This Is the Event Partner Working With Billy McFarland to Produce Fyre Festival 2

Mexican event company Lostnights has been revealed as the production partner resurrecting Fyre Festival, the notorious 2017 event that ended in chaos and led to founder Billy McFarland's imprisonment for fraud.

The second iteration of Fyre Festival is slated for May 30th to June 2nd on Isla Mujeres, a small island off Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula near Cancún. Lostnights, an event organizer with deep ties to Tulum's electronic music scene, will handle production duties.

"I'm sure many people think I’m crazy for doing this again," McFarland said in a statement released today. "But I feel I’d be crazy not to do it again. After years of reflection and now thoughtful planning, the new team and I have amazing plans for Fyre 2. The adventure seekers who trust the vision and take the leap will help make history. Thank you to my partners for the second chance."

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Lostnights produces events at Tehmplo, an open-air electronic music venue tucked away in the Quintana Roo jungle that regularly books influential DJs like Solomun, Michael Bibi and Vintage Culture. The company's CEO, Carlos López, also serves as a Director at Tulum's Day Zero, a dance music festival founded by renowned DJ and producer Damian Lazarus.

Lostnights boasts on its website about being "adept at logistics, coordination, and execution, ensuring every element of your event is flawless." This claim will face unprecedented scrutiny as the company attempts to rehabilitate the Fyre Festival brand. McFarland in 2022 was released from prison after serving four years for wire fraud following the botched event on the Bahamian island of Great Exuma.

The new location choice of Isla Mujeres presents its own challenges. The island, which has a population of less than 23,000, has limited infrastructure compared to major festival destinations, raising questions about pain points in the original event's collapse. Just over half of households on the island have internet access, according to the Municipality of Quintana Roo.

Lostnights claims on its website that "operations are the backbone of any successful event" and that they "handle logistics with a keen eye for detail." Whether this expertise can overcome the logistical nightmare that defined the ill-fated Fyre Festival remains to be seen, but it's worth noting that McFarland reportedly brought on ancillary hotel, travel and ticketing companies to help.

The good news, however, is that Isla Mujeres is considered one of the safest destinations in Mexico. It was ranked among the top islands to visit in North America in the 2024 Readers' Choice Awards by Condé Nast Traveler, following a significant increase in tourism since 2019.

Isla Mujeres welcomed approximately 944,401 visitors that year, per the Quintana Roo Secretary of Tourism, marking a substantial 35.4% increase from the previous year. This upward trend continued into 2022, with monthly tourist arrivals reaching up to 200,000 and ballooning hotel occupancy rates on the island, according to Latin American tourism news outlet REPORTUR.

A total of 2,000 tickets to Fyre Festival 2 went on sale today, February 24th, ranging in price from $1,400 to a staggering $1.1 million. A lineup has not been announced at the time of this writing.

More information about Fyre Festival 2 can be found on its official website.