Amidst the social media storm surrounding the disastrous events at the now-infamous Fyre Festival, organisers have released a statement saying that they plan to go ahead with another attempt at the festival in 2018.
The festival, a joint effort by rapper Ja Rule and 25 year old tech-entrepreneur Billy McFarland, promoted as a “luxury festival on a remote island formerly owned by Pablo Escobar in The Exumas in The Bahamas” turned into a disaster. It is alleged that the festival grounds had no infrastructure or amenities to receive guests, and festival-goers were stranded without food or water, while trying to evacuate the island.
A class-action lawsuit representing attendees has been filed against Ja Rule, McFarland and Fyre Media – the company that runs Fyre Festival, by celebrity lawyer Mark Geragos. Geragos & Geragos, a firm that has represented high-profile clients such as Chris Brown and Michael Jackson is claiming $100 million in damages.
“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 provisions — that was closer to “The Hunger Games” or “Lord of the Flies” than Coachella,” the suit, filed in a U.S. District Court in California, said.
However, despite the setbacks, Fyre Festival’s website claims that there are still plans for a 2018 festival, citing that “the support from the musical community has been overwhelming and we couldn’t be more humbled or inspired by this experience. People were rooting for us after the worst day we’ve ever had as a company. After speaking with our potential partners, we have decided to add more seasoned event experts to the 2018 Fyre Festival, which will take place at a United States beach venue.”
