Organizers behind the disastrous “Willy’s Chocolate Experience” in the United Kingdom issued an apology on Friday nearly a week after attendees slammed the awful event.
In a lengthy post on Facebook, a statement from the Glasgow-based House of Illuminati –– with director Billy Coull — read, “I want to extend my sincerest apologizes to each and every one of you who was looking forward to this event. I understand the disappointment and frustration this has caused, and for that, I am truly sorry.”
Organizers used artificial intelligence (AI) to promote its “immersive experience,” but when kids showed up and paid $44 for a ticket, the event looked nothing like what was promised. It was also so bad that parents ended up calling the police, as previously reported. Photos of the event and customer reactions went viral on social media, too.
Police were called to an ‘immersive event’ inspired by Willy Wonka in Glasgow after furious parents complained about the quality of the event. https://t.co/8BIz7jOESm pic.twitter.com/hqpgeNB9uk
— STV News (@STVNews) February 26, 2024
“It’s important for me to clarify that the organization and decisions surrounding this event were solely my responsibility,” the statement on FB read. “I want to make it clear that anyone who was hired externally or offered their help, are not affiliated with [me] or the company, any use of faces can cause serious harm to those who did not have any involvement in the making of this event.”
At one point in the message, they noted they were doing all they could to rectify the situation and promised that “all 850 Transactions” will be refunded to “ensure transparency and to demonstrate my commitment to making this right for everyone affected.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP
“I ask for a bit of time to process everything that has happened,” the statement concluded. “My intention is to learn from this experience. Your support and understanding during this time mean the world to me. Thank you for taking the time to read this message.”
The U.K. event promised attendees that they’d visit “a universe where confectionary dreams are brought to life” with “mind-expanding projections” and “wondrous creations and enchanting surprises at every turn!”
The Guardian reported that customers instead encountered “a sparsely decorated warehouse with a scattering of plastic props, a small bouncy castle, and some backdrops pinned against the walls.” Some children cried when they saw it, the outlet noted, and things were so bad that someone called Scotland police.
“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,” one X post with more than 19 million views read.
Another post showed an event employee posing as an Oompa Loompa.
“The Oompa Loompa from the knock off Wonka land experience looks like she’s running a literal meth lab and is seriously questioning the life choices up until this point. If you scripted this, I would say it was too on the nose,” the caption read.
Amanda Harding contributed to this piece.