Willy Wonka is a popular fictional character, especially among children. Wonka’s popularity has been further boosted through films centered on the Roald Dahl character. As a result, it was no surprise that a Willy Wonka-themed immersive experience attracted several families.
However, to the horror of those in attendance, the event ended up being incredibly underwhelming and parents were forced to demand a refund. According to reports, the event held in Glasgow, Scotland, was a complete rip-off from what was promised to visitors at an exorbitant price. As the event failed to live up to the expectations, those in attendance discovered how they were conned.
Willy Wonka Inspired Event In Glasgow Ended Up Being Absolute Shambles
From February 24, 2024, a Willy Wonka-themed event was slated to take place in Glasgow, Scotland. Several families booked their tickets in advance for what was promised to be a never-before-seen chocolate fantasy inspired by the iconic Roald Dahl character from the 1964 novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
The event was organized by the House of Illuminati, which charged £35 per ticket. However, at the venue, those who purchased tickets found a near-empty lot with a handful of Wonka-themed props and none of the advertised immersive experiences.
Stuart Sinclair, a Dundee resident, who traveled to Glasgow, to attend the event with his two sons and 4-year-old daughter took to Facebook, to share pictures from the event.
“This was described as the full willy wonka experience with chocolate fountains etc and a great day out for the kids.”
Sinclair wrote the above in his Facebook post. However, Sinclair criticized the event for conning people and recommended others to not attend the events from the company. He added:
“I’ve never seen anything like it. It was definitely an ‘experience’.”
Several users also commented on Sinclair’s post and expressed their disappointment at the event. “Sold a dream and delivered a nightmare,” one user commented (via Sky News). Eventually, the guests demanded a refund resulting in the event being canceled midway through its first day.
The Willy Wonka-themed immersive Experience Was Marketed Using AI
In since-deleted posts from the event’s page, entrants were promised live performances, a twilight tunnel, and an imagination lab packaged as an immersive adventure. However, to the shock of those who arrived at the event, none of this was present at the venue.
In an extensive thread on X, one user detailed how the organizers, House of Illuminati, used AI-generated images and text to market their events. User @DuttyMoonshine shared the promotional pictures of the organizers’ events, which were clearly the work of AI.
And boy oh boy does it get better!
The promotional artwork for the company is littered with spelling mistakes…
Did no one check??
Or
Did they think this was OK?!?Note the company name is wrong here
— Dutty Moonshine Big Band (@DuttyMoonshine) February 26, 2024
The user also pointed out how the organizers did not have any images on their page from their past events. At the same time, the AI-generated images also had glaring errors such as a misspelling of the company’s name, which the user cited as a red flag.
“Now that is an immersive and mad installation. This looks like when you order one from Wish.”
The user made the above comment referencing one of the low-budget props installed at the venue. House of Illuminati released a statement promising a complete refund to those who had purchased a ticket to the event. The organizers said the following in the since-deleted statement (via Business Insider):
“We fully apologize for what has happened and will be giving full refunds to each and every person that purchased tickets.”
However, according to Sinclair, he has yet to receive a refund as of February 26, 2024. As the tweets suggest, the event was nothing as advertised and a straight-up scam given the organizers used AI-generated images to market the Willy Wonka-themed event and failed to deliver any of the promised experiences.
