‘Nightmare’ Willy Wonka Experience Leaves Children in Tears — and Prompts Families to Call the Police

• Police Scotland were called on Sunday by disgruntled guests who tried to attend ‘Willy’s Chocolate Experience’ in Glasgow
• Photos from the event showing the miserable conditions have since gone viral on the internet
• The House of Illuminati, which organized the event, issued an apology and says it will refund the money

The event based on one of Roald Dahl’s best-loved books that promised “a day filled with laughter, joy and the irresistible allure of chocolate” was anything but that for the attendees.

“Willy’s Chocolate Experience” — a Willy Wonka-themed event — was billed in online ads as “immersive” and promised to “create lasting memories and redefine what it means to step into a world of pure imagination.”

The event, organized by the London-based House of Illuminati, was to feature “wonderful shows” and “surprises at every turn” as part of a “celebration of chocolate in all its wonderful forms”.

Guests paid £35 (about $45) to attend Sunday’s event in Glasgow, according to SWNS and the BBC. But when they arrived, they were shocked to find it was nothing as described.

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Pictures from the event, which have since gone viral, show what appears to be a large warehouse with decorations scattered around the room. The space was not at all similar to what the organizers promoted, both on their website and on social networks.

Jenny Fogarty, the actress who was cast to play the Oompa Loompa, claims she received the 15-page script the night before the event, according to SWNS. Her costume was a “sexy” version of an Oompa Loompa, not the kid-friendly version she expected.

Paul Connell, another actor hired for the event, told STV News he said his “heart sank” when he saw the state of the facility, according to Guard. “I was just sad because I was aware of how many children were going to pass,” he added.

SWNS

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The families were really upset. Online, one attendee said the organizers had “sold the dream and delivered the nightmare”, according to Sky News.

Aileen Butcher told GlasgowLive.com the event “was miserable” and took “a minute to get over”, adding that some children were “crying” and the atmosphere was “tense”.

Angry guests even called the police to the event, according to reports Guard and the BBC.

Yulia Burns told the BBC that “the crowd became angrier” as they began to realize that the event was not what they expected. She said they “never had a chance to go inside.”

A Willy Wonka-inspired event to which the police in Glasgow have been invited.

SWNS

Some of the images used to promote the event appear to have been generated by artificial intelligence technology.

One image on the booking site features a series of nonsensical words such as “catchy tuns” (which were probably meant to be “catchy tunes”, which were said to be part of the experience), “sweet teats” (probably meant to be “sweet treats “), “catgacating” (probably intended as “cascading”) and “exaserdray”.

House of Illuminati appears to have started promoting the event in mid-December 2023. In the event description on Facebook, organizers said the experience was “designed for families and children” to enjoy.

The booking site promoted attractions such as the Enchanted Garden, the Imagination Lab and the Twilight Tunnel. House of Illuminati said the space will be filled with “giant mushrooms full of candy, colossal lollipops and candy canes that seem to touch the sky.”

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But that’s not what the guests got. Instead of various sweet treats, families were reportedly given a handful of sweets.

Also, in fine print at the bottom of the booking page, House of Illuminati says that “any resemblance to any character, fictional or living, is purely coincidental” and that the experience is “in no way associated with the Wonka franchise, which is owned by by Warner Bros.”

The House of Illuminati issued an apology for a “stressful and frustrating day,” according to SWNS. Organizers claimed they were “let down in many areas of our event” at the last minute “and did their best to keep going and push through.”

“We had an amazing event planned, but it just didn’t take shape the way we planned,” said the House of Illuminati, “so we’re really sorry to be devastated by how this turned out.”

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The organizers acknowledged the guests’ “anger and frustration” and said refunds had “already started to be issued”. The House of Illuminati shared a Facebook post that also claimed in part that the refund was being processed. PEOPLE cannot confirm these claims at this time.

The organizers did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

Eva Stewart, from East Kilbride, told the BBC she had heard “absolutely nothing” from the House of Illuminati and had “no hope” of a refund.

Matthew Waterfield, operations manager at Box Hub Warehouse where the event was held, said the venue was not responsible for the promotions surrounding the experience, according to the report.

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education