Images of a failed Willy Wonka event in Glasgow, Scotland are going around the world. Parents and children were promised a great experience, but they ended up in a sparsely decorated warehouse. And that caused a lot of tears among the initially enthusiastic children.
Willy’s Chocolate Experience in Glasgow was advertised as a “celebration of chocolate in all its delicious forms”, but it was anything but. The event’s organizer, House of Illuminati, charged up to 35 pounds (about 41 euros) for tickets to an “immersive experience” based on the latest Warner Bros film Wonka. But visitors, who had sometimes spent hours in the car, felt cheated. The event had promised giant mushrooms, candy canes and chocolate fountains, special audio and visual effects. And the whole thing would be narrated by dancing Oompa-Loompas, the little orange men who run Wonka’s chocolate factory in the Roald Dahl book that inspired the prequel film.
But instead, the initially enthusiastic families found themselves in a sparsely decorated warehouse. There was a plastic prop here and there and some colored banners were attached to the wall. After about two minutes you had seen just about everything, says angry parents on social media. Afterwards, each child received some sweets and a quarter can of lemonade. (Read more below the photo)
© Stuart Sinclair
“Oh, and a great idea to have someone come out dressed in a scary outfit and scare all the kids. They all cried. It was horrible, shocking and embarrassing to be honest,” one parent wrote on social media. “A dream sold and a nightmare delivered,” wrote another.
Actors had to improvise
Visitors were furious and immediately demanded their money back. The police even had to be called in to calm things down. The organization stopped the event just a few hours after the opening, but did not inform ticket holders of this. As a result, even more disappointed visitors arrived at the location throughout the day.
Paul Connell, an actor hired by the company to perform at the event, told STV News he was shocked when he arrived at the warehouse. “My heart sank when I looked around. I felt sad because I knew how many children were coming.” According to British media, the actors had also rehearsed for months and memorized scripts, but were told on Saturday morning that they simply had to improvise.
© Stuart Sinclair
Regret
In a statement, House of Illuminati apologized to customers for the “very stressful and frustrating day.” They were said to have been let down at the last minute by many suppliers and had done their best to make the event take place. “We now realize that we probably should have canceled it immediately this morning,” the organization said. One of the organizers told Daily Mail that they used artificial intelligence to promote the event. Organizers confirm they will refund everyone in full. “We had a fantastic event planned but it just didn’t go as planned and we are truly sorry for that,” she added.