Fyre Fest: Four in five punters will gladly do it all again

If you thought young, well-heeled party goers were against being fleeced for a truly wretched festival experience, think again.

As the dust settles on the shambolic Fyre Festival, organisers have claimed four in five of punters caught up in their mess will gladly do it all again next year.

Pitched as a luxury getaway in the Bahamas with hot models, classy food, and a lineup featuring Blink-182, Migos, Lil Yachty and Major Lazer, failed miserably at its first attempt last week.

Guests, who paid between US$1,000 and US$12,000 per ticket (or US$250,000 for ultra-premium VIP packages), were treated to a real-life parody of Battle Royale. Images of the on-site disaster relief tents, luggage drop and cheese sandwiches are now the stuff of legend.

Fyre Festival co-founder Billy McFarland promised to make it up to his guests by having another go next year, promising a superior setup and going as far as to offer VIP passes in lieu of refunds. That’s apparently good enough for most.

In a statement issued to Rolling Stone, a member of the festival’s management team said, “Currently 81% of guests who have filled out the refund application have said they would like to attend Fyre Festival 2018. We are so thankful for their support and excitement as we strive to make this right.”

But the nightmare doesn’t end there for McFarland and his fellow festival organiser, the U.S. rapper Ja Rule, who are now staring down a pair of class action lawsuits.

Hollywood attorney Mark Geragos has filed a US$100 million lawsuit, notes Billboard, in which it accuses against Fyre Festival organisers of fraud, citing its “lack of adequate food, water, shelter, and medical care created a dangerous and panicked situation among attendees — suddenly finding themselves stranded on a remote island without basic provisions.”

And in another, filed Tuesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, organizers are accused of using “social media influencers” to tricking folks into coming along, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Refill your popcorn, there’s clearly more to come.

This article originally appeared on The Industry Observer, which is now part of The Music Network.