Fyre Festival Brand Sells on eBay for $245K Amidst $26M Restitution

Billy McFarland, founder of the infamous 2017 Fyre Festival, sold the festival's brand, intellectual property, trademarks, and social media assets on eBay for $245,300 after a private sale attempt collapsed. The sale included rights to the Fyre name, domain names, marketing files, promo footage, and email and SMS lists, but the final bid represented only 0.9% of the $26 million McFarland owes in restitution from his fraud conviction. McFarland, who served nearly four years in prison for wire fraud related to the festival's disastrous failure, expressed disappointment at the low sale price during a livestream of the auction. The original Fyre Festival, which promised luxury accommodations and major musical acts but ended with attendees stranded and served subpar food like cheese sandwiches, became a widely mocked cultural phenomenon. McFarland's attempt to revive the event with a planned Fyre Fest 2 in Mexico was canceled, and he has since shifted to selling off the brand's assets. The identity of the winning bidder has not been disclosed.