'Luxury' Fyre Festival in Bahamas Turns Into Fiasco

Festival co-organized by Ja Rule 'postponed' after 'physical infrastructure' problems

A luxury music festival that promised to fly guests from Miami to the Bahamas for a "once-in-a-lifetime musical experience" had to be canceled after it turned into a disorganized debacle.

The Fyre Music Festival was supposed to be a two-weekend event starting Friday, held on a private island in the Exumas and offering the "best in music, cuisine, design and hospitality," according to the Fyre Festival Facebook page.

The festival, co-organized by Ja Rule, had steep ticket prices that included a roundtrip flight from Miami, a treasure hunt and performances by Blink-182, Major Lazer, Skepta and Disclosure. It advertised and targeted millennials with a luxury time with yachts and models, with some reportedly paying as much as $12,000 for their tickets. 

A luxury music festival that promised to fly guests from Miami to the Bahamas for a “once-in-a-lifetime musical experience” had to be canceled after it turned into a disorganized debacle.

But festival-goers who arrived Thursday found conditions less than luxurious, and took to social media to voice their displeasure.

There were complaints of issues getting to the island and amid reports that the island was overcapacity.

One festival-goer, 21-year-old Tom Knight, of New Jersey, said his flight out of Miami was delayed for four hours and when he landed in the Bahamas there were no buses to escort people to the island.

Once they got there, Knight said their luggage didn't arrive for several hours and the accommodations were tents.

"We’re living in tents, the mattresses are soaking wet and there is just a pillow case, no pillow, no sheets. Some people are actually sleeping on the floor of their tents because there aren’t enough beds to go around," Knight said. "It’s literally one strip of road and the house, and that’s it, and all of the tents. It’s like, literally looks like a concentration camp."

Then, on Thursday night, Blink-182 announced they had canceled their appearance at the festival.

"Due to circumstances out of our control, the physical infrastructure was not in place on time and we are unable to fulfill on that vision safely and enjoyably for our guests," a message on FyreFestival.com read. "At this time, we are working tirelessly to get flights scheduled and get everyone off of Great Exuma and home safely as quickly as we can."

Festival organizers said they were working to put people on complimentary charter flights back to Miami.

"The festival is being postponed until we can further assess if and when we are able to create the high-quality experience we envisioned," the website read.

Ja Rule said he was "heartbroken" in a tweet Friday, saying it wasn't his fault but he takes full responsibility.

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The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism released a statement Friday apologizing to people who came to the event.

"We are extremely disappointed in the way the events unfolded yesterday with the Fyre Festival," the statement read. "Hundreds of visitors to Exuma were met with total disorganization and chaos."

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