Fyre Festival’s brand rights, from its IP and trademarks to its social media handles, were auctioned off on eBay this Tuesday, fetching $245,300. The auction ran for a week, drawing 175 bids from 42 participants. The final offer was accepted at 12:44 p.m. EST.
What started as a luxury outdoor music festival in the Bahamas in 2017 quickly turned into a nightmare. Promised glamping transformed into basic disaster-relief tents with dirt floors, meals were reduced to cheese sandwiches, and acts like Blink-182 pulled out at the last minute.
Festival organizer Billy McFarland pleaded guilty in 2018 to wire fraud and related charges tied to the inaugural event. He was released early from a federal prison sentence in 2022. McFarland even streamed the auction as it unfolded. When bidding topped $240,000, he commented, “Damn. This sucks, it’s so low,” and laughed at the mystery buyer. “It’s funny,” he added, without revealing who purchased the brand.
After the sale, McFarland issued a statement congratulating the winner and expressing relief at closing this chapter. On social media he said, “FYRE Festival is just one chapter of my story, and I’m excited to move onto my next one.”
Modern culture took notice. The first Fyre Festival became the subject of two documentaries: one on Netflix, one on Hulu, and inspired a flood of memes and mockery online.
That backlash didn’t deter McFarland. In 2023, he announced Fyre Festival II, planned for a private island off Mexico. Sets sold out, but the event was later postponed, with the new date tied to finalizing the location.
Earlier this spring, McFarland signaled a shift.
“After two years of rebuilding FYRE with honesty, creativity, and relentless effort, it’s time to pass the torch,” he wrote on the festival’s Instagram page. He added, “I’ve stood by my team, our partners, and our fans since Day 1 of FYRE Festival 2. Giving control of the brand to a new group is the most responsible way to follow through on what we set out to do… build a global entertainment brand, host a safe and legendary event, and continue to pay restitution to those who are owed from the first festival.”
He concluded, “The next chapter of FYRE will be bigger, better, and built to last without me at the helm.”
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