LimeWire has scooped up the infamous Fyre Festival brand in an eyebrow-raising deal that merges two of the internet’s most notorious names under one roof.
The acquisition, announced by LimeWire CEO Julian Zehetmayr, follows a heated eBay auction hosted by convicted fraudster and original Fyre Festival organizer Billy McFarland.
The sale included everything from trademarks and social media accounts to a Caribbean event site.
McFarland, who still owes $26 million in restitution, described the Fyre brand as an “attention engine” and said it could fuel everything from pop-ups to media ventures.
The auction, held on July 15, 2025, became eBay’s most-watched non-charity listing during its run.
Despite 174 bids from 42 participants, McFarland sold the brand at a final price of $245,300.
Zehetmayr said the company isn’t reviving the failed festival but plans to reinvent the brand with “real experiences, and without the cheese sandwiches.”
While the buyer’s identity remained secret at first, LimeWire revealed it had edged out competitors, including Maximum Effort, the creative agency co-founded by actor Ryan Reynolds.
Reynolds reacted to the loss with humor, saying he still plans to attend the first event but “will be bringing my own palette of water.”
The 2017 Fyre Festival collapsed dramatically, leaving ticket holders stranded in the Bahamas with inadequate infrastructure, poor food, and no performances.
The debacle inspired multiple documentaries and became a symbol of influencer excess and marketing gone wrong.
LimeWire, once a file-sharing giant that was shut down in 2010 after a legal fight with the Recording Industry Association of America, has been staging a comeback.
It relaunched in 2022 with a focus on decentralized content sharing and has attracted a new wave of users.
COO Marcus Feistl said LimeWire intends to flip the Fyre narrative. “We’re not here to repeat the mistakes — we’re here to own the meme and do it right,” he said.
“Fyre became a symbol of everything that can go wrong. Now it’s our chance to show what happens when you pair cultural relevance with real execution.”
A waitlist for updates on the reimagined Fyre brand is now open. The auction officially transferred ownership of the Fyre Festival brand on July 15, 2025.
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