'Fyre Festival' Of Pizza Parties Organizer Promises Refunds

BUSHWICK, BROOKLYN — Organizers of the 'Fyre Festival' of Brooklyn foodie events have promised to refund attendees who paid $75 for a slice of cold pizza.

Organizer Ishmael Osekre posted an apology to the New York City Pizza Festival Facebook page Wednesday morning which included a hedged promise to refund tickets.

“Eventbrite holds all funds to events, and so we have been going back and forth over the last couple of days to figure out how to best resolve the issue,” Osekre wrote.

“After careful deliberation, and much back and forth about our customer's best interest, we have agreed on REFUNDING ALL TICKETS.”

The refund comes after pizza party patrons complained on Facebook that they paid $75 to eat slim slices of cold pizza in a "shady" Bushwick parking lot and compared the event to the Fyre Festival, the notoriously un-luxurious luxury retreat where guests paid thousands of dollars to sleep in “FEMA-style” tents. (For more Bushwick news, subscribe to Patch to get a daily newsletter and breaking news alerts.)

The uproar over the pricey pizza prompted Attorney General Eric Schneiderman to launch an investigation on Tuesday, one day before Osekre posted his statement on Facebook.

While Osekre apologized for “issues that impacted the event negatively” — such as the absence of pizza and “red wine that tasted like ass” — he was also quick to blame the media, whom he wrote “said a lot without facts, quotes, or context.”

Attendees were quick to respond to Osekre’s mea culpa:

“You guys sold slices of pizza that were this size for $75,” wrote Bruno John. “How is that the newspaper's fault?

“Love how you guys highlight the fact eventbrite is holding into funds, Jess Sion wrote. “if not, I'm not sure the refund would have really happened lol.”

“From beginning to end, this fiasco has been my favorite thing to happen in a long, long time,” wrote Chip Shannon. “What a time to be alive. #blessed”

Photo courtesy of Chip Shannon/Twitter