What Happened At Fyre Festival? Organizers Explain Ja Rule’s Failed Music Gathering

To say Fyre Festival didn’t go well would be an understatement. A day after festival goers flew home from the Bahamas, organizers issued an apology on their website.

Cofounders Billy McFarland and Ja Rule “simply weren't ready for what happened next, or how big this thing would get,” the statement said. “Yesterday was a very challenging day for all of us.”

READ: Was Fyre Festival A Fraud?

Organizers simply weren’t ready for the people that flooded the Bahamas. “As amazing as the islands are, the infrastructure for a festival of this magnitude needed to be built from the ground up,” the statement said. “So, we decided to literally attempt to build a city. We set up water and waste management, brought an ambulance from New York, and chartered 737 planes to shuttle our guests via 12 flights a day from Miami.”

They didn’t use it as an excuse, but organizers noted the strong winds made things more difficult. “This is an unacceptable guest experience and the Fyre team takes full responsibility for the issues that occurred,” they wrote. “Everyone was very concerned for our guests. They needed a place to sleep and everyone did their absolute best to rebuild.”

A full refund was being issued to all festivalgoers. “We will be working on refunds over the next few days and will be in touch directly with guests with more details,” the statement concluded.

Even though the first Fyre Festival was a colossal failure, organizers promised there would be a second one next year. If any ticket holders are willing to give Fyre Festival a second chance, they will receive free VIP passes to next year’s, which will be held at a U.S. location.

As International Business Times previously reported, individual tickets cost up to $12,000. A VIP package went for $250,000 for 12 people.

Ja Rule, the festival’s creator, was quick to issue an apology. “I truly apology as this is NOT MY FAULT, but I’m taking responsibility. I’m deeply sorry to everyone who was inconvenienced by this,” he tweeted Friday.

By Friday morning, the festival announced inbound flights to the island were canceled.“Due to circumstances beyond our control, and in line with a culture of safety, all inbound charter flights to the Exumas have been canceled. Your ticket and any funds uploaded to your RFID band will be refunded,” they wrote. “Thank you for bearing with us as we work through the growing pains that every first-year event experiences.”

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