The New Fyre Fest Is Here, And It’s Somehow Worse Than the Tumblr Ball Pit
In the latest episode of reality failing to meet expectations, the Barbie DreamFest has outdone the Fyre Festival. The event, located in Fort Lauderdale, is anything but a ‘dream.’
Photos of the Barbie DreamFest event are spreading online, but for all the wrong reasons. Large spaces remained vacant in the warehouse, turning the event greyer instead of what most would expect to be a signature Barbie pink. There were a few stalls in place, but not enough to cover the vacant swathes of gray. Photo-op spots looked two-dimensional and lacked decorations.
The worst part about this event is the prices. A one-day pass for a child is at $30, while adults are priced at $69. The general pass that gives access for three days is respectively priced at $75 for children and $149 for adults. The Pink Pass, which promises to give more access to perks, is priced at $229, while the Dream Pass—the highest-tier pass—is priced at a whopping $449.
What can justify those prices? To be fair to the organizers, the guest stars in attendance at the event are some of the most iconic women in their own fields. 23-time Grand Slam tennis champion Serena Williams is a guest star along with two-time WNBA All-Star Angel Reese. But there are also notable artists, advocates, and academicians in attendance. It’s an ambitious event, and the guest list appears to embody the ‘I can be anything’ spirit that Barbie has always carried with her.
Nevertheless, ambiance and other activities matter, too.
For an event priced like this, anyone would assume a dynamic con of Barbie-lovers and Mattel fans gathering around. There would be more booths for merchandise and fun events that both younger fans and adults could join in. Instead, fans were met with a spacious grey space.
Recreating the Dashcon experience
When the photos went viral, people immediately judged the poor setup. One X user compared the setup to the Willy Wonka Glasgow Experience.
Tumblr’s official X account wrote, “dashcon doesn’t die it just reinvents itself.” This is the mother of all terribly-designed events. Anyone who’s been a Tumblr user since the 2000s would know what that tragic ball pit in a large space looks like. 26 years later, and who would’ve thought that the event would be recreated with a tinge of pink?
At this point, having a terribly organized event every year should be an event in of itself. But for an event priced as high as $499? Having a half-baked event space like this feels something close to robbery—it might as well be.
A few notes for the next Barbie DreamFest event
The irony in all this is that there are already pre-sales for the 2027 event, as if this weren’t a contender for the worst event design of the year award. If there weren’t enough stalls in the booth, the organizers could have rented out a smaller space. Reducing the space would have instantly made the setup better, or at least, a bit more acceptable. It still isn’t worth $499, but that’s a start.
Also, where is the Dreamhouse? Is this even a Barbie event without the Dreamhouse? If the event had been taken outdoors, the organizers would’ve been able to place a giant Dreamhouse stand or, better yet, rent a property that looks similar to the Barbie Dreamhouse.
But these are suggestions for an event so heavily clowned by the internet that it might not have a next year. Who knows? The organizers might actually do better next year—but this easily goes down in internet history beside Dashcon, the Willy Wonka Glasgow Experience, and Fyre Festival.
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