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'Absolutely awful': Parents demand refunds after Fortnite festival fail

Hundreds of parents have demanded refunds after visiting a Fortnite festival that was branded “absolutely awful”.

Visitors to the two-day Fortnite Live event at Norfolk showground near Norfolk in the UK were forced to queue for hours to enter the site on Saturday.

Once inside, parents said the computer game-themed event was a “shambles”, with depressing attractions and a shortage of staff.

Organisers Exciting Events had billed the festival as the “ultimate Fortnite Battle Royale” with “crazy competitions, awesome activities … and much more”.

Visitors were charged up to $40 for a ticket and a further $36 each for wristbands to take part in the attractions.

There were excessive queues at the event, according to hundreds of parents. Source: Facebook/ Natalie King-Edson
There were excessive queues at the event, according to hundreds of parents. Source: Facebook/ Natalie King-Edson

Justine Petersen, 44, travelled 40 kilometres to the event with husband Martin and their nine-year-old son Richard, after paying about $72 for tickets.

“We queued for about 45 minutes to get through the gates, then joined another queue to get wristbands,” she said.

After having waited another hour, the family decided to walk around to see what was on offer.

“There was a climbing wall that could only fit about four kids on it, the sort of thing you would only see at a school fete,” she said.

Another attraction included on an itinerary handed to families was the “Cave Experience”.

One mother said the event was no different to what could be achieved at home. Source: Facebook/ Natalie King-Edson
One mother said the event was no different to what could be achieved at home. Source: Facebook/ Natalie King-Edson

“It was some sort of truck with a tarpaulin over the sides, then they had stuck a grey plastic slide on the back,” the mother revealed.

“It wasn’t even slippery. The kids were using their arms to push themselves down it.

“In front of that there was a merchandise stall. There were baseball caps with cannabis leaf logos on them.”

Endless list of complaints

Ms Petersen said another huge flaw was the stage where a dance competition was set to take place. She said it was far too small to accommodate all participants.

She said there was also a “Dusty Diner”, a location from the game where players can collect resources.

“It was two or three tables and a couple of ladies with tea urns and they had three or four cakes in front of them,” she said.

Ms Petersen’s qualms were echoed online, with dozens of complaints posted on Facebook.

The attractions at the event have been described as unsuitable and insufficient for the amount of attendees. Source: Facebook/ Natalie King-Edson
The attractions at the event have been described as unsuitable and insufficient for the amount of attendees. Source: Facebook/ Natalie King-Edson

One mother said the event was nothing different from what the children could do at home.

“Everything had a massive queue. There were thousands of people and only about six things to do,” Ms Petersen said.

The disappointed family left within an hour.

“There were children upset everywhere. There was not a single person who seemed to be happy about what they saw. It was horrendous,” the mother said.

“A lot of things were either not open or just completely not there. My children love Fortnite and after half an hour they were disappointed and wanted to leave.”

Event organiser Shaun Lord said the long queues were a result of staffing issues and claimed it had been a “fantastic show”.

Writing on their Facebook page, the organisers said that “so many happy children have enjoyed a great day at Fortnite Live Norwich today”.

“However, these happy visitors have been accompanied by a mixed bag of feedback with the queues wearing thin on some visitor’s patience and we sincerely apologise to those visitors who gave feedback regarding the queues.”

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