Fyre Festival (2017)
Organizers Billy McFarland and Ja Rule sold luxury festival tickets and obtained permits for an event in the Bahamas. When guests arrived in April 2017, they found unfinished tents and no performers; the festival collapsed within days.
McFarland was later convicted of fraud and sentenced to prison.
The event became a case study in how approvals and hype don't guarantee a product exists.
Like Fyre's permits, Jokers of Houston's license is a real step—but one approval doesn't prove the venue will open.
