This article originally appeared on Business Insider.
a “Willy's Chocolate Experience“Last weekend turned out to be a lot less satisfying than people had hoped.
The event was organized by House of the Illuminati in Glasgow, Scotland. It was advertised as a “place where chocolate dreams come true” with an enchanted garden, an “Imagination Lab” that promised “mind-expanding projections and optical wonders” and a “Twilight Tunnel”.
A disclaimer at the bottom of its website said: “This experience is in no way associated with the Wonka franchise, which is owned by The Warner Bros. Company.”
People quickly realized that it was far from what the organizers had promised.
Stuart Sinclair, who said he took his children to the event, called it an “absolute devastation”.
IN a Facebook postSinclair said the event was billed as a “great day out for the kids” but soon after he arrived he noticed a queue of people waiting to complain.
Police were even called and “advice was given,” a Police Scotland representative said, according to Sky News.
X users speculated that the images the organizers used online were generated by artificial intelligence. Some of the images featured on the website have telltale signs of AI art, and Business Insider was able to create very similar images using AI.
The Illuminati House did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the use of AI in marketing photos.
Police called to 'immersive' Willy Wonka experience after families turn up at 'empty warehouse'
The event reportedly charged $40 for entry, advertised AI art, and said it would be a “journey filled with wonderful creations and fascinating surprises at every… pic.twitter.com/udz8KeWVxQ
– Desire for culture? (@CultureCrave) February 27, 2024
Sinclair said in his Facebook post that the company was nothing more than an absolute scam.
After promises of chocolate fountains, Sinclair said his children received two jelly babies and a small drink. He added that tickets for the event cost him £35, or about $44, a person.
Stuart Sinclair called the event an “absolute devastation”. Stuart Sinclair via BI
House of the Illuminati said in a Facebook post on Saturday evening: “Today has been a very stressful and frustrating day for many people and for that we are truly sorry.
“Unfortunately, at the last minute we were disappointed in many areas of our event and we tried to keep going and move forward and we now realize that we probably should have canceled first thing this morning.
“We apologize fully for what happened and will issue full refunds to anyone who purchased tickets.”