Billy McFarland says he wants Fyre Festival II to be his ‘redemption’ – as he brings back original organizer who went viral for oral sex offer to customs official

Disgraced Fyre Festival founder Billy McFarland hopes a second version of his disastrous event will provide ‘redemption’ as notorious party promoter Andy King confirms he will be joining the team.

McFarland was sentenced to six years in prison in 2018 for defrauding investors and ticket buyers, and spent nearly four years behind bars.

King became a “celebrity” thanks to a Netflix documentary about the fiasco, in which he offered to have oral sex with customs officers in the Bahamas if they would release from a warehouse the bottled water they so desperately needed for those in attendance.

McFarland began selling tickets for Fyre Festival 2 on Monday, and despite the venue only being called “Caribbean” and no confirmed artists to perform, all 100 initial tickets sold out, at $499 each.

McFarland said Friday he hoped people would trust him enough to attend the rematch.

“I really hope it’s all about redemption, the second chance,” he told NewsNation.

McFarland said his four-year prison sentence for fraud following the catastrophic event in April 2017 gave him time to reflect and learn from his mistakes

“And I think the way I see myself now is that I’m flying a small plane through a hurricane and people are sitting in the front row, and they’re not sure if I’m going to crash or if I’m going to land. . But anyway, it will be entertaining and you will meet really interesting people.

“So if I can deliver on that, I think I’m adding entertainment and value to people’s lives.”

McFarland, 31, said his imprisonment had given him time to reflect on his mistakes.

“So I’ve spent a total of 10 months in solitary confinement in prison, and a lot of time thinking about the damage done to family, friends and people who really want to attend Fyre Festival 1,” he said.

“And I’ve put together a plan to really rebuild trust. And I think the only thing I’m really thankful for is the fact that I’m 31. And I have 50 years ahead of me to not only work, but also be present in life’s little moments. And to really give back to those who have failed before.”

He said that this time he put together a professional team and was not personally involved in the money side.

“So the big difference this time is that we’re working with a very big festival and logistics partner, so I’m not touching the money,” he said.

“I’m not going to be the one to book the talent. I’ll talk about my reading and social media, move tickets and let the pros create the secret experience.”

Andy King has confirmed he is rejoining McFarland to promote the festival

Luxurious accommodations turned out to be tents that looked like bomb shelters and could barely withstand the bad weather that plagued the guests

Festival guests were left with no place to stay or put their luggage and when the festival was canceled on the first day, they were stranded

The gourmet meal packages offered to the festival’s guests, many of whom paid more than $1,000 for the retreat, were served barely reasonable food in the school cafeteria

McFarland was the focus of two different documentaries in 2019, produced by Netflix and Hulu

King, who teamed up with McFarland at the original April 2017 festival, confirmed on Tuesday that he is part of the team.

“I look forward to working with Billy and our partners to share Fyre with the world,” he said The Los Angeles Times.

He also presented the new festival as redemption.

“I am so grateful to have support to help us enact the ultimate redemption,” he said.

A formerly respected New York event planner, King teamed up with McFarland and rapper Ja Rule for the original festival.

When four trucks of Evian water were stuck at Bahamian customs, McFarland asked King, whom he called “our great gay leader,” to “take one big thing for the team” and offer the customs officer oral sex to ” to save the festival’.

King said in the documentary that he accepted the job, went home, washed his mouth with mouthwash, drove to the official and offered the sexual favor.

The official refused the advance and allowed the water bottles to continue by extending the payment term.

He was sentenced to six years in prison for the failed Fyre Festival

In 2019, King said he had no regrets for his actions.

“At the end of the day I was demonstrating something and that was, you know what? Sometimes you have to do what you have to do to get the job done.

‘Did I finally do it? No. Would I have done it? Maybe,” he told The LA Times.

“And in today’s culture, it’s hard to find people who go the extra mile to get something done right. I think this appealed to a lot of people. Like, “Oh my god, you need someone like Andy King on your team, because he’s going to do everything he can to make your event a success.”