Islets along the west seaside of Exuma, Bahamas
De Agostini | Getty Images
The island featured in promotional materials for the infamous Fyre festival has been indexed for sale for almost $12 million.
Fyre Festival, which took place in 2017, was publicized as a high-end music fete in the Bahamas. It was put together by Fyre Media, which was co-founded by rapper Ja Rule and tech entrepreneur Billy McFarland, but happened under fire for failing to deliver the experience that was promised.
Private island Saddle Back Cay was used in the promotional video for the feast, which featured supermodels including Bella Hadid and Kendall Jenner and was widely distributed on social media. Although it was hardened to promote Fyre Festival, the 35-acre island that’s up for sale isn’t the one that actually hosted the event.
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Pitched to potential owners as an “iconic private island,” Saddle Back Cay is listed at $11.8 million. Located in Exuma, Bahamas, the islet boasts seven beaches, a main house and several smaller cottages, and “compelling views over one of the best seascapes in the globe,” according to the realtor listing.
Tickets to Fyre Festival were sold at up to $49,000 per person, with the most costly passes promising round-trip flights from Miami, performances from high-profile artists, backstage access, and a dinner with a actor.
However, festival goers were left disappointed when it turned out their “luxury” experience consisted of pop-up tents, strip cancellations and a lack of working bathrooms, with the private island ill-equipped to hold the event.
After the festival, organizers issued an apology on the anyway in the reality’s website, saying: “Due to circumstances out of our control, the physical infrastructure was not in place on time and we are unable to fulfill on that materialization safely and enjoyably for our guests.”
In October, McFarland was sentenced to six years in prison for fraud and ordered to surrender $26 million. Preceding to his sentencing, a Manhattan federal judge called the festival founder a “danger in a non-violent sense to the community.”
Netflix liberated a documentary on Fyre Festival earlier this year.