ja Rule to promote the bungled 2017 event, cheekily tagged him in a tweet asking to confirm his attendance to his latest venture.
Discussing the prospect of PYRT, King told The US Sun he feared history would repeat itself with another epic - and costly - flop.
He said: "My immediate reaction was, 'it's too fast, too quick, and too soon.' I just couldn't believe that so quickly out of prison he's already promoting something.
"I would have thought he'd have taken more time to really plan something out and to re-establish relationships and heal some of the relationships he hurt through Fyre.
"But instead it looks like he's just jumped right into something else.
"I'm confused by the concept or how it's going to work [...] and I just can't believe it."
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The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism has already made it clear McFarland is not welcome on the island, as locals are still trying to recover from the financial hardship in wake of the botched Fyre Festival.
They described him as a "fugitive" and pledged to prohibit any McFarland-linked ventures from obtaining permits there.
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