The team behind the viral, and failed, Willy Wonka experience has some making up to do, and Billy McFarland — a guy who’s very familiar with that situation — wants to give them a shot at getting it right.
We talked to the Fyre Festival founder in NYC, and had to ask him about that Wonka disaster in the UK that’s captured the world’s attention … and instantly reminded folks of Billy’s own failed festival.
ICYMI … pics from a pop-up Willy Wonka experience in Scotland have been all over X and other social media platforms with people complaining about how truly lackluster and appalling the whole thing was.
And, Billy agrees … saying right off the bat he thinks organizers need to make amends with the kids for the one-star factory tour ASAP, and IF that happens … he’s offering team Wonka a spot at Fyre Festival II.
Remember, Billy put on a similarly, and legendarily, bad experience in the form of a music festival for high-paying fans back in 2017 in the Bahamas. The set-up was abysmal, and Billy later pled guilty to defrauding investors. He served around four years in prison.
McFarland says he wants to give the Wonka folks a chance to do things right at Fyre 2 … albeit with some guardrails in place to keep everything on track.
Billy’s clearly got the second Fyre Festival on his mind … saying it’s set for some time next year, but his partners will announce the date when they’re ready. For now, he’s taking on more of a marketing role and trying not to go overboard and do too much.
And, it seems like Fyre tickets are goin’ quickly … with Billy telling the world on Thursday that the Fyre II presale has received applications for around $110 million worth of tickets.
Clearly, second chances can be hella lucrative — so, the ‘Wonka’ people might wanna look into taking Billy up on his offer!
