It’s no secret that the fraudulent 2017 music fest, Fyre Festival, was a train wreck of epic proportions. The hype surrounding the event garnered so much attention that Netflix recently released a documentary outlining the gritty details. Fyre Fest was dubbed “the Coachella of the Caribbean” with various influencers involved, including Kendall Jenner, Bella Hadid, and Hailey Bieber (whose agencies are being subpoenaed, by the way).
It was the scam of the century, but how did Fyre get so much attention? Marketing, deceit, and social media played a large role. However, millennial FOMO was the biggest factor to its initial rise and downfall. Billy McFarland, the creator of the festival, tapped into the collective social anxiety of missing out on the next big thing.
Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened. Directed by Chris Smith, performance by
Billy McFarland & Jeffrey Bruce Atkins, Produced by Mick Purzycki, 2019. Netflix
4,000 attendees arrived to Fyre, an impractical number for a small island expected to host only 1,000. This gross overestimation mirrors the Woodstock music festival of 1969. Woodstock was planned to accommodate 25,000 guests but had a turnout of 400,000. Both events proved to be a horrific challenge in logistics. Sanitation issues, lack of housing, and limited food supplies were obstacles faced by both festivals. Two deaths and a slew of injuries occurred at Woodstock. Despite the many lawsuits and mayhem accrued by both events, Woodstock was an actual success story.
Ultimately, FOMO is not just a millennial stereotype. It transcends generations and our want for inclusion. Fyre Festival and Woodstock are testaments to the lengths we are willing to endure to not be left behind.
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