Fyre Festival in chaos after fans who paid thousands for tickets report scenes 'like a disaster zone'
One attendee said it was like 'Rich Kids of Instagram meets Lord of the Flies'
A new music festival set in the Bahamas has descended into chaos amid reports that guests have been stranded at an unfinished site, where headliners have pulled out at the last minute.
Fyre Festival, a luxury event organised by Ja Rule and due to feature performances from Blink-182, Skepta and Rae Stremmurd, was advertised on social media as a glamorous party involving supermodels including Kendall Jenner, Bella Hadid and Emily Ratajkowski.
The price of a ticket to the event ranged from $4,000 to $12,000.
The event was due to start on 28 April and run over two weekends, billing itself as a "cultural moment created from an alchemic blend of music, art and food".
However, fans trying to get to the festival were met with delayed flights. On arrival, they reported half-built 'cabanas' that were "actually disaster relief tents", poor food and drink offerings, and mountains of rubbish.
While the website promised "chef-curated culinary pop-ups", one attendee posted a photo on Twitter of a cheese sandwich served in a polystyrene box.
Unconfirmed reports claim that there are "feral dogs" wandering around the site.
One Twitter user described the festival as "Rich Kids of Instagram meets Lord of the Flies".
William Finley, from North Carolina, told Billboard he paid $2,700 for a pass he believed would entitle him to food, an open bar and "overnight villas", which he said turned out to be tents.
"They're basically disaster relief tents, with a matress on some sort of bed frame," he said. "They're not that uncomfortable, but the tents are so poorly made that they'd blow over in a second if there was any wind or rain."
Blink-182 cancelled their appearance, explaining: "We're not confident that we would have what we need to give you the quality of performances we always give fans."
The festival issued a statement thanking ticket holders for "bearing with us as we attempt to accommodate guest needs" after the "unexpected start".
It confirmed that inbound flights had been cancelled and refunds were being organised. Many are speculating that the entire event may be cancelled - festival organisers have yet to confirm this.
Fyre Festival organisers said in a statement: "Due to unforeseen and extenuating circumstances, Fyre Festival has been fully postponed. "After assessing the situation this morning and looking at best options for our guests, we cannot move forward as we hoped we could At this time, we are working tirelessly to get flights scheduled and get all travellers home safely."
Some of these travellers are now locked in an airport for their own safety.
Ja Rule has yet to comment on the ongoing issues.
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