In Scotland, a Glasgow event titled "Welcome to Willy's Chocolate Experience" promised a magical "celebration of chocolate" inspired by the Warner Bros film Wonka. It ended in disappointment, with police being called to the scene.
Despite promises of an immersive world complete with giant mushrooms, candy canes, chocolate fountains, and dancing Oompa-Loompas, attendees were met with a barely decorated warehouse. This led to children in tears and parents demanding refunds.
The event's organizers, House of Illuminati, admitted to being overwhelmed by technical difficulties and offered apologies and refunds to the attendees.
"Unfortunately, [at the] last minute we were let down in many areas of our event and tried our best to continue... and push through and now realise we probably should have cancelled first thing this morning instead," the organizers said.
The situation escalated when upset families created a Facebook group, labeling the event a "farce" and the organizers "cowboys." Police were summoned as the frustration among the attendees threatened to escalate.
An actor hired for the event shared his dismay upon realizing the lack of preparation and the minimal effort put into creating a convincing Wonka world.
"I just felt sad because I was aware of how many kids were going to be coming through," the actor stated. He added, "We were told to hand the kids a couple of jellybeans and a quarter cup of lemonade at the end."
