Luxury $12,000 festival descends into Lord of the Flies

If you follow any of the big, beautiful #influencers on Instagram, you’ve probably already heard of Fyre Festival. The boutique event, set on the twinkling azure coastlines of the Bahamas, has been mentioned repeatedly on the feeds of Bella Hadid, Emily Ratajkowski, and Kendall Jenner since its announcement back in December.

Organised by Ja Rule, the two-weekend festival promised to be a celebration of pure, unadulterated luxury. Guests would be flown on custom “VIP-configured” jets to the Exuma islands, where they would stay in modern, “geodesic” domes. They would sunbathe, swim around the private cays, and survey acts like Blink 182 as the sun set over the ocean. 

Unfortunately, this dream was never to be. Reports now reveal that the festival – which was set to begin this weekend – has been forced to shut down due to poor organisation. 

The trouble apparently started earlier this week, when Blink 182 released a statement revealing that they’d cancelled their performance. “Regrettably, and after much careful and difficult consideration, we want to let you know that we won't be performing at Fyre Fest in the Bahamas this weekend and next weekend,” the group said on Twitter. “We're not confident that we would have what we need to give you the quality of performances we always give fans.”

The drama then continued as guests began to share their experiences live from the festival. The attendees – who paid between $4,000 to $12,000 for their tickets – were apparently greeted by half-built tents, rubbish heaps, and “feral dogs” when they arrived on the site. On Reddit, complaints of “burning tents” and aggressive security also emerged. “TELL MY PARENTS I LOVE THEM AND I AM SORRY FOR EVERYTHING,” typed one desperate user. “Somebody please! Find Ja Rule!” 

The festival quickly began trending on social media, with people sharing photos of the grim meals and accommodation being offered on the site. 

According to an official Instagram post, the festival has been cancelled for this weekend – with organisers blaming the issues on “growing pains” that every “first-year event experiences.” From the looks of things, they are still planning to go through with the event’s second weekend, which is due to start next week. 

“Things got off to an unexpected start at day one of Fyre Festival,” the organisers explained. “If you have needs, please head to the "BLUE HOUSE" on the main festival site. Security, first aid, and Fyre Festival staff are here to assist immediately.”

Ja Rule remains silent.