Fyre Festival merchandise up for auction

The Fyre Festival was billed as a luxury weekend in the Bahamas, attended by celebrities and influencers alike.

But the 2017 event became infamous after thousands of partygoers were left stranded without sufficient food, water or proper accommodation.

With organiser Billy McFarland in prison for fraud, US Marshals are auctioning off Fyre merchandise, with proceeds going to McFarland’s victims.

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The sale of souvenir clothing and other items began last week.

Branded clothing and other items were originally meant for sale at Fyre Festival “but were kept by McFarland, with the intent to sell the items and use the funds to commit further criminal acts while he was on pre-trial release”, US Marshal Ralph Sozio said in a statement.

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More than 100 items, including branded jumpers, trackpants, wristbands and tokens, will remain on sale until 13 August.

One black baseball cap featuring the festival’s logo and valued at $15 has already received bids of over $350 (£263).

A blue hoodie emblazoned with a hand-sewn label, meanwhile, has received more than 50 bids.

It is not clear which of McFarland’s fraud victims will benefit from the sale.

What was the Fyre Festival?

Celebrities including Kendall Jenner, Bella Hadid and Hailey Baldwin had advertised the now infamous venture, with tickets costing up to $100,000 (£75,000),

But instead of luxury food and accommodation, party-goers ended up staying in emergency tents and described the event as a “complete disaster”.

And they were not the only people to suffer.

Many local businesses and workers were not paid, with one restaurant owner telling a Netflix documentary last year that she lost much of her life savings catering for the festival. A crowdfunding page for the business later raised more than £176,000.

Organiser Billy McFarland was sentenced to six years in prison for fraud in October 2018, with the judge describing him as a “serial fraudster”.

Rapper Ja Rule, who was originally described as a co-organiser of the event, last year claimed he had also been scammed by McFarland.