‘Willy Wonka’ UK Event Promoter Issues Second Apology, Promises Refunds

deadline.com:

The biggest event disaster since the Fyre Festival concert fiasco has drawn a second apology from its promoters. The director of the disastrous Willy Wonka experience in Glasgow, Billy Coull, posted a lengthy explanation of what went wrong on Facebook.

The event, billed as “Willy’s Chocolate Experience,” promised attendees chocolate fountains, performances by Oompa Loompas, and “a celebration of chocolate in all its delightful forms.” Instead, they received a sparsely decorated warehouse featuring two women with green wigs playing the Oompa Loompas, and actor Paul Connell, whose red hair and beard made him less Willy Wonka and self-admittedly more like an Oompa Loompa.

The resultant uproar from attendees made worldwide news, and has spawned a cottage industry of related memes. Shortly after word emerged on the disaster, House of Illuminati issued a brief statement. “Unfortunately, last minute we were let down in many areas of our event and tried our best to continue on and push through and now realize we probably should have cancelled first thing this morning instead,” the company statement said.

Aware that the previous statement did not dampen anger, director Coull tried again today with a second, more detailed apology. “I am reaching out to address the recent cancellation of the “Willys Chocolate Experience” event.