Is Fyre Festival 2 happening? Mexican officials and hotels not so sure

Fyre Festival 2 , a second attempt at the infamous and scandal-ridden 2017 festival , is being questioned by Mexican government officials and hotel venues.

The comeback festival promotes Mexico's Isla Mujeres as the new venue from May 30 to June 2, Fyre Festival founder Billy McFarland told USA TODAY last week. But Isla Mujeres government officials and the management of Impression Isla Mujeres by Secrets , a five-star hotel that the festival website claims will provide accommodations for high-paying ticketholders, say they aren't working with Fyre Festival 2.

In 2018, McFarland was sentenced to six years in prison  for engaging in several fraudulent schemes related to Fyre Festival. After his arrest, he acknowledged that he had defrauded investors out of $26 million and more than $100,000 in fraudulent ticket-selling schemes.

In a Facebook statement shared on Feb. 26, Isla Mujeres' city hall claimed the festival's team had not secured the necessary permits for the musical event.

"The General Directorate for Tourism of Isla Mujeres informs that no person or company has requested permits from this office or any other municipal government department for said event," the statement read.

The General Directorate for Tourism of Isla Mujeres did not respond to requests for comment when contacted by USA TODAY.

Five-star hotel is not affiliated with festival, manager says

Fyre Festival 2 offers four ticket packages, including the Phoenix package, which is $25,000, according to the festival's website .

The Phoenix package includes four-day festival access for two people, exclusive access, private transportation and travel accommodation assistance. The package also includes a three-night stay at Impression Isla Mujeres by Secrets or Almare All-Inclusive Resort, Isla Mujeres, the festival website states, as previously reported by USA TODAY .

Mourad Essafi, the general manager of Impression Isla Mujeres by Secrets, said in a statement on Feb. 28 that the hotel is not working with the festival.

"We are not sponsoring Fyre Festival 2 or affiliated with it in any way. Reports to the contrary are false," Essafi said.

Festival 'terminates' contracts with hotels sharing 'misleading' information

In a video statement shared to social media on Tuesday, McFarland said Fyre Festival 2 has contracts with "a number of villas, yachts and hotels." Though he did not specify which, the festival website claims it is also working with Izla Hotel on Isla Mujeres and Grand Fiesta Americana Coral Beach Cancún , which is located in Cancún, a ferry ride from the island.

Izla Hotel and Grand Fiesta Americana did not immediately respond for comment when contacted by USA TODAY on Wednesday.

After learning that two hotels "gave misleading statements, saying they never heard of Fyre," McFarland asked his team to "terminate those contracts."

McFarland did not specify which hotels the festival terminated contracts with, but as of Wednesday, Impression Isla Mujeres by Secrets was still listed on the website as an accommodation with the Phoenix ticket package.

Why is McFarland hosting a second Fyre Festival?

Speaking with USA TODAY last week, McFarland said he's hosting a second Fyre Festival with the goal of sharing island adventures and as restitution.

As part of his sentencing, McFarland agreed to pay $26 million in restitution to victims of the first Fyre Festival. Falb told USA TODAY that $500,000 of the proceeds from the festival and an additional 10% of all profits will be put toward the restitution.

What happened during the first Fyre Festival?

Intended to be held over two weeks in April and May 2017, the first Fyre Festival was promoted by social media influencers like  Kendall Jenner ,  Bella Hadid  and  Hailey Bieber , and ticketholders were promised acts like Blink-182 and Migos.

However, upon arrival, festival-goers learned that the artists had canceled. Due to poor Caribbean weather, the festival was essentially washed out, with the promised luxury accommodations and gourmet food nowhere to be found. In the end, attendees only stayed one night before they were evacuated.

Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretalcross. Story idea? Email her at  gcross@usatoday.com .

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fyre Festival 2: Mexican officials, hotel venues question legitimacy