Passengers Stranded in Bahamas After Luxury Fyre Festival Collapses in Chaos

A self-styled luxury music festival in the Bahamas’ Exuma islands turned to disaster on April 27, the first day of the event, as attendees were met by scenes of mass chaos and disorganization.

People who made it to Fyre Festival, which had been promoted by Kendall Jenner and Ja Rule, and with a video featuring bikini-clad models, shared images that appeared to show half-built tents, a ramshackle catering system, and organizers dropping attendees’ luggage out of a shipping container.

Organizers on Thursday, April 27, told festival-goers that due to circumstances beyond their control, “all inbound charter flights to the Exumas have been canceled,” adding that refunds would be issued.

The same day, deadline act Blink-182 cancelled their appearance, tweeting: “We’re not confident that we would have what we need to give you the quality of performances we always give our fans.”

Many of those who had made it to the festival began trying to leave, sparking chaos at Exuma International Airport. Airport officials were said to have closed the doors, locking passengers indoors with no food or water as they waited to fly out. One man was said to have fainted due to the heat at the airport, according to eyewitnesses. Janan Buisier, who shot this video, wrote: “People are scared. This festival put people in danger.”

A statement on the Fyre website said the festival was postponed. “Due to circumstances out of our control, the physical infrastructure was not in place on time and we are unable to fulfill on that vision safely and enjoyably for our guests,” the statement said.

The Bahamas Ministry for Tourism also issued a statement on April 28, saying it was “extremely disappointed” with the turn of events, offering a “heartfelt apology to all who traveled” to the country. It said visitors “were met with total disorganization and chaos.” The ministry added that while it was not an official sponsor of the festival, it had offered organizers advice and some assistance. “The event organizers assured us that all measures were taken to ensure a safe and successful event but clearly they did not have the capacity to execute an event of this scale,” the ministry said. Credit: Twitter/Janan Buisier via Storyful