Crypto Bro Fyre Festival: Wild Floods Wash Out Luxe Desert Confab
Cryptocurrency aficionados flying into Dubai this week were looking forward to a few days in the desert sunshine enjoying a series of high-profile crypto events and some glamorous afterparties.
Instead, many have been plunged into a nightmare. The United Arab Emirates has been lashed by the heaviest rainfall the country has seen for 75 years, with some areas seeing over 10 inches of precipitation in under 24 hours, the state’s media office said in a statement Tuesday. Flash flooding around Dubai saw roadways completely submerged and the city’s airport warned travelers to stay away while flights were delayed and diverted.
Judge Rips Bankman-Fried, Throws Him in Prison for DECADES
After the rains began late Monday, the downpour continued until more rain had fallen on Dubai in 24 hours than the region typically records in a year, according to the Associated Press. The timing coincided with the arrival of crypto enthusiasts heading to conferences including Blockchain Life and TOKEN2049 being held in Dubai this week.
Dubai looking like the fyre fest of crypto right now lol
— DANIEL GOT HITS (@danielgothits) April 17, 2024
The Blockchain Life Forum warned attendees that roads to its venue were closed and said the “venue is not equipped to handle such weather.” It then rescheduled its opening Wednesday.
One blockchain enthusiast expressed exasperation about the timing of the floods. “Unsure if there’s any stronger proof that God hates cryptocurrency than flooding a desert country when its adherents arrive,” one attendee wrote, alongside a photo of an SUV submerged to the top of its wheels.
Closed all my perps but still got liquidated ☠️
Thanks Dubai pic.twitter.com/RkVnhHm3JA— 0xWenMoon | Dubai arc (@0xWenMoon) April 16, 2024
Dubai rn:
Our editorial team walked for over 14 km to get to the hotel from Dubai Airport because taxis, Uber, and the metro simply didn't work due to floods.
Hopefully, we get dry before @token2049 starts! How was your morning? 😅 pic.twitter.com/JBxHwWp1BV— CryptoPotato Official (@Crypto_Potato) April 17, 2024
Just arrived at the hotel bar, absolute vibes. pic.twitter.com/nUsxfOGYLB
— Backwards (@0xBackwards) April 16, 2024
GM from Dubai 🇦🇪 crypto gang!
The BIG clean up starts 👀#token2049dubai pic.twitter.com/WHVmEK2EFb— Crypto Rand (@crypto_rand) April 17, 2024
“Me otw to token2049 side events,” another captioned a video of a man paddling through what appeared to be a flooded parking lot. One crypto entrepreneur joked that he is “surfing” through the desert to get to TOKEN2049. Even the event’s organizers got in on the act Wednesday by running an X poll asking how people are “getting around Dubai”—respondents selected “boat” as the most popular option.
real-time fuckery in Dubai atm, 4hrs in the ariport after landing, finally got a car to pick me up, and almost 2hours in the car now, passing by this tunnel like a 🚣🫤🫤
If you haven’t boarded flight to DXB yet may reconsider pic.twitter.com/OtRvY8PmGo— Dovey "Rug the fiat" Wan (hiring) (@DoveyWan) April 16, 2024
Helped push a few cars to clear the block I’m now an aid worker lol pic.twitter.com/3RW2YUAuIp
— Crypto Bitlord (@crypto_bitlord7) April 16, 2024
There are no available cars for hours in Dubai so we started walking to next event scheduled in 2 hrs.
— The Crypto Dog 📈 (@TheCryptoDog) April 17, 2024
Thank god ! I got my jetski to Dubai for #Token2049 pic.twitter.com/MtbCC8kC6c
— Pika (@pikachu_crypto) April 16, 2024
“This Lamborghini is swimming bro!” influencer Crypto Bitlord yelled in a video Wednesday showing him driving through water. “This car is getting swept bro, what the hell’s doing on?!”
At least one person, a man in his 70s, died in the UAE when his car was caught in flash flooding in the city of Ras Al Khaimah to the north of Dubai, according to The National. The situation was even more severe in the UAE’s eastern neighbor, Oman, where at least 20 people have died in recent days as a result of the weather, according to the Times of Oman.
Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now.
Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now.