Luxury Bahamas Festival In Chaos As Fans Compare It To 'Refugee Camp'

Music fans who paid up to £9,000 to attend a new boutique festival in the Bahamas have likened it to The Hunger Games after turning up to an unfinished site overrun by feral dogs.

Fyre Festival, which was due to start today, has descended into chaos as many revellers tried to return home after seeing the state of the festival site.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BN5FCAOgEae/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BR9GhZQAmf-/?tagged=fyrefestival

https://twitter.com/MattHalfhill/status/857828241234460672

The festival was backed by a social media campaign featuring Kendall Jenner, Emily Ratajkowski, Bella Hadid, Alessandra Ambrosio, Hailey Baldwin and Joan Smalls.

The models can be seen swimming and relaxing on the beach on the festival’s website with the event billed as a ‘cultural moment created from an alchemic blend of music, art and food’.

The event was organised by Ja Rule and Billy McFarland’s company, Fyre Media, with acts like Major Lazer, Disclosure and Skepta scheduled to play.

Packages for the festival cost from $4,000 to $12,000, and included a chartered flight from Miami to the ‘private island’, as well as accommodation in a ‘geodesic dome’ and access to a yacht.

The festival, which is due to run over two weekends, was hit by bad news even before it kicked off.

Blink-182, one of the headliners, cancelled their performance at the festival at the last minute.

They told fans: ‘Regrettably, and after much careful and difficult consideration, we want to let you know that we won’t be performing at Fyre Fest in the Bahamas this weekend and next weekend. We’re not confident that we would have what we need to give you the quality of performances we always give fans.’

Revellers started to complain on social media as soon as they arrived claiming that cabanas were ‘actually disaster relief tents’, that people had started to fight over food, and that conditions were like those you would expect to find at a ‘refugee camp’.

One attendee posted a photo on Twitter of two pieces of bread and some cheese – not the ‘chef-curated culinary pop ups’ that had been promised on the website.

Fyre Festival issued a statement on Instagram revealing flights to the festival had been cancelled after the ‘unexpected start’ also thanking ticket holders for ‘bearing with us as we attempt to accommodate guest needs’.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BS7dqEYhUyO/?taken-by=fyrefestival

It confirmed that refunds were being organised, but there’s speculation that the entire event may be cancelled.

Ja Rule has yet to comment on the situation.

landscape with balloons floating in the air

KEEN TO EXPLORE THE WORLD?

Connect with like-minded people on our premium trips curated by local insiders and with care for the world

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.