The (Possible) Greatest Party That Never Happened Part 2

My thoughts on news that reputed con artst Billy McFarland is allegedly hosting a second Fyre Festival.

Sources:

The original source:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqorrrmBLiw (The Podcast That Rocked)

https://www.yahoo.com/news/fyre-festival-2-tickets-sale-032357343.html

https://people.com/fyre-festival-2-does-not-exist-isla-mujeres-tourism-board-says-billy-mcfarland-claims-its-real-11691724

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjU8pSqWReE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWC2HJq1wCw

The words I use in the recording may not match the words in the transcript.

Transcript

I've heard within the last week or so, from an episode of The Podcast That Rocked, that Billy McFarland--who was convicted not even a decade ago on various charges of fraud in relation to the infamous Fyre Festival--is now advertising what he's calling Fyre Festival 2--and, from what I've heard and read about the story (if I can use a pun) it's already a Dumpster fire. This time, the festival is allegedly set in Isla Mujeres in Mexico, and in late May and early June of this year. Yep, Billy McFarland is at it again--and I have a weird feeling that this chapter is going to be a lot like the first.

I have that feeling because I'm already reading about problems with this situation--the major one being that Mexican officials state no one has applied for permits to host the event--in fact, they say they've been blindsided by news of the festival. Edgar Gasca, director general of economic development and tourism of Isla Mujeres, said, "This festival is not going to happen. There are red flags all over the place," noting that one of the biggest concerns is the location listed on the festival's website: "If you go on their website and take the coordinates they provide, then put them in Google Maps, it takes you to the ocean--between Cancun and Isla Mujeres." (I did this myself, entering the coordinates into the Google search engine, then into Microsoft Bing--Gasca is right.) Gasca may have laughed at this--as it's an apparent mistake--but it speaks to McFarland's apparent unwillingness to do his homework and a larger pattern of failing to learn from his mistakes and disregard for details (among other things).

Despite concerns expressed by Gasca and other Mexican officials, Fyre Festival organizers insist it's going forward; in fact, McFarland actually had the audacity to say, in an Instagram video, "I figured it would be best to hear directly from me what's actually happening." Given McFarland's history of deceiving and conning people--he was convicted for fraud, for crying out loud--saying this takes some serious cojones on his part; also, it's been said that the best predictor of future behaviour is past behaviour, and I have a feeling McFarland is continuing to be a living, breathing example of that. And, just in terms of crying 'fake news,' Donald Trump would be proud.

Now, let's look at the alleged festival itself. First of all, much like the original Fyre Festival, it seems like McFarland and Company are advertising this thing before putting it together--shit, it sounds an awful like they haven't booked any talent yet. Experienced music-festival organizers say a year minimum is necessary to put a music festival together, but McFarland and his team scheduled the original Fyre Festival at most two months after communicating the idea. I've seen 'Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened' on Netflix multiple times, and I just get the feeling Fyre Festival Part 2 really will be Fyre Festival Part 2--in the way that it will be The Greatest Party That Never Happened Part 2.  

I have to admit, as soon as I discovered that Billy McFarland was advertising a second Fyre Festival, my first thought--and it was immediate--was that McFarland is proving beyond the shadow of a doubt that he hasn't learned his lesson--and the more I dig, the more true that seems to be. But I guess McFarland is one of those people who, even after spending years in prison, don't learn from their past activities. So it seems Marc Weinstein was right when he stated near the end of 'Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened' that Billy McFarland would start some other kind of venture "that's imaginative and gets some serious momentum" and Fyre Festival would happen again--Weinstein just miscalculated on the timeline, as it's less than ten years after the first Fyre festival. In any case, by the looks of it, Billy McFarland is up to his reputed old tricks. Which means no one should give him the time of day, much less a cent of their money.