But We Thought We OWN the WORLD

Don't we?

Famous models on yachts! Exclusive island once owned by Pablo Escobar! Blink-182!

Those were just some of the selling points for Fyre Festival, a supposedly opulent music weekend that was scheduled to begin in the Bahamas on Thursday, with “first-class culinary experiences and a luxury atmosphere,” along with performances by G.O.O.D. Music, Major Lazer, Migos and more.
But when guests arrived on the island of Great Exuma for the inaugural weekend, they found something closer to “Survivor”: grounds that were woefully lacking in the promised amenities, replaced instead by dirt fields, soggy tents and folding chairs.

[...]

By Friday morning, the festival, founded by the rapper Ja Rule and the tech entrepreneur Billy McFarland, was in damage-control mode.

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Taxis were hard to come by, in part because the festival had promoted itself as a cashless event, asking attendees to upload funds to digital wristbands instead. So people were stranded without money.

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General disappointment soon turned to near-panic as the festival was canceled and attendees attempted to flee back to the mainland of Florida.

  NYT

SINCE the wee hours of this morning, Bahamians from all walks of life have been venting their anger at an astounding level of disrespect displayed by the foreign organisers of the Fyre Festival and scratching their heads that the Ministry of Tourism would aid and abet such efforts during the famous Exuma Regatta week.

[...]

From our understanding the festival was originally scheduled for Norman’s Cay; but had to be switched to Georgtown at the last minute. The organisers were again advised to reschedule the event to avoid competing with the famous 60 and more-year-old Georgetown regatta; one of the few times each year during which many Exumians - across all walks of life - can make a good bit of change.

[...]

As we all know, this Regatta is the highlight of the Georgetown social calendar. All hotel rooms, transportation, taxis and majority of the rental houses are booked years in advance for this week. Clearly, this would pose a logistical nightmare and preclude any additional tourists or locals from attending such an event as Fyre Festival. While the older clientele came on their yachts, the young, hip celebrities were forced to stay in the understated luxury of the airport overnight; complaining bitterly after spending thousands of dollars that they did not have room service and open bar.

As if getting one’s head around such matters is not enough, for the promoters to have reportedly enquired if the Georgetown Regatta could be rescheduled lends credence to what Piers Morgan recently described as a US culture of ‘rich, publicity craving, materialistic, talentless, self absorbed, social media fanatics’ who arrogantly believe they can do as they please.

Well, sadly, everyone now knows that one cannot just waltz into a sovereign nation and demand that their wishes be catered to simply because you have a few dollars in your pocket or a trust fund.

  Tribune 242

Well, to be fair, it often has been.

But Mr. McFarland is not giving up on his dream of a top-tier, beachfront concert weekend. Fyre Festival, he said, would be reborn next May on a beach in the United States with one key difference: “The festival will be fully free for everybody who wants to attend.”

  NYT

Yeah, that's a muuuuuuuch better idea. I can foresee no problems there.

He's going to need a private beach.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.