Halloween kids' event blasted as 'Willy Wonka Experience 2.0' by angry parents
Glasghost, a children's Halloween event in Glasgow, has been slammed by mums online who say it reminded them of the viral disappointing Willy Wonka Experience last year
A children's Halloween event has been dubbed the 'Willy Wonka Experience 2.0' by furious parents who felt let down by what was meant to be an all-out spooky experience.
Parents who had taken their children to Glasghost say they felt "let down" by the experience, drawing parallels to the now infamous Glasgow Willy Wonka event last year which left children sobbing. Glasghost was advertised as a spooky indoor event for families, complete with ghost train, silent disco, bouncy castle, laser tag and a pumpkin patch.
However, parents who visited the event to get into the Halloween spirit last weekend claimed the silent disco was just Michael Jackson's Thriller "played on repeat" and that long queues for activities such as laser tag had a disappointing end when they were met with just "black sheets strung up on a washing line".
The pumpkin patch was also ridiculed, while the ghost train was simply described as "horrendous". Tickets to the event for kids cost £16, with adults paying £26 or even more depending on the time slot.
Some visitors said the event resembled the viral Willy's Chocolate Experience which made headlines across the globe when excited children and parents were met with a tiny bouncy castle and small lollipop.
Mum Elaine Wylie, 40, shared her experience of the event on TikTok, slamming it as an "absolute shambles". She said: "Willy Wonka disaster all over again. I actually can't believe I even booked tickets without seeing photos.
"The silent disco was a really small area and it only played one song on repeat which was Michael Jackson 'Thriller', so that was rotten. Then we waited just over 20 minutes to get [into] the laser tag which, the only way I can describe it, was black sheets kind of strung up on a washing line to make like a makeshift wall - it was really bad.
"We came out of that area and there was a wee food bit that didn't look that great - god knows how much they were charging. We waited 20 minutes for the ghost train which was horrendous. We [were] out within just an hour and waiting 20 minutes for just two things was really bad."
One comment on the video added: "I have requested a refund, it was so bad." Another said: "85 quid for a family of 4 we were in and out in half an hour. Utterly shocking."
Elaine wasn't the only mum to take to social media to air her complaints. Another mum who posts under the username @kryaaan on TikTok, dubbed Glasghost 'The Wonka Experience 2.0' in a video she posted with the message 'please save your money'.
The mum shared images of the almost-empty hall and said: "Had a feeling it was going to be sketchy as there were no photos, but we stupidly spent £50 on tickets to be kicking about an empty hall with one ghost train with a 45-minute queue."
A third mum, who goes by @daniellebrown823, echoed these sentiments calling it 'Willy Wonka 2.0' and warning 'please don't book'. She said in the caption of her TikTok video: "Please don't book. What's there 2 bouncy castles you will need to queue at least 20 minutes for one slide.
"Pumpkin patch is some pumpkins and beanbags on the floor. Ghost train queue 30 minutes and it's as old as the hills. And £12 parking. Willy Wonka 2.0. Save your money honestly."
Fan Frontier, who organised the event, said: "We experienced some operational challenges during the initial opening of the event on Friday. However, a number of these issues were addressed that same evening and fully resolved by the following day. Launching new large-scale events inevitably brings some early challenges, especially when working with a range of third-party partners providing rides and attractions.
"We're actively reviewing and responding to all feedback - positive and negative - with those customers and suppliers to make sure lessons are applied. While we recognise not everything went perfectly, the majority of guests enjoyed the event across the weekend and shared great feedback about the atmosphere, activities and team on site.
"This was a brand-new experience and we're proud of how quickly our staff responded to improve things. Comparisons to unrelated events are inaccurate and not reflective of our operation, scale, or production standards."