This story has been updated.
Ja Rule's now-postponed ultra-luxurious Fyre Festival in the Bahamas, which some paid up to $12,000 to attend, is being called a "complete disaster" with headlining bands pulling out of the celebrity-endorsed event.
On Monday, sources at the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism told TMZ it will be implementing stricter vetting systems for future festivals. The agency has also banned Ja Rule (and co-founder Billy McFarland) from doing any business in the island nation ever again.
» RELATED: The most brutal, hilarious tweets about Ja Rule’s ‘disastrous’ #FyreFestival
Last Friday, Ja Rule tweeted out an apology, writing that he will make sure everyone gets a refund.
It all started when attendees took to social media late Thursday, disgruntled by the lack of organization, lost luggage and inadequate transportation.
Flights from Miami to the island of Exumas, the site of the "luxury" concert, were canceled due to "over capacity," Variety reported.
With flights axed, several festival-goers have been left stranded.
Organizers of the two-weekend event announced the festival would be postponed amid the chaos Friday morning and said they are working to place everyone on complimentary charters back to Miami.
Blink-182 also announced it would not be performing at the hyped event, writing on Twitter that the band didn’t feel festival organizers could provide what they need for a quality performance.
As of late Friday morning, the festival’s official website included the following message:
Fyre Festival set out to provide a once-in-a-lifetime musical experience on the Islands of the Exumas.
Due to circumstances out of our control, the physical infrastructure was not in place on time and we are unable to fulfill on that vision safely and enjoyably for our guests. At this time, we are working tirelessly to get flights scheduled and get everyone off of Great Exuma and home safely as quickly as we can. We ask that guests currently on-island do not make their own arrangements to get to the airport as we are coordinating those plans. We are working to place everyone on complimentary charters back to Miami today; this process has commenced and the safety and comfort of our guests is our top priority.
The festival is being postponed until we can further assess if and when we are able to create the high- quality experience we envisioned.
We ask for everyone's patience and cooperation during this difficult time as we work as quickly and safely as we can to remedy this unforeseeable situation. We will continue to provide regular updates via email to our guests and via our official social media channels as they become available.
-The Fyre Festival Team
The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism also released a statement Friday, saying they were "extremely disappointed" in the festival organizers and would be on site to "assist with the organization of a safe return of all Fyre Festival visitors."
The concert, organized by rapper Ja Rule and entrepreneur Billy McFarland and endorsed by high-profile models Bella Hadid and Hailey Baldwin, raved about “a cultural moment created from a blend of music, art, and food.”
In addition to Blink-182, other headliners included Pusha-T, Migos, Disclosure and Major Lazer.
Tickets ranged between $1,000-$12,000, with some customers purchasing VIP packages worth $250,000 offering private plane and boat rentals, massages and local beach tours, according to Variety.
Here’s more from the scene:
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