Parents angry over Halloween event dubbed ‘Willy Wonka Experience 2.0’

By Filipa Gaspar

Furious parents have blasted a kids' Halloween event in Scotland - and dubbed it "Willy Wonka Experience 2.0."

Glasghost was planned to be a spooky indoor event for families with a ghost train, silent disco, bouncy castle, laser tag and pumpkin patch last weekend.

But a year after the infamous Willy Wonka show in Glasgow left children sobbing, several parents and children have drawn parallels - and felt "let-down" by the experience.

They claimed "Thriller" by Michael Jackson was "played on repeat" at the silent disco, while long queues for attractions such as a laser tag resulted in just "black sheets strung up on a washing line."

A pumpkin patch was also ridiculed and the ghost train was described as "horrendous."

Tickets to the event for kids cost $16, with adults paying $26 or more depending on the time slot.

But many parents and visitors said they were left disappointed with the event - adding that it was terrible value for money.

Some said the event resembled the viral Willy Wonka Experience that made headlines around the globe when it turned out to be a tiny bouncy castle and a small lollipop.

Mom Elaine Wylie, 40, shared her experience on TikTok calling the event "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's "Thriller" so that was rotten.

"Then we waited just over 20 minutes to get over 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 out within just an hour and waiting 20 minutes for just two things was really bad."

A 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 and hour. Utterly shocking."

Another mom named @kryaaan on Tiktok, deemed Glasghost 'The Wonka Experience 2.0', in a video she posted with the message 'please save your money.'

The toddler mom said in the caption of her video, which shared pictures of the industrial-looking and almost empty hall: "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 mom @daniellebrown823 also called the event 'Willy Wonka 2.0' adding 'please don't book'.

She said in the caption of her video on TikTok: "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 bean bags 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, the event's organizer, 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 recognize 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."