Willy Wonka immersive event advertised using AI leaves attendees unhappy, organizers express regret

Kids and parents were left stunned after attending an event in the UK that promised a magical chocolate factory with a "full Wonka" experience. Instead, they arrived at an empty warehouse adorned with only a few Willy Wonka props and a single bouncy castle—and disappointingly, no chocolate.

The event, organized by the House of Illuminati, was advertised as a "place where chocolate dreams become reality" with an enchanted garden, an Imagination Lab that promised "mind-expanding projections, optical marvels, and exhibits," and a Twilight Tunnel that is "adorned with captivating projections, enigmatic sounds, and surprising turns." Tickets were sold for £35 (P2,491) each.

A disclaimer at the bottom of its website said: "This experience is in no way related to the Wonka franchise, which is owned by the Warner Bros. company."

Some X users speculated that the organizers used artificial intelligence to generate the images. Police were even called to the venue in Glasglow after they received reports from disappointed parents.

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 pic.twitter.com/tfkyg0G0WG

— Chris Alsikkan (@AlsikkanTV) February 26, 2024

Paul Connell, one of the actors hired by the company, expressed surprise to STV News, stating that none of the promised props or special effects were present. 

“My heart sank looking around … I just felt sad because I was aware of how many kids were going to be coming through," he said. “We were told to hand the kids a couple of jelly beans and a quarter cup of lemonade at the end.”

Yoga instructor Kirsty Paterson's photo in an Oompa Loompa outfit and standing by a chemistry set went viral. Some users referred to her as a "m--h-lab Oompa-Loompa lady."

Speaking to MailOnline, Paterson revealed that not only did she not receive the promised £500 (P35,582) payment, but she also wasn't informed about the specifics of her role. 

"I was angry at the time because I felt like this is embarrassing for me, and I felt bad for the people coming in as well," she said.

"There was a part where they were saying it was like a science lab, and you were supposed to hand out jelly beans, and by that point they had run out of jelly beans, so I was just trying to make slightly exciting for the kids," Paterson said. "Then I walked off scene because I was so embarrassed."

"The whole thing’s just been a complete and utter shambles. It was shocking honestly," she added.

Police were called to a "Willy Wonka Experience" in the UK after hundreds of families were left scammed

- $40 tickets for entry
- AI images advertised the event
- Venue was an empty warehouse
- Staff given scripts the night before

The photos are almost too good to be true pic.twitter.com/PXklBmnQH6

— Morning Brew ☕️ (@MorningBrew) February 27, 2024

Jenny Fogarty, another actress hired for the event, claimed that the script wasn't given until 12 hours before the event and that they were handed "sexy Oompa Loompa costumes" for a children's event.

"We weren't told to bring a T-shirt to wear underneath because they're quite revealing or anything like that," Fogarty said.

'We probably should have canceled'

House of Illuminati apologized to visitors after complaints of an underwhelming and falsely advertised event.