Photographs have been published showing the reality of a £15 Santa event that promised a haunted catwalk, sparkling light show and a chat with Santa.
The winter extravaganza at Balgone Estate in East Lothian, Scotland, was branded a Christmas ‘Festival Fyre’ after irate parents paid to walk through mud and ice, and see a hands-free Santa mannequin .
The images show what was promised by the event organizers compared to what was delivered, without the reality resembling what was announced.
They include a trail of bright light that was actually a string of fairy lights traversing a muddy path.
What was promised: a toddler meet Santa costing an extra £15 per child
A Santa Claus mannequin at the Enchanted event appeared to be missing one of its hands.
Meanwhile, those hoping to meet Saint Nicholas, which costs an extra £15 per child, as shown in the advert, were actually greeted with a Santa Claus dummy with one of its hands missing.
Several guests noted that the “maze” was nothing more than hay bales “barely tall enough to hide a child” while several areas were a quagmire.
Meanwhile, those hoping to meet Saint Nicholas, which costs an extra £15 per child, as shown in the advert, were actually greeted with a Santa Claus dummy with one of its hands missing.
A father, who asked not to be named, said the event left his two-year-old son in tears.
What was promised: a magical light show with lots of flickering bulbs at the Scottish estate
Families complained of having to walk through mud and ice during their visit.
The father, who paid £25 for his family of three to visit, said: “When we arrived, it was clearly going to be a big departure from the marketing materials.”
‘It was a trip to a muddy farm field. The “carnival” was a wheat shed.
“The event was severely understaffed, and mostly by young teenagers with little apparent training.”
He added: ‘My two-year-old started crying, but we have another event planned that we know will be fine.
The ad featured an illuminated lake as just one example of what to expect
Some winter wonderland visitors were disappointed by what they found
“We are very lucky, for other families this must have been their big event and I know some of them couldn’t afford it.”
Another father said he spent £100 on the event with his wife and two daughters: £40 on tickets and another £60 on food, drinks and attractions.
While some complained that the rides were too short, their kids couldn’t wait for them to finish.
He said: ‘We went to the train, a member of staff starts the train and then comes out of the barn.
“We thought ‘okay, he can’t be gone for long’.”
One visitor said his children were stuck on a train for “about seven minutes” after a staff member wandered off while they were traveling.
Others were not happy with the “extremely muddy” and “dirty” roads, with one family leaving after just half an hour.
‘For about seven minutes my two daughters were going round and round on the train. I had to go find another staff member to stop him.
My oldest daughter then jumped on the bungee cords and again the staff member in charge of the area disappeared and was gone for 10 minutes.
“When she came back, my daughter was standing there waiting to go out.”
To make matters worse, others appeared to have paid nothing.
He said, “When we arrived, there were no staff to check the tickets so we thought ‘okay, maybe they’ll check it when you get to the actual lights area.’
‘I started asking other families if they paid for this, and I asked about 11 or 12 families the same question.
“All the families said no, they didn’t pay, they just walked in, except for one other family who was just as unhappy as I was.”
Sara Julia Campbell, who paid £20 to visit her husband and 15-month-old baby, stayed for just half an hour.
She said: ‘We got there and it was extremely muddy and the roads were dirty.
“It was almost impossible to get the stroller out of the car and it would get stuck a lot.
Some visitors raised concerns about the light trail’s proximity to a partially frozen lake.
“Everything cost extra money, from the rides to the food, which was good but expensive. We weren’t sure what we paid for other than parking.
One visitor, commenting on Facebook, called it the ‘East Lothian Fyre Festival’.
Mom Kirsty McIntosh expressed concern about the light trail’s proximity to a lake, which was partially frozen.
She said: ‘There were no security rings that I could see and only one butler that I saw.
“If someone had jumped in the water, it could have been disastrous, as recent events elsewhere have shown.”
She said the trail itself was partially closed due to going through a badger settlement.
“We spent half the time with our torches trying not to fall on slippery ground in hidden trenches,” said Kymmi Craighead, who visited with three other adults, paying £15 each.
Several customers were also angry that their complaints had not been answered.
Sue Hitchen, director of the Edinburgh-based Foodies Festivals which organized the event, highlighted the positive feedback received from visitors.
He noted guests who ‘thoroughly enjoyed’ their visit ‘and recommended it to others’, and another who described ‘a lovely Christmas experience’.
The organizers said many people had “thoroughly enjoyed” their visit to the event.
Even some of the customers who complained were complimentary about the food.
She continued: ‘Obviously we are very concerned about anyone who feels our event was disappointing.
“We have been planning this for several months with the Balgone Estate and other partners such as local food vendors and have very positive feedback from many of our visitors.
“So these comments are being taken seriously and we are reaching out to those individuals to discuss this further.”
When asked for comment, the Balgone Estate stressed that it had no role in the event other than providing a venue.
David Grant-Suttie, speaking for the state, said: ‘We understand the disappointment shown by members of the public.
“We have done our best to respond appropriately by making sure customers know that we are not responsible for the event, we are simply hosting an event.
“We share the disappointment as we can see that the event is not living up to the expectations of the customers.”