Organizers of 'The Fyre Fest of NYC food events' say they will give refunds to attendees who say they were served tiny slices of cold pizza
Organizer Ishmael Osekre said in a Facebook post and told Gothamist that festivalgoers will receive a refund for the price they paid for the ticket.
"After careful deliberation, and much back and forth about our customer's best interest, we have agreed on REFUNDING ALL TICKETS from the pizza and burger festivals," the post reads.
Osekre told Gothamist he didn't know when the funds would be released back to ticket buyers, as ticket-selling website Eventbrite did not release the funds to him yet.
Festivalgoers complained on social media about what Gothamist dubbed "the Fyre Festival of NYC food events," Attendees were promised a "day long celebration of the dough, cheese, tasty sauces and delicious toppings," but they say they experienced anything but that.
Instead, those who attended the New York Pizza Festival say they were treated to tiny portion sizes, cold pies, and not nearly enough food to justify the ticket price. They say they also waited an hour to actually get into the parking lot where it was being held.
Osekre admitted in an interview with Gothamist that the event did not live up to expectations. He said he had planned on deliveries of pizza to supplement on-site ovens and pizza making that had "pulled out at the last minute," but the deliveries were "delayed."
The organizers of the pizza festival originally stated that a redo of the pizza festival would happen, but that's not likely to happen after refunds are issued.
"I'm not going to be planning a pizza festival," Osekre told Gothamist.