In today’s WTF category: LimeWire has acquired the Fyre Festival brand. The file-sharing company, which relaunched in 2022, had won a competitive bidding war for the brand behind one of the most infamous festivals of all time.
According to a release, LimeWire and Fyre will begin a new chapter “grounded in technology, transparency and a sense of humor.” LimeWire also makes clear they want to preserve its past while taking the brand into the future.
“Fyre became a symbol of hype gone wrong, but it also made history,” LimeWire CEO Julian Zehetmayr said in a statement. “We’re not bringing the festival back — we’re bringing the brand and the meme back to life. This time with real experiences, and without the cheese sandwiches.”
According to Fast Company, Ryan Reynolds‘ creative agency Maximum Effort had also bid on the Fyre Festival brand. Reynolds and Maximum Effort have had a longstanding fascination with the failed festival, referencing Netflix’s Fyre documentary memes in a 2019 ad for his brand Aviation Gin. Zehetmayr revealed that Maximum Effort got in touch after LimeWire outbid the agency and the two entities have since collaborated on a new Visa ad that Reynolds narrates, which reimagines Fyre’s slogan “It’s everywhere you want to be.”
“Congrats to LimeWire for their winning bid for Fyre Fest,” Reynolds said in a statement. “I look forward to attending their first event but will be bringing my own palette of water.”
LimeWire has yet to reveal further plans for Fyre Festival, though the release on the acquisition promises one that “expands beyond the digital realm and taps into real-world experience.” There is a wait-list open at the Fyre Festival website for early access and exclusive updates.
“We’re not here to repeat the mistakes — we’re here to own the meme and do it right,” LimeWire COO Marcus Feistl said in a statement. “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.”
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