Troubled Fyre Festival Brand Sells for $245,000 on eBay

In one of the most unexpected moves in recent music event history, the intellectual property and branding rights of Fyre Festival have officially been sold on eBay for $245,000. The listing, created by convicted festival founder Billy McFarland, included the trademarks, domain names, logos, and social media accounts of the infamous festival brand.

The auction attracted 42 bidders and closed on July 11 with a final bid of $245,300. According to reports, the sale was part of McFarland’s effort to pay back some of the $26 million he still owes to investors and victims following his 2018 fraud conviction. The buyer’s identity has not been made public, nor have any details been revealed about what they plan to do with the brand.

The original Fyre Festival, launched in 2017, was marketed as a luxury music experience in the Bahamas, complete with beachfront villas, gourmet meals, and major headliners. What actually unfolded was a chaotic and poorly organized event that left attendees stranded, fed minimal food, and forced to sleep in disaster-relief tents. The fallout led to lawsuits, documentaries, and McFarland’s prison sentence.

In early 2025, McFarland attempted to revive the brand with a second Fyre Festival announced for Mexico’s Isla Mujeres. That plan quietly collapsed as no permits were secured, and local officials confirmed they had no knowledge of the event.

The sale of the Fyre name raises questions about its future. Will the buyer attempt another festival? Use the brand for merchandise? Or simply leverage the name’s cultural notoriety? While the Fyre Festival brand still carries massive name recognition, it is also a symbol of mismanagement and broken trust within the music and event world.

For the electronic music community and festival scene, the sale is a reminder of how powerful and volatile branding can be. Whether this leads to a creative reimagining or remains just another strange chapter in Fyre’s legacy remains to be seen.