Culture Editor
Celebrities are notoriously known for promoting products, brands, and lifestyles. Most recently, celebrities such as Kendall Jenner, Bella Hadid, Hailey Baldwin, Bella Thorne, Emily Ratajkowski, and many more advertised the Fyre Festival.
Described as a “Caribbean Coachella” on a private island in the Bahamas, the festival was founded by rapper Ja Rule and technology entrepreneur Billy McFarland. The founders’ inspiration was to create a once-in-a-lifetime vacation of opulent blue water and the VIP treatment. The guests were promised two weeks with an array of amenities such as gourmet island cuisine prepared by Steven Starr, luxurious accommodations, spa treatments, early morning yoga sessions, festive Bahamian junkanoo parades, mingling with celebrities, and live music. G.O.O.D. Music, Major Lazer, Migos, Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, and Bob Dylan were scheduled to perform.
Fyre Starters, who were a variety of celebrities, promoted the festival through their Instagrams. Starting back in December 2016, Fyre Starters began posting an orange square with a caption about the exclusive amenities and ticket prices. In addition, Fyre Starters promised to attend the festival. Tickets to this “once-in-a-lifetime musical experience” ranged from 1,200 dollars to nearly 250,000 dollars.
However, when the guests arrived on the island for “a cultural moment created from a blend of music, art and food,” no celebrities seemed to be in attendance. In fact, none of the promised amenities were there. Guests expected to stay in tiki-style villas, but were left to sleep in soggy tents, most left unfurnished. The lavish transportation was an old school bus. The artistically crafted menu solely featured sad cheese sandwiches and a wimpy pile of greens. The gorgeous beaches turned out to be nothing like paradise. The Plaza, which was expected to feature an array of cafes, was made up of folding tables and chairs. The festival lacked the basic resources. Upon arriving at the festival, many attendees described the event as chaotic and frightening. Due to the founders unpreparedness, the festival was canceled on April 27.
However, due to the false advertisement, Fyre Starters such as Kendall Jenner are facing million dollar lawsuits. On Sunday, May 30, Daniel Jung, on behalf of himself and all festival attendees, filed 100 million dollar proposed class-action lawsuit against the Fyre Festival and its organizers. Jung is accusing the founders of creating a “Hunger Games” and “Survivor” event, with the lack of water, food, and shelter. Although Jung is suing on behalf of all concert attendees, several others are filing lawsuits as well.
(Sources: ABC, Forbes, Washington Post, Fyre Festival, Fortune, Quartz Media)
Categories: Culture, Uncategorized