December 7, 2024 03:05 AM

Bahamas Tourism Office 'Extremely Disappointed' Over Fyre Festival Disaster

The controversial Fyre Festival in the Bahamas is still roasting under angry tweets and posts from the netizens who were inconvenienced because of the failed event organized by Bill McFarland and Ja Rule.

The supposed to be "international music festival" on the Bahamian island of Exuma, featuring international performers and guests, led to a disaster that prompted organizers to cancel at the last minute. Because of the scandal, the Ministry of Tourism in the Bahamas immediately released a statement, expressing their dismay on the Fyre Festival fiasco.

"We are extremely disappointed in the way the events unfolded yesterday with the Fyre Festival," the agency said through an official press release. "We offer a heartfelt apology to all who traveled to our country for this event."

The Ministry of Tourism in the Bahamas also cleared that they are not an official sponsor of the event, despite Fyre Festival organizers asking for their support.

"Given the magnitude of this undertaking, the MOT lent its support as we do with all international events. We offered advice and assisted with communications with other government agencies," the ministry added.

Several stars who promoted the said event were also heavily scrutinized on social media. The likes of Kendall Jenner, Bella Hadid and event co-organizer rapper Ja Rule increased the hype of the Fyre Festival -- much to the delight of partygoers -- until everything turned out to be opposite of what was promised. Tickets to the festival didn't come cheap. Some shelled out hundreds of thousands just to get a VIP pass.

In the promotional posts and videos on YouTube and Facebook, bikini-clad women were shown enjoying the white sands and clear waters of the Bahamas, while being accommodated luxuriously in opulent cabanas and dancing to upbeat music played by international DJs.

However, that was not the case. Instead, what guests saw when they arrived at the Fyre Festival venue was like a "refugee camp" full of poorly made tents, blue porta potties and food made of soggy bread and limp cheese.

The organizers of Fyre Festival already promised guests a full refund in exchange for their inconvenience, according to Skift. All guests who attended are also promised free VIP passes for next year's Fyre Festival if everything comes out smoothly.

"All festival goers this year will be refunded in full. We will be working on refunds over the next few days and will be in touch directly with guests with more details. Also, all guests from this year will have free VIP passes to next year’s festival," Fyre Festival organizers said in an official statement.

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