(CNN) – Families attending a Willy Wonka-inspired event in Glasgow, Scotland, were promised “visual wonders” and “extraordinary props” for a £35 ($44) ticket, but when they arrived they found sparse decorated warehouse and were offered a quarter glass of lemonade (or lime-flavored lemonade if supplies ran out).
People were so angry on Saturday that they called the police, Police Scotland confirmed to CNN, the event was canceled and the story went viral on social media.
Paul Connell, one of the actors hired for the event, told CNN on Wednesday: “There was a lot of angry people outside.”
“I saw people screaming, the organizers crying (…). It was absolute chaos. At that moment there were people running around everywhere, they had completely lost control.”
On Facebook, organizers House of Illuminati said: “Today has been a stressful and frustrating day for many and for that we are truly sorry.”
“This was an incident gone wrong,” another post said. “House of Illuminati will NOT be holding any further events in the near future.”
House of Illuminati had promoted the event with an extravagant website filled with fantastical images and detailed descriptions of an “Enchanted Garden,” a “Laboratory of Imagination,” and a “Twilight Tunnel.”
The 15-page script Connell had received the day before said there would be “all these special effects,” but when he asked organizers for more information, they “kept saying: Don't worry, go for it.” just whatever you want, they will do it.” . “We would fix it (during the day).”
(Image credit: Jack Proctor)
However, when he showed up the next day, the warehouse was still “virtually empty, save for a few plastic mushrooms”, a far cry from what had been advertised.
Jack Proctor and his family were among those attending the experience and arrived after the event had already been open for a few hours, he told CNN on Wednesday.
“We encountered groups of families leaving the event with confused faces,” he explained. “They led us up the stairs and we arrived at a large makeshift door marked ‘Factory’. A partition blocked our view, but we were already aware of it.” “I realized that things weren't going to go well… it was even worse than expected.
It took Proctor and his family three minutes to see the entire experience, for which he had paid £95, he added, and they left shortly afterwards as security forces kicked people out.
“Two Oompa Loompas handed out candy…Each child was given a jellybean and a lollipop, the adults were told not to touch the candy.”
Videos posted on social media showed a cloaked and masked figure emerging from behind a mirror as children looked on in increasing horror.
“Almost every child who saw him ran away crying,” Proctor explains.
(Image credit: Jack Proctor)
In a Facebook group set up by the disappointed people, people shared stories. One person said their kids got two gummy bears and a quarter can of soda, another said their two kids “really had fun (thank goodness Sean, they're slightly happy!)”.
The actors were “embarrassed by the whole thing,” Connell said, and “tried to make it as enjoyable an experience as possible… but the person running the event said I was spending too much time with the kids and had to do it.” “They spend as quickly as possible.”
CNN attempted to contact the House of Illuminati for comment through email addresses available on its website, but messages were returned.