Visitors to the event at Glasgow’s SEC slammed the event online, with many claiming it was a waste of money and echoing the poorly put together Willy Wonka Experience of last year.
(Image: Fan Frontier)
A Halloween children’s event at Glasgow’s SEC has been slammed with dreadful reviews on social media and drawn comparisons to last year’s notorious Willy Wonka Experience – which was so appalling it became global news.
Glasghost was meant to be a brilliantly frightening indoor family attraction last weekend, featuring a ghost train, silent disco, bouncy castle, laser tag and pumpkin patch. Children’s tickets cost £16, whilst adults paid £26 or more based on their chosen time slot.
However, numerous furious and let-down visitors claimed the day offered shocking value for money, mirroring the badly organised viral Wonka Experience which was thrust into the international spotlight, reports Glasgow Live.
Glasghost, a Halloween event at Glasgow’s SEC featuring rides and activities, was slammed online for disappointing visitors.(Image: Fan Frontier)
One mum, known as @kryaaan on TikTok, branded Glasghost ‘The Wonka Experience 2.0’, in a clip she shared with the warning ‘please save your money’.
The toddler’s mum explained in her video caption, which showed images of the warehouse-style and practically deserted venue: “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 response to the video stated: “We were there today, it was HORRENDOUS. We went in at 1pm and left at 1.25pm!”.
The event went viral for all the wrong reasons a year ago today.
Another added: “Why do people keep buying tickets to things like this? Haven’t we learned from the Willy Wonka stunt?” And there wasn’t just one scathing video review for Glasghost, as another TikTok by @toddlerdiaries22_ also drew comparisons to the disastrous Wonka Experience.
The mum revealed in her TikTok critique: “I don’t actually think it was worth it for the price of the tickets, I think some people paid like £90 for a family, and there wasn’t really much there for under fives”.
She mentioned that her little one was frightened by some of the more spine-chilling skeleton decorations, though they did relish some baked goodies from Three Sisters Bake, who had a stall at the event.
The comments section of this mum’s video delved even deeper into the Wonka Experience parallel, with one enquiring: “Was the Unknown there?” in reference to one of the most ridiculed characters from last year’s catastrophic event.
Numerous viral clips at the time captured youngsters left sobbing after encountering the silver-faced Unknown.
Another comment declared: “This is reminding me of the Willy Wonka event. I’m so glad I never bought tickets!”.
And a third penned: “It was awful value for money, five of us went, very disappointed.”
Nevertheless, despite some harsh criticism, others did find enjoyment in the event.
One TikTok reviewer noted: “Another fun Halloween activity for the kids. Perfect for an indoor adventure especially now it’s absolutely freezing.”
Another chimed in: “My kids did enjoy it, I thought it was ok.”
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Fan Frontier, the organisers of the event, commented: “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.”