25 February 2024 , 18:40
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Police were called to a "Willy Wonka Chocolate Experience" where children were left in tears as furious families complained about the quality of the event.
Showing up to the £35 per person ticketed event, parents were left frustrated and bewildered to find the experience was far from the pure imagination they had been promised. Instead, the House of Illuminati-hosted event was held in a barely furnished warehouse, leaving children in tears on their Saturday morning trip.
Though advertisements for the event had promised a "paradise of sweet treats" and an "enchanted garden containing giant sweets and mysterious sculptures", there was nothing of the sort. A few assorted tables and chairs as well as a bouncy castle were spotted in photos taken at the scene of the embarrassing showcase.
Attending families were furious at the warehouse-held experience (Glasgowlive)The site had even claimed an "imagination lab with mind-expanding projections and optical marvels" would be there for children to enjoy. But the event, blasted by parents as "pathetic", was less than extraordinary. Kids were handed out jelly babies and organisers pulled the plug halfway through the day following the furious reaction from parents.
Refunds are now being offered to disappointed families, though one attendee, Stuart Sinclair, said the event was "nothing short of shocking". He added: "I travelled two hours with three kids, and paid £35 per ticket to attend the event in Glasgow. It was then closed down while we were there. It was described as a full Wonka Experience with chocolate fountains, but the kids received two jelly babies and a quarter of a can of Barrs limeade."
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Fellow attendee Aileen Butcher said the event was "pathetic" and were met with a "minute" long walk through the Willy Wonka-themed event, GlasgowLive reported. She said: "We went inside and there were some posters, a visual display including a rainbow, toadstool and a gobstopper. There also appeared to be a table strewn with jelly beans and a bouncy castle at the back. It took us a minute to walk through.
Quarter cups of limeade and a few jelly beans were all that was offered for the youngsters (Glasgowlive)"Some families were very, very angry and had little children who were crying. It was a tense atmosphere and new families were arriving looking bewildered. I left at that point as I could see the situation was about to erupt. Families were calling the police and voices were getting louder."
A House of Illuminati spokesperson said: "Today has been a very stressful and frustrating day for many and for that we are truly sorry. Unfortunately, at the last minute we were let down in many areas of our event and tried our best to continue on and push through and now realise we probably should have cancelled first thing this morning instead. We fully apologise for what has happened and will be giving full refunds to each and every person that purchased tickets.
"We planned a fabulous event and it just did not take shape as planned and for that we are truly sorry, we are devastated at how this has turned out and understand people's anger and frustration that everyone has had, refunds have already started being issued and the rest should be over the coming days, again we are truly sorry to everyone."