Police were called to this nightmare ‘Wonka’ experience that left children in tears
If you have kids who love “Wonka”—either the Roald Dahl book, “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” or any of the movie adaptations—an event that promised “a day filled with laughter, joy, and the irresistible allure of chocolate” would probably be irresistible. But parents in the U.K. who paid £35 (about $45) to attend a “Wonka Experience,” a Willy Wonka-themed event that was described in advertisements as “immersive” and promised to “create lasting memories and redefine what it means to step into a world of pure imagination,” instead found a nightmare so bad that some of them actually called the police.
The event was supposed to feature “whimsical performances,” “surprises at every turn,” and “a celebration of chocolate in all its delightful forms.” But when guests arrived to the location in Glasgow, they found a large warehouse with a few sparsely placed decorations. Photos of the event show how bleak it was, and they’re now going viral because it’s basically a nightmare version of “Wonka.”
i cannot put in words how enchanted I am by the willy wonka fiasco in Glasgow. cops called, kids crying in terror, all in an abandoned warehouse. this is the organic esoteric horror weâve been missing for ages. a pure lust for chaos no multimillion dollar business could recreate pic.twitter.com/HOHAcB7V4l
— jen (@f0X_j3n) February 28, 2024
Jenny Fogarty, a local actor who has hired to play an Oompa Loompa at “Willy’s Chocolate Experience,” said she received a 15-page script the night before the event, along with an Oompa Loompa costume she described as a “sexy” version of the character, not family-friendly.
Paul Connell, another actor who was hired for the event, said his “heart sank” when he arrived and saw the location and decorations.
apparently this was sold as a live Willy Wonka Experience but they used all AI images on the website to sell tickets and then people showed up and saw this and it got so bad people called the cops lmao pic.twitter.com/tfkyg0G0WG
— Chris Alsikkan (@AlsikkanTV) February 26, 2024
“I just felt sad because I was aware of how many kids were going to be coming through,” he told The Guardian.
New details on the Willy Wonka Experience disaster
⢠Script was ’15 pages of AI-generated gibberish’
⢠Made up a villain called The Unknown â ‘an evil chocolate maker who lives in the walls’
⢠Event had no chocolate â kids were given a single jelly bean & a cup of lemonade pic.twitter.com/kxs1RcKVC8— Culture Crave ð¿ (@CultureCrave) February 28, 2024
According to People magazine, when families started arriving, children were crying because of how bad the event was. While ticketholders were told the event would last 45 minutes to an hour, parents told reporters it took them about five minutes to walk through the entire setup. As the crowd became angrier, the event was abruptly canceled, and many of those waiting in line were told they could no longer enter — which is probably for the best.
House of Illuminati, the event company that organized “Willy’s Chocolate Experience,” posted an apology on Facebook, but it’s since been deleted. In the post, the company claimed refunds are being issued to ticketholders, but news outlets have been unable to verify whether that’s true.