AT Billy McFarland’s FYRE Fest comeback, dubbed PHNX, French Montana performed to a near-empty crowd, and guests roasted the food.
In stunning photos from the livestream of the headliner’s performance off the coast of Honduras, there seemed to be fewer than 100 people in the crowd as French performed.
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French Montana performed for a very, very intimate crowd this weekend at Billy McFarland’s attempt at FYRE Fest redemption… PHNX FestCredit: PHNX/Fyre Festival Livestream
Bill McFarland’s redemption seemed to have fallen short over the weekendCredit: TikTok/pyrtbilly
One festival performer shared the vegetarian offering, which appeared reminiscent of the cheese sandwiches of the inaugural debacle FYRE Fest 2017Credit: TikTok/220kidmusic
The U.S. Sun can exclusively reveal that the event was so poorly attended, Billy‘s team was inviting locals via social media to come for free food and performances on Saturday.
The convicted fraudster had previously said there were 400 guests expected for the weekend festivities.
A post by one of the PHNX Festival producers to the local Utila community on Instagram read, “You are invited as my free, complimentary guest to today’s PHNX Festival on Diamond Cay, if you live on Utila. Free food is included. Drinks not included. No credit card. No transfers. We are now open!”
A DJ, who goes by 220 Kid, and who performed immediately after French, shared a snap of the vegetarian offering on the ground at PHNX.
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In a quick video, 220 Kid said “I know I shouldn’t post this, but who wants to see the vegetarian food? Please don’t bully them.”
He then shared a sad-looking plate of one dry-looking ear of corn and plain white rice, before adding, “That’s the vegetarian options baby.”
The food even came in a styrofoam plate, reminiscent of the 2017 FYRE Fest’s cheese sandwiches in styrofoam containers.
According to the itinerary posted to Billy‘s Instagram, guests were set to fly in on Thursday, and then on Friday enjoy a day of coral reef diving, island exploring, a welcome dinner, and a late-night “beach club takeover.”
Billy shared a quick video of the venue on Friday evening, which showed only a small handful of people.
On Saturday, the main events kicked off.
The day started with scuba and snorkeling, and then the live performances on Diamond Cay, including French Montana performing.
Then Sunday was set to be beach Muay Thai, a freshwater cave hike and more live performances, though it was unclear what, or if any of that, happened.
The Saturday, December 6 and Sunday, December 7 events were supposed to be offered via livestream; however, The U.S. Sun was only able to view Saturday’s livestream.
Sunday appeared to no longer be offered, despite the livestream being advertised for both days.
To livestream the event was $6.99.
The U.S. Sun reached out to Billy for comment.
BILLY’S LAST MINUTE BID FOR SPONSORS
As The U.S. Sun previously reported, Billy was desperately trying to sell promotional space as late as Tuesday of last week.
In one video, pointing toward a small hut designed in a tiki style, Billy stated, “PHNX is taking place in four days. And if nobody puts their logo up there, you are absolutely crazy.”
In another alarming video, Billy displays his floating restroom setup, where a small forklift is seen depositing what appears to be a row of approximately 10 portable toilets onto a small, rusty barge.
In a prior video released in September, Billy guaranteed there would be “no corny a** cheese sandwiches. No Blink 182, taking $500K and making emo songs about us, those f*ing losers, and no snitch, a Ja Rule.”
Instead, Billy promises that attendees will fry fish, roast hogs, engage in ATV and dirt bike riding, go scuba diving on the best reefs “you’ve ever seen,” and visit beautiful small islands with “beautiful people.”
FYRE Festival & Billy McFarland
The inaugural FYRE Festival remains one of the most infamous event disasters in history.
Attendees were left devastated after spending tens of thousands of dollars to attend the event, only to arrive on an island in the Bahamas lacking food, water, and accommodation- not to mention the musical acts all pulled out at the last minute.
The debacle was magnified by social media, with disgruntled influencers sharing their outrage after stepping onto Great Exuma expecting the party of a lifetime.
Instead of the promised luxury villas, festival-goers were greeted by re-purposed emergency FEMA tents.
Enticed by the allure of world-class cuisine, ticket holders found themselves served cold cheese sandwiches in foam containers.
Despite the spectacular failure, Billy exclusively told The U.S. Sun in an interview that he has his reasons for attempting the event a second time.
Billy said: “This is the most tangible way to repay the $26 million that I owe, and having real partners gives an opportunity in the next five to seven years, to actually pay back that $26 million.
“And unfortunately, no one’s offering me $26 million to work somewhere else.”
The convicted felon, who faced charges for misleading his investors, went on to say he is taking full advantage of his notoriety.
“We are literally the most talked about music festival in the world. We’ve had three times as many mentioned this Coachella, which is in second place and there’s a huge drop-off after that.
“It’s an incredible opportunity to steer that ship into the storm and embra
The U.S. Sun did observe pigs being roasted during the Saturday night livestream.
General admission was priced at $500 and would have gotten you “full access to the PHNX island experience: a 4-day weekend of music, adventure, and community across Utila and Diamond Cay,” according to the official website.
“Dive through coral reefs. Hop on an ATV to dinner. Dance barefoot on a private island at sunset. This isn’t a vacation, it’s a rebellion against normal.”
The General Admission ticket covers “Access to all PHNX main events on Utila & Diamond Cay. 3 meals per day across Friday–Monday (see full itinerary).
“Water taxis between Utila and Diamond Cay. Diving, snorkeling, and adventure excursions.
“Daily after-parties and community events.” The GA ticket price does not include airfare, lodging, or ATV/golf cart rentals.
For $4,000, a group of six could receive certain benefits, though airfare, hotels, or ATV/golf cart rentals were still excluded.
An extravagant $74,000 package for two included “2 seats in Challenger 601 round trip from Miami. Luxury villa on Utila. We’ll provide the available options and you choose,” among other private VIP offerings.
BILLY’S MOST RECENT ATTEMPT AT A FEST
Earlier this year, the Fyre Festival founder attempted to organize FYRE Fest 2, but then abruptly canceled the project and sold off the FYRE brand in April—just a few months before the event was supposedly scheduled.
He claimed he was offering tickets for that celebration for $1.1 million, though, clearly, no one seemed willing to pay the cost.
This recent turmoil occurred years after the initial Fyre Festival in 2017 ended in catastrophe.
The festival was promoted as an extravagant, celebrity-filled gathering in the Bahamas, with endorsements from figures such as Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid.
It promised acts from prominent performers and a lavish island getaway.
Instead, those who attended encountered simple boxed cheese sandwiches, canceled musical sets, and insufficient essential supplies like food, water, and shelter, despite paying thousands of dollars to be there.
This debacle resulted in Billy’s arrest and subsequent guilty plea to charges including wire fraud.
Prosecutors estimated that the failed event cost investors more than $26 million.
He was given a six-year prison sentence in 2018.
The incident received renewed attention in 2019 when both Netflix and Hulu released documentary films detailing the controversy.
Billy has since stated that Fyre Festival 2 would be his chance to make amends following the initial disaster.
As The U.S. Sun previously reported, Billy still has nearly $35 million in outstanding taxes and restitution owed to his victims.
There appeared to be less than 100 people watching French Montana, who was the headliner, performCredit: PHNX/Fyre Festival Livestream
Billy watched on as one of the performers before French took the stageCredit: PHNX/Fyre Festival Livestream
The food offerings appeared to leave something to be desired at PHNXCredit: PHNX/Fyre Festival Livestream
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