Fyre Festival Founder Explains Disaster, Promises Make-Up Fest Next Year

“The reality is, we weren’t experienced enough to keep up.”
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Musha Cay, Bahamas (Photo by Marc Serota/Getty Images)

Fyre Festival, a new luxury festival scheduled to take place in the Bahamas this weekend, was postponed after a chaotic turn of events. The campsite appeared to be half-finished, bands cancelled their appearances, and planes were reportedly grounded because the island was at capacity. After an apology from festival co-creator Ja Rule and a statement from the Bahama Ministry of Tourism, the festival’s founder and co-organizer, Billy McFarland, explained the disaster and plans for a make-up festival next year in an interview with Rolling Stone. “We thought we were making timeframes that were correct,” he told the magazine. “We were a little naïve in thinking for the first time we could do this ourselves. Next year, we will definitely start earlier. The reality is, we weren’t experienced enough to keep up.”

McFarland cites poor planning and unfortunate weather conditions as reasons for flight delays and the chaotic scene on the ground. He claims that those who want to go home will be sent home tonight, but asks guests who are staying in private homes to stay longer, if they can. “We’re going to take every measure to make this right for everybody now, and make this right for everybody next year, on a large scale,” he said. He also promised that the festival would donate $1.50 per ticket to the Bahamian Red Cross. Read the full interview here.