Disgraced Fyre Festival founder Billy McFarland may be in prison, but it looks like he’s still up to his old tricks. The faux mogul has announced a new event which he hopes will help change the narrative of disastrous failure surrounding his 2017 Bahamian luxury getaway-turned-epic shitshow.
The new venture: Yce Festival, a three-day, Game of Thrones-themed festival set to take place on private land in The North Pole that was formerly owned by Santa Claus. Yce Festival is set to take place on May 17–19th, coinciding with the highly awaited series finale of Game of Thrones on HBO.
McFarland announced the event via press teleconference from FCI Otisville, in Orange County, New York, where he is currently serving a six-year prison sentence after his conviction for defrauding ticket purchasers and investors for Fyre Festival, as well as attempting to sell over $100,000 worth of fraudulent tickets to exclusive events like the Met Gala and the GRAMMYs after the initial failure of Fyre Festival.
“Yce Festival is a continuation of the core beliefs we established with Fyre Festival,” McFarland noted from prison. “Fyre Festival had its challenges, and my team and I all learned a lot. Some of us are paying for it dearly. But, like a phoenix…nay, a Dragon rising from the ashes, we are going to take all of that, absorb it, and make Yce the most epic event of all time! Just wait until you see what we have in store for Yce Festival…Winter is coming!”
Alluding to the festival’s Game of Thrones theme, McFarland explained that “for my first event back, I knew there would be a lot of risks involved and a lot of questions from potential ticket-buyers. With that in mind, I knew that if I partnered with a rock-solid IP like Game of Thrones, people wouldn’t be able to resist attending even if it was me putting it on. Game of Thrones is the most epic television franchise of all time, and only I could bring something this epic to life. Plus, the ‘Yce’ and ‘Fyre’ thing was just too perfect not to explore.”
“We totally dove into the Game of Thrones universe to make sure this is unlike any event anyone’s ever seen. I don’t want to give too much away now—but let’s just say, don’t be surprised if you run into some ACTUAL DRAGONS at Yce Festival.”
When asked how he would acquire dragons, an imaginary creature that never existed, McFarland responded with confidence that “anything is possible” and that “money is no object.” Proclaimed McFarland, “We’re just gonna do it and be legends … We haven’t found them yet, but if anyone can, it’s my guy Andy King.”
McFarland promised that Yce festival would be the definitive premium experience for Game of Thrones fans as they say goodbye to the beloved franchise. Each ticket will come with accommodation, ranging from the general admission “Wildling Camping” package up to the ritzy “Lannister Super VIP” bundle, complete with your own private castle on the festival grounds.
The price of food and drink is included in the ticket cost, but with a catch. “At Fyre Festival, we were criticized for not providing the gourmet food and catering that we promised in our advertising. Yce festival will remove that burden entirely. In keeping with the immersive Game of Thrones‘ medieval fantasy theme, ‘Lannister Super VIP’ ticket holders will receive an unlimited allotment of meats, cheeses, wine, and mead. ‘Targaryen VIP’ ticket holders will also have access to the unlimited food and drink, but they will have to rally at least two GA campsites behind them as “bannermen” and take it from the ‘Lannister Super VIP’ attendees by force. For everyone else, it’s a free-for-all. We’re going to release enough livestock onto the grounds to feed all the festival’s attendees, so get out there and hunt yourself a boar!”
“I’ve always thought of myself as being a Lannister type—aside from the blonde hair and the whole ‘always paying my debts’ thing—but there’re really some cool options all the way down the line, from the ‘Targaryen Super VIP’ to the ‘Dothraki Horde Rave Camp’ to the ‘Wildling GA Camp.'”
In terms of music, McFarland promised that the lineup would be heavy on artists who have appeared on or helped with music on Game of Thrones, such as Ed Sheeran, Coldplay, Sigur Ros, Mastadon, and Of Monsters And Men. McFarland did confirm that Kristian Nairn, the actor who played the beloved character Hodor on the show would be performing during the “long night” late night party. McFarland added, “also, Ja Rule will be there.”
Much like the Fyre Festival announcement, the announcement of Yce Festival comes just a few weeks ahead of the scheduled event. When asked if he and his team would have enough time to make the event happen or if they were doomed to repeat the same mistakes, McFarland demurred. “What did I just say a minute ago about the dragons?” he asked, seemingly annoyed. “I said we’re going to do it, and be legends. How is that still unclear?”
Sadly, while McFarland seems to be leading the charge for Yce Festival from behind bars, he won’t actually be able to attend the event himself. “I couldn’t get permission to take a leave from my sentence to attend. It’s frustrating, but we’re hoping that nothing goes wrong so my absence won’t even be noticed. What’s the worst that could happen?”
We’ll just have to wait and see how Billy McFarland’s Yce Festival turns out. It admittedly seems like he may once again be in over his head, but if there’s one person who can put together an experience fit for both a medieval king and a homeless pauper, it’s Billy McFarland.
Tickets to Yce Festival start at $10,000 for Wildling GA, $300,000 for the Targaryen VIP package (which comes with a private dragon ride for you and your 5 closest friends), and $500,000 for the full “Lannister Super VIP” package. To purchase your tickets to Yce Festival, head here.
April Fools!