An unlicensed Willy Wonka experience in the heart of a Scottish city promised to provide children with a memorable day out and “create lasting memories” for everyone in attendance.
Yet, it quickly turned into a horror show, which left children in tears and parents angered due to the event’s bleak setup and a terrifying and unfamiliar evil character.
Willy Chocolate Experience in Glasgow
Parents in the Scottish city of Glasgow were delighted when they heard a “Willy’s Chocolate Experience” themed event would be taking place in their city.
While advertisements of the event proclaimed “a day filled with laughter, joy, and the irresistible allure of chocolate,” it was anything but for the children in attendance.
A Celebration of Chocolate
The event was held by an organization known as the “House of Illuminati” based in London. Tickets to the once-in-a-lifetime event cost £35, or around $45.
The organization enticed people from across the United Kingdom by stating that their Willy Wonka experience would be “a celebration of chocolate in all its delightful forms,” with “whimsical performances” and “surprises at every turn.”
Problems Begin to Arise at Willy’s Chocolate Experience
As guests arrived at the event on Sunday, they quickly noticed it didn’t appear at all like how the organization advertised it.
Parents and their children entered a large, sparsely decorated warehouse, which provided little to no excitement for the children. The lack of entertainment at the event even brought some children to tears, per People.
Actors Vent Their Frustration with Event
Several local actors, including Paul Connell, were hired to take part in the event. When he arrived at work, he said his “heart sank” due to the apparent lack of enthusiasm that went into decorating the warehouse for children.
“I just felt sad because I was aware of how many kids were going to be coming through,” he told The Guardian.
Parents Unhappy with Willy Wonka Experience
While parents were told it would take around an hour to explore the warehouse, most said it took around five minutes, leaving many angry.
But the bleak setup didn’t even come close to the worst aspect of the entire event.
Mysterious Villain Scares Children
Billy Coull, the event director, later admitted they had used AI to organize and promote the event parts of the event.
The AI program even went as far as to create a sinister character known as The Unknown, an evil chocolatier who terrified children walking around the warehouse.
The Evil Chocolatier
According to the events script, The Unknown was supposed to represent a character “cloaked in mystery and malice.”
The script suggests visitors would be met with a “gasp” as they encountered the evil chocolatier as it spoke, “with a voice both smooth and sinister.” However, its presence was the final straw for the already angered parents.
Willy’s Chocolate Experience Canceled
The entire event was canceled less than halfway through due to the outcry from British parents.
Many labeled the entire experience a farce and demanded a refund.
The Crowds Start to Get Angry
In the wake of the event’s cancellation, the House of Illuminati failed to inform later customers of the news, which led to further drama for the organization.
Speaking with the BBC, per People, Yulia Burns said, “The crowd became angrier” as they began to realize the event was not what they expected. She said they “never had a chance to get inside.”
House of Illuminati Issues Apology
The organization later issued an apology on Facebook that has since been deleted. According to their post, the London-based group was “let down in many areas of our event” at the last minute “and tried our best to continue on and push through” (via People).
They continued, “We planned a fabulous event, and it just did not take shape as planned,” House of Illuminati said, “and for that, we are truly sorry we are devastated at how this has turned out,” per People.
Organizers Set to Issue Refunds
The House of Illuminati says they have already begun issuing refunds to all parents who were unhappy with the event. Whether or not this is true is yet to be confirmed.
One customer claims she is “not very hopeful” about a refund, saying she’s heard “absolutely nothing” from the organizers.
