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Call it the “Fyre Festival for kids,” or a “hot (chocolate) mess,” or the “s'more dumpster fire”, but once you're done making jokes about the disastrous Glasgow Willy Wonka-themed immersive experience, the event's creator wants you to know it's no laughing matter, and he's deeply sorry for the show's shortcomings.
Billy Coull, the director of the immersive events company House of Illuminati that put on the show, spoke in Scotland to STV News and declared he was “truly and utterly sorry” for the “technical issues” that led to a wildly underwhelming chocolate factory experience.
The creator of a ‘shambolic' Willy Wonka-inspired experience has apologised and blamed ‘technical issues' after furious parents complained about the quality of the event. https://t.co/lIit2Z4sDA pic.twitter.com/GRsbFWBseM
— STV News (@STVNews) February 27, 2024
Coull explained that he was “so, so sorry to everybody for the sheer and utter disappointment. We did decide to continue the event in the best manner in which we could. However, again I am deeply disappointed.”
He further elaborated to the Scottish news source that “I’m really shocked that the event had fallen short of the expectations of people on paper.”
“My vision of the artistic rendition of a well known book didn’t come to fruition,” continued Coull. “For that I am absolutely truly and utterly sorry.”
Coull insists that “there was every intention to hold the event,” however, “unfortunately there was unforeseen circumstances and the event didn’t come to light.”
As far as what specifically those obstacles were, Coull said “these issues were technological in nature.”
“We had ordered a holographic paper that didn’t arrive on time,” he went on. “The holographic technology in itself is absolutely fabulous technology and unfortunately there was a delay in postage.”
Coull and House of Illuminati sure picked the wrong book-to-live-immersive-experience-show to botch though. You don't expect to have to ask for a refund when you get a golden ticket to Willy Wonka‘s Chocolate Factory, but that's exactly what families had to do after the colossal failure. The company promises that everyone who purchased a ticket will be fully refunded, but the whole experience was still some pretty bitter chocolate to have to swallow.
