You know what they say, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, but the reception to the “Willy Wonka Experience,” an event hosted in (my hometown) Glasgow, was near universal.
From the New York Times:
Families in Scotland were expecting to taste chocolate treats and observe “optical marvels” at a Willy Wonka-themed event in Glasgow this past weekend. Instead, they got a couple of jelly beans, a short walk around a nearly empty warehouse and a visit from police officers.
Tickets cost around $44 per person. For that, families were met with a mostly empty warehouse with minimal decoration. Children were given two jelly beans each and a quarter cup of lemonade. As for chocolate — there was none.
Jenny Fogarty, who was hired to play an Oompa Loompa, told The Scotsman that she was given a 15-page script to read the night before the event began and that she received her costume an hour before families arrived.
“The wigs were very cheap,” Ms. Fogarty said. “We were just handed an Amazon box that probably arrived that morning.”
One actor hired for the event said “there was a crowd of people outside all furious.” Attendees were so incensed with the “scam” that someone called the police. CNN reported:
Videos posted on social media showed a figure in a cloak and mask emerging from behind a mirror, with children watching on, sounding increasingly horrified.
“Almost every child who saw him ran off crying,” [one witness] said.
The organizers, the House of Illuminati, made a statement on its Facebook page: “Today has been a stressful and frustrating day for many and for that we are truly sorry.” They promised “full refunds to each and every person that purchased tickets.”
The market has spoken. Still, if you’re planning to visit Glasgow, there are plenty of other things to do. Just ask Jay.