'Winter Wonderland' shut down after just one day
It's meant to be the most wonderful time of the year, but for visitors of the Winter Wonderland festival, it was anything but.
Organisers promised "all the magic of the holiday season," but patrons were left so disappointed that the event was shut down after just one day, the Daily Mail reported.
Plagued with Santas that were too skinny, reindeers without antlers, and an ice rink made of plastic sheets at the event in Milton Keynes, England.
The price tag for the festival didn't come cheap either, with parents forced to fork out up to $118 dollars for the privilege.
The festival was shut down after the deluge of complaints came in and a partner charity pulled out.
Promoters promised that kids would see reindeer and huskies, meet Santa, and spend time ice skating.
The Santas in particular were disappointing for parents, who described them as young, skinny and wearing cheap costumes.
One mum, who spent $82 to take her kids to the festival, couldn't believe how poor the festival was.
She wrote on her blog: "This was definitely no Wonderland. It felt like an opportunity to rip off parents who had hoped to have a magical day out with their children.
"The Santa was disappointing to say the least. Unfortunately, his beard was falling down and you could see his normal clothes underneath his costume. Not exactly 'magical' and our children asked where the real one was."
A message on the event's website said: "We regret that this event has been cancelled. Full refunds will be issued for all tickets that have been pre-ordered."
A spokesman from the Parks Trust, which looks after Campbell Park, said: "We are very sorry to hear that some people have had such a disappointing experience.
'Winter Wonderland MK have told us that they will be contacting all the customers on their database to arrange refunds."
