Less than two days in, the high-end music weekend Fyre Festival turned out to be an unmitigated disaster, and Twitter is having a field day.
“I just Googled ‘Fyre Festival’ and I can’t stop f—ing laughing,” one user wrote. “Oh, Jesus. If you live for train wrecks, STRAP THE F— IN.”
Founded by the rapper Ja Rule and tech entrepreneur Billy McFarland, and promoted by celebrities like Kendall Jenner and Emily Ratajkowski, Fyre Festival was billed a posh weekend getaway in the Bahamas. Tickets went for as much as $12,000. However, once ticket-holders arrived on the private island, what greeted them was less than luxurious.
The bare-bones accommodations — including “FEMA tent” living quarters and ham and cheese sandwiches — had festival-goers fleeing in droves on Thursday, only to discover that they’d be trapped at the airport waiting for flights.
“We thought it would be four nights with good music. They branded it as the next Coachella,” one attendee who paid $4,000 for a VIP package said in an interview with the Washington Post. “We’d rather be sleeping at an airport,” he said, “rather than in a tent on a rocky outcropping near a Sandals resort.”
While attendees have taken to social media to air their grievances about the event, others have had a field day making fun of festival goers who were tricked into paying thousands of dollars to basically get stranded on an island.
“Omg I just found out about fyre festival and I never want it to end,” wrote one user on Friday. “Explain how Fyre Festival is worse than any other music festival,” deadpanned another.
But maybe there’s a silver lining.
“A take,” wrote SPIN editor-in-chief Puja Patel. “The Rich Kids of Fyre Fest got what they wanted in the end — a one-of-a-kind experience to share on social media to the wonder of all.”
I just Googled"Fyre Festival" and I can't stop fucking laughing.
Oh, Jesus. If you live for train wrecks, STRAP THE FUCK IN.
— Iron Spike (@Iron_Spike) April 28, 2017
https://twitter.com/senari/status/857999424110424064
https://twitter.com/emilyyoshida/status/857954857394855936
#FYREFESTIVAL LOOKS LIT ??? pic.twitter.com/MXKlcNiyuB
— ???????????́? (@tserrhyo) April 28, 2017
https://twitter.com/RickyALaprade/status/858007880225746945
"the people at fyre fest were in real danger!"
literally who the hell cares
— Goth Ms. Frizzle (@spookperson) April 28, 2017
https://twitter.com/mekosoff/status/858005323763920897
The same thing that happened at Fyre Festival happened at all of my RollerCoaster Tycoon theme parks
— Christian Zamora (@Christian_Zamo) April 28, 2017
https://twitter.com/i_zzzzzz/status/857993582740987904
pumped for weekend 2 of fyre fest baby lets get it!!
— codyko (@codyko) April 28, 2017
Explain how Fyre Festival is worse than any other music festival.
— Dan Ozzi (@danozzi) April 28, 2017
i hope the fyre festival turns out to be battle royale
— ボブ (@weeabob) April 28, 2017
anyone selling a pass for fyre festival weekend 2? sounds amazing rly want to go
— chet porter (@chetporter) April 28, 2017
https://twitter.com/TheseOurBodies/status/858012348908437505
Ja Rule did warn everyone that he wants lots of money, and people would die in exchange for it pic.twitter.com/eCGvhh3pgS
— Tyler Kingkade (@tylerkingkade) April 28, 2017
fyre festival, the refugee experience for rich kids.
— Mitchel (@Harrie__) April 28, 2017
FYRE FEST DAY 6: Had to eat an Instagram butt model to live. Killed Wilmer Valderrama in trial by combat. Jared Leto's band played, 2 stars.
— Mark Agee (@MarkAgee) April 28, 2017