{{short description|Unlicensed event in Glasgow, Scotland}} {{Use British English|date=March 2024}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2024}} {{Infobox event | title = Willy's Chocolate Experience | logo = Willyschocolateexperience.png | logo_caption = | image = Willy's Chocolate Experience advertisement.png | image_upright = | image_alt = A detailed but poorly-done illustration of a man surrounded by candy, themed vaguely after Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka. Most of the text is either misspelled or nonsensical. Shapes are seen morphing and blending into one another, typical of AI-generated imagery. | caption = One of the AI-generated advertisements used for the event, with uncorrected spelling errors and nonsensical words | time = | timezone = | date = {{start date|2024|02|24|df=y}} | venue = Box Hub Warehouse | location = Glasgow, Scotland | coordinates = {{coord|55|52|21|N|4|20|26|W|type:event|display=inline,title}} | map = {{Location map|Scotland Glasgow |lat_deg=55.8725 |lon_deg=-4.3400 |label=Box Hub Warehouse |border=none |float=center|caption=}} | also_known_as = | type = | theme = ''Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'' | patron = <!-- or |patrons= --> | organisers = House of Illuminati | filmed_by = | participants = | outcome = | litigation = | awards = | url = | website = {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240225233522/https://willyschocolateexperience.com/ |date=2024-02-25|title=willyschocolateexperience.com}} | notes = }}
'''Willy's Chocolate Experience''' was an unlicensed event based on ''Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'' that took place in Glasgow, Scotland, in February 2024. The event was promoted as an immersive and interactive family experience, illustrated on a promotional website with "dreamlike" AI-generated images.<ref name="vulture22">{{cite news |last=Mack |first=David |date=28 February 2024 |title=Glasgow's Sad Oompa Loompa Isn't Gonna Sugarcoat This |url=https://www.vulture.com/article/glasgow-sad-oompa-loompa-interview.html |access-date=29 February 2024 |work=Vulture |language=en |archive-date=29 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240229003159/https://www.vulture.com/article/glasgow-sad-oompa-loompa-interview.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="nyt22">{{Cite web |last=Holpuch |first=Amanda |date=27 February 2024 |title=A Few Jelly Beans and a World of Disappointment at Willy Wonka Event |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/27/world/europe/willy-wonka-experience-glasgow.html |access-date=28 February 2024 |website=The New York Times |archive-date=28 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240228020636/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/27/world/europe/willy-wonka-experience-glasgow.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="nbc22">{{Cite web |last=Yang |first=Angela |date=28 February 2024 |title=A Willy Wonka-inspired experience 'scam' was so bad that people called the cops |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/willy-wonka-inspired-chocolate-experience-outrage-rcna140726 |access-date=28 February 2024 |website=NBC News |language=en |archive-date=28 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240228004149/https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/willy-wonka-inspired-chocolate-experience-outrage-rcna140726 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Guardian">{{Cite web |last=Brooks |first=Libby |date=27 February 2024 |title=Glasgow Willy Wonka experience called a 'farce' as tickets refunded |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/feb/27/glasgow-willy-wonka-experience-slammed-as-farce-as-tickets-refunded |access-date=28 February 2024 |website=The Guardian |archive-date=27 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240227235249/https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/feb/27/glasgow-willy-wonka-experience-slammed-as-farce-as-tickets-refunded |url-status=live}}</ref> Once it was discovered that the event was held in a sparsely decorated warehouse, many customers complained, and the police were called to the venue. The event went viral on the Internet and attracted worldwide media attention.<ref name="Watson-2024">{{Cite news |date=1 March 2024 |title=Willy Wonka experience: How did the viral sensation go so wrong? |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-68431728 |access-date=2 March 2024 |work=BBC News |first1=Calum |last1=Watson |first2=Morven |last2=Mckinnon |first3=Megan |last3=Bonar |language=en-GB |archive-date=2 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240302024411/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-68431728 |url-status=live}}</ref>
The event drew comparisons to the 2008 Lapland New Forest controversy, the 2014 Tumblr fan convention DashCon, and Billy McFarland's 2017 Fyre Festival.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Colbert |first=Isaiah |date=27 February 2024 |title=Willy Wonka Experience Promoted Using Suspected AI Art Was So Bad That Customers Called the Police |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/willy-wonka-experience-promoted-using-suspected-ai-art-was-so-bad-that-customers-called-the-police |access-date=28 February 2024 |website=IGN |language=en |archive-date=27 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240227231918/https://www.ign.com/articles/willy-wonka-experience-promoted-using-suspected-ai-art-was-so-bad-that-customers-called-the-police |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |access-date=28 February 2024 |url=https://ew.com/chocolate-fyre-festival-willy-wonka-event-infuriates-guests-8601369 |last=Stenzel |first=Wesley |date=27 February 2024 |title=Chocolate Fyre Festival? Inside the ''Willy Wonka'' event that had infuriated guests calling the cops |archive-date=28 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240228070715/https://ew.com/chocolate-fyre-festival-willy-wonka-event-infuriates-guests-8601369 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Cohen |first=Danielle |date=28 February 2024 |title=Welcome to Fyre Fest: Wonka Edition |url=https://www.thecut.com/article/willy-wonka-experience-glasgow-fyre-fest.html |access-date=29 February 2024 |website=The Cut |language=en |archive-date=28 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240228233706/https://www.thecut.com/article/willy-wonka-experience-glasgow-fyre-fest.html |url-status=live}}</ref>
== Background and advertising == thumb|A second AI-generated advertisement, with a larger number of nonsensical words and the nonsensical term "dim tight". The event was stated to take place over the weekend of 24–25 February 2024.<ref name="nyt22" /> Promotional material advertised "stunning and intricately designed settings inspired by Roald Dahl's timeless tale" and "an array of delectable treats scattered throughout the experience".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Willy Wonka Experience |url=https://www.whatsonglasgow.co.uk/event/131453-willy-wonka-experience/ |access-date=28 February 2024 |website=What's On Glasgow |archive-date=27 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240227205819/https://www.whatsonglasgow.co.uk/event/131453-willy-wonka-experience/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Both the website and promotional material used poor-quality AI-generated images, which included several spelling errors such as "cartchy tuns" and "a pasadise of sweet teats" and nonsensical words such as "catgacating" and "exarserdray".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Willys Chocolate Experience Glasgow. Get your Tickets! |url=https://willyschocolateexperience.com/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240301025857/https://willyschocolateexperience.com/ |archive-date=1 March 2024 |access-date=1 March 2024 |website=willyschocolateexperience.com |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Fear |first=Natalie |date=28 February 2024 |title=This disastrous Wonka event is the worst case of AI art catfishing I've seen |url=https://www.creativebloq.com/news/bad-willy-wonka-experience |access-date=1 March 2024 |work=Creative Bloq |language=en |archive-date=1 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240301000019/https://www.creativebloq.com/news/bad-willy-wonka-experience |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="vf"/> Tickets cost up to £35 per person.<ref name="nbc22" /><ref name="Watson-2024" /> While the event was being promoted in early February, a Reddit user who saw Facebook advertisements suspected it to be a scam and was surprised that people were apparently buying tickets based solely on AI-generated images.<ref name="vf">{{cite magazine |last=Murphy |first=Chris |date=29 February 2024 |title="Willy's Chocolate Experience" Nightmare: What Went Wrong? |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/willys-chocolate-experience-nightmare-what-went-wrong |access-date=1 March 2024 |magazine=Vanity Fair |archive-date=1 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240301030906/https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/willys-chocolate-experience-nightmare-what-went-wrong |url-status=live}}</ref>
The event was organised by House of Illuminati, a company registered to Billy Coull which claimed to offer "unparalleled immersive experiences".<ref name="rs2">{{cite magazine |last=Klee |first=Miles |date=28 February 2024 |title=Huckster Behind 'Willy Wonka' Event Also Sells AI-Written Vaccine Conspiracy Books |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/willy-wonka-event-glasgow-billy-coull-ai-vaccine-conspiracy-books-1234976876/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240228115929/https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/willy-wonka-event-glasgow-billy-coull-ai-vaccine-conspiracy-books-1234976876/ |archive-date=28 February 2024 |access-date=28 February 2024 |magazine=Rolling Stone}}</ref> An investigation by Third Force News conducted after the event described Coull's previous "murky involvement in the charity sector."<ref name=":2">{{Cite news |last=Christie |first=Niall |date=2024-03-01 |title=Exclusive: TFN lifts the lid on Wonka farce charity chief |url=https://tfn.scot/news/exclusive-tfn-lifts-the-lid-on-wonka-farce-charity-chief |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250114110143/https://tfn.scot/news/exclusive-tfn-lifts-the-lid-on-wonka-farce-charity-chief |archive-date=14 January 2025 |access-date=2025-08-12 |work=Third Force News |language=en |url-status=live }}</ref> Coull had previously registered several other companies and claimed to work as a "consultant" for the now-defunct brand Empowerity,<ref name="rs2" /> formerly known as the charity Gowanbank Community Hub.<ref name=":2" /> In 2021, Gowanbank was forced to remove claims of a £95-per-ticket fundraising "gala" at DoubleTree Glasgow which had been falsely advertised to feature TV personalities and performers including Gok Wan and Joe Black. Coull had claimed to be a doctor with a fake degree from a false university that provided "metaphysical degrees", and had attempted to use the charity to win the 2022 Glasgow City Council election in the seat of Greater Pollok, though he never registered for the election.<ref name=":2" /> In the summer of 2023, he independently published 17 AI-generated books on various topics, including vaccine conspiracy theories.<ref name="Watson-2024" /><ref name="rs2" /> ''Rolling Stone'' concluded that House of Illuminati's websites and event descriptions were likely written by an AI chatbot, such as ChatGPT.<ref name="rs2" />
Three actors were hired to portray "Willy McDuff", a character based on Willy Wonka. One of them, Paul Connell, said that the cast were given one day to learn the script.<ref name="Watson-2024" /><ref>{{cite news |last=Moody |first=Jasmine |date=28 February 2024 |title='The script was 15 pages of AI-generated gibberish': Willy Wonka actor breaks silence on disastrous event |url=https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/willy-wonka-actor-breaks-silence-on-disastrous-event/ |access-date=1 March 2024 |work=LBC |archive-date=1 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240301092524/https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/willy-wonka-actor-breaks-silence-on-disastrous-event/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Wired" /><ref>{{cite news |title=Actor who played Willy Wonka at mocked 'immersive' experience speaks |work=CNN |date=28 February 2024 |url=https://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2024/02/28/glasgow-willy-wonka-inspired-immersive-experience-actor-cnc-vpx.cnn |access-date=1 March 2024 |archive-date=1 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240301001832/https://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2024/02/28/glasgow-willy-wonka-inspired-immersive-experience-actor-cnc-vpx.cnn |url-status=live}}</ref> Another actor playing Willy McDuff was 18-year-old Michael Archibald; the experience was his first ever acting job, and he was given the script at 6 pm on Friday before the event began on Saturday.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Davis |first=Barney |date=2 March 2024 |title='Where dreams went to die': Wonka actor reveals chaos behind Glasgow experience |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/willy-wonka-experience-glasgow-unknown-b2505821.html |access-date=3 March 2024 |newspaper=The Independent |language=en |archive-date=3 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240303213247/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/willy-wonka-experience-glasgow-unknown-b2505821.html |url-status=live}}</ref>
Kirsty Paterson, an actress who played one of the Oompa-Loompas (called "Wonkidoodles" in the script), said that the job offer had been posted on Indeed.com and offered £500 for two days of work.<ref name="vulture22" /><ref name="Watson-2024" /><ref name="Wired" /> The day before the event, the actors attended a dress rehearsal at the sparsely decorated venue. They were told that others would be working through the night on the production.<ref name="vulture22" /> When they returned on the day of the event, the venue was in the same condition.<ref name="Watson-2024" /><ref name="Bonar-2024">{{Cite news |date=1 March 2024 |title='We went viral as Oompa Loompas but we're just normal people' |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cv2y59r89vjo |access-date=2 March 2024 |work=BBC News |first=Megan |last=Bonar |archive-date=2 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240302020306/https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cv2y59r89vjo |url-status=live}}</ref> Paterson was given her costume an hour before the event opened, saying that "We were just handed an Amazon box that probably arrived that morning."<ref name="nyt22" />
== Script == The script for the event is titled ''Wonkidoodles at McDuff's Chocolate Factory: A Script'', and describes Willy McDuff leading an audience through the Garden of Enchantment and the Twilight Tunnel.<ref name="Gizmodo" /> Once there, they are confronted by a character called The Unknown, described as "an evil chocolate maker who lives in the walls" who seeks to steal the magical "Anti-Graffiti Gobstopper" from McDuff's Imagination Lab. The gobstopper is "a sweet so powerful, it can make any room sparkle without lifting a finger".<ref name="Gizmodo">{{cite web |first=Thomas |last=Germain |title=Here's the Full AI-Generated Script From the Willy Wonka Disaster |url=https://gizmodo.com/heres-the-full-ai-generated-script-from-the-willy-wonka-1851295448 |website=Gizmodo |language=en |date=29 February 2024 |access-date=29 February 2024 |archive-date=29 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240229172029/https://gizmodo.com/heres-the-full-ai-generated-script-from-the-willy-wonka-1851295448 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last=Klee |first=Miles |title=Justice for 'The Unknown,' the Roald Dahl Character That Wasn't |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/the-unknown-willy-wonka-fiasco-1234978409/ |access-date=2 March 2024 |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=29 February 2024 |archive-date=2 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240302010622/https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/the-unknown-willy-wonka-fiasco-1234978409/ |url-status=live}}</ref> McDuff defeats The Unknown by amplifying the power of the gobstopper and causing his enemy to be "gently swept up by a robotic vacuum, humorously ending the confrontation".<ref name="Wired">{{Cite magazine |last=Farokhmanesh |first=Megan |date=February 29, 2024 |title=The Willy Wonka Event's Lead Actor Speaks Out: 'It Was Just Gibberish' |url=https://www.wired.com/story/willys-chocolate-experience-actor-ai-script-interview/ |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240301223637/https://www.wired.com/story/willys-chocolate-experience-actor-ai-script-interview/ |archive-date=1 March 2024 |access-date=2 March 2024 |magazine=Wired |issn=1059-1028}}</ref><ref name="Gizmodo" />
The script was unusual in that it included stage directions for the audience, and descriptions of their reactions.<ref name="Wired" /> Connell described it as "15 pages of AI-generated gibberish of me just monologuing these mad things",<ref name="Watson-2024" /> and compared the vacuum cleaner plot point to that of the Nintendo video game ''Luigi's Mansion''.<ref name="Wired" /> Interviewed after the event, Coull claimed to have written the script himself, using AI only to "check spelling, grammar, and continuity" as he said he had dyslexia.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |date=2024-03-18 |title=Billy Coull: Man behind Willy Wonka-inspired event in Glasgow tells how life has been 'ruined' |url=https://news.sky.com/story/billy-coull-man-behind-willy-wonka-inspired-event-in-glasgow-tells-how-life-has-been-ruined-13097498 |access-date=2025-08-12 |website=Sky News |language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240330175156/https://news.sky.com/story/billy-coull-man-behind-willy-wonka-inspired-event-in-glasgow-tells-how-life-has-been-ruined-13097498|archive-date=30 March 2024}}</ref><ref name="c5rev">{{Cite news |last=Nicholson |first=Rebecca |date=16 March 2024 |title=Wonka: The Scandal that Rocked Britain review – a whole hour of TV on the chocolate disaster that went viral |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2024/mar/16/wonka-the-scandal-that-rocked-britain-review-a-whole-hour-of-tv-on-the-chocolate-disaster-that-went-viral |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240316210220/https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2024/mar/16/wonka-the-scandal-that-rocked-britain-review-a-whole-hour-of-tv-on-the-chocolate-disaster-that-went-viral |archive-date=16 March 2024 |access-date=16 March 2024 |newspaper=The Guardian |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>
== Event == upright=1.2|thumb|The building of which the Box Hub Warehouse is a part, on the Clydeside Industrial Estate (pictured in 2019) thumb|The interior of the Box Hub Warehouse where the event took place. The set design was heavily criticised for its poor quality and not matching the expectations of the advertisements. The event was held at the Box Hub Warehouse event space in Whiteinch, an industrial area of Glasgow.<ref name="nyt22" /><ref name="Guardian" /> Customers described the venue as "little more than an abandoned, empty warehouse",<ref name="Watson-2024" /> with set dressings including a small bouncy castle, AI-generated backdrop images pinned to some of the walls,<ref>{{cite news |last=Williams |first=Craig |title='We survived the beautiful nightmare that was Willy's Chocolate Experience' |url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/24154356.glasgow-willys-chocolate-experience-attendee-shares-experience/ |access-date=3 March 2024 |work=The Herald |date=29 February 2024 |archive-date=3 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240303181745/https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/24154356.glasgow-willys-chocolate-experience-attendee-shares-experience/ |url-status=live}}</ref> and props which were "strewn about on bare concrete floors". The venue's windows were dirty and its air conditioning systems were left exposed.<ref name="Gizmodo-Feb">{{Cite web |date=27 February 2024 |title=Cops Called to 'Willy Wonka Experience' as Crying Children Realize AI Ads Were Lies |url=https://gizmodo.com/cops-called-to-willy-wonka-experience-as-crying-childre-1851290088 |access-date=1 March 2024 |website=Gizmodo |first=Thomas |last=Germain |language=en |archive-date=29 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240229200613/https://gizmodo.com/cops-called-to-willy-wonka-experience-as-crying-childre-1851290088 |url-status=live}}</ref> Paterson has stated that by the time she saw the venue, she had already signed her contract and "didn't want to disappoint the kids", and thus chose to proceed with the work.<ref name="vf" />
The Unknown was played by a 16-year-old actress named Felicia Dawkins,<ref name="Independent-March">{{Cite news |last=Cottrell |first=Hannah |date=13 March 2024 |title=Viral Willy Wonka experience star The Unknown lands new gig |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/glasgow-willy-wonka-the-unknown-b2512163.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240315031637/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/glasgow-willy-wonka-the-unknown-b2512163.html |archive-date=15 March 2024 |access-date=15 March 2024 |newspaper=The Independent}}</ref> who wore a silver mask and a black cloak.<ref name="bbcks">{{cite news |last=Scott |first=Katy |title=Willy Wonka: The Unknown star of viral chocolate experience unmasked |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-68458043 |access-date=4 March 2024 |work=BBC News |date=3 March 2024 |archive-date=3 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240303211559/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-68458043 |url-status=live}}</ref> Young children were frightened by the character, who appeared from behind a large rectangular mirror.<ref name="Wired" /><ref name="bbcks" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Notopoulos |first=Katie |title='The Unknown' is the best part of the disastrous Willy Wonka house |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/willy-wonka-experience-house-glasgow-who-is-the-unknown-2024-2 |date=29 February 2024 |access-date=1 March 2024 |work=Business Insider |archive-date=1 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240301002740/https://www.businessinsider.com/willy-wonka-experience-house-glasgow-who-is-the-unknown-2024-2 |url-status=live}}</ref> Despite the script calling for The Unknown to be defeated with a vacuum cleaner, no such prop was provided, and actors were instead asked to improvise.<ref name="Wired"/>
Connell said that he and other employees were told to give each child "two jelly beans and a quarter of a cup of lemonade", although the limited supply of jelly beans quickly ran out.<ref name="Guardian" /><ref name="Watson-2024" /><ref name="Wired" /><ref name="Independent-Feb" /> Paterson and another "Wonkidoodle" actress, Jenny Fogarty, said that after the first three 45-minute performances, the cast were told to abandon the script and instead let guests walk through the venue, a process that Paterson said took "about two minutes".<ref name="vulture22" /><ref name="Bonar-2024" /> The character of The Unknown, previously introduced as the main antagonist, was now "scaring children for no reason".<ref name="Wired" /> One of the actors playing McDuff improvised the idea that children should pull a "silly face" at The Unknown to scare them away, but Dawkins said that, in other cases, she "just had to awkwardly walk back to my corner".<ref name="bbcks"/>
Connell was told he would be given a 15-minute break every 45 minutes, but on the day of the event, he played Willy McDuff for three and a half hours without a break.<ref name="Independent-Feb">{{Cite news |last=Davis |first=Barney |date=29 February 2024 |title=Willy Wonka actor breaks silence on disastrous Willy's Chocolate Experience |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/willy-wonka-experience-glasgow-chocolate-event-b2504464.html |access-date=29 February 2024 |newspaper=The Independent |archive-date=29 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240229055024/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/willy-wonka-experience-glasgow-chocolate-event-b2504464.html |url-status=live}}</ref> After returning from a lunch break, Connell encountered a crowd of customers demanding refunds from Coull, and the other actors were unsure what to do next. After being told that the event was now cancelled halfway through its opening day,<ref name="Guardian" /><ref name="rs2" /> the actors left and went to a pub. Upon returning to the venue some time later, Connell said that he felt "the threat of violence had become quite high" and that there were two police vans and two squad cars at the scene.<ref name="Wired" />
==Customer reviews and response== Willy's Chocolate Experience was widely criticised by those who attended it, many of whom demanded refunds.<ref name="Independent-Feb"/> One customer, who had driven with his children for two hours to reach the event, described it as an "absolute con".<ref name="Gizmodo-Feb" /> Other visitors who arrived after the event was closed and were not informed of its cancellation requested compensation for wasted rail fares.<ref name="Guardian" /> Following the event's cancellation, Coull offered to refund 850 people,<ref name="Independent-Feb" /> a statement repeated by the event's Facebook page. Some Facebook users stated that they had received their money back.<ref name="rs2" /> Paterson and Fogarty stated that they only received half of their paycheque.<ref name="Bonar-2024" />
Box Hub, the organisation that had rented the warehouse to House of Illuminati, issued an apology on House of Illuminati's behalf, stating that they "either have no regards for the families and young children they have disappointed or are too embarrassed to comment", and offered to provide a venue free of charge for those who attended the event.<ref name="nbc22" /> House of Illuminati later stated that they would not host any future events.<ref name="Wired" /><ref name="Bonar-2024" />
Coull deleted his LinkedIn profile, his YouTube channel, and his personal website in response to the controversy.<ref name="rs2" /> A few days after the event, Connell said he felt that Coull was "probably one of the most disliked people in Glasgow right now".<ref name="Wired" /> In an interview with ''The Sunday Times'', Coull apologised for how the event turned out, saying he would accept responsibility.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Adams |first=Abigail |title=Creator of Willy Wonka-Themed Experience Apologizes for Failed Event: 'It All Looked Good on Paper' |url=https://people.com/creator-of-willy-wonka-themed-experience-apologizes-for-failed-event-8605680 |access-date=10 March 2024 |magazine=People Magazine |date=7 March 2024 |archive-date=10 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240310042132/https://people.com/creator-of-willy-wonka-themed-experience-apologizes-for-failed-event-8605680 |url-status=live}}</ref>
==Fundraising==
In an interview with ''Wired'' magazine, Connell stated that he and the other actors were working with parents to provide a free show for the children who attended.<ref name="Wired" />
Some items from the event were later auctioned for charity. The venue auctioned the leftover hand-written "event cancelled" sign, raising £850 for a local children's hospital,<ref>{{cite news |last=Pease |first=Victoria |title=Willy Wonka 'event cancelled' sign raises hundreds for charity |url=https://news.stv.tv/west-central/willy-wonka-event-cancelled-sign-fetches-840-at-auction-in-aid-of-glasgow-childrens-hospital |access-date=14 March 2024 |work=STV News |date=12 March 2024 |archive-date=14 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240314161520/https://news.stv.tv/west-central/willy-wonka-event-cancelled-sign-fetches-840-at-auction-in-aid-of-glasgow-childrens-hospital |url-status=live}}</ref> while the Monorail Music record store in Glasgow auctioned two of the backdrops "rescued from the bin by a pal of the shop" for £2,250,<ref name="Artnet" /><ref name="Times">{{Cite news |last=Roberts |first=Lizzie |date=14 March 2024 |title=Willy Wonka Glasgow experience props net £2,000 for Gaza charity |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/article/willy-wonka-glasgow-experience-props-net-2000-for-gaza-charity-6ctjrpjr6 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240318122458/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/willy-wonka-glasgow-experience-props-net-2000-for-gaza-charity-6ctjrpjr6 |archive-date=18 March 2024 |access-date=18 March 2024 |url-status=live |newspaper=The Times}}</ref> with the proceeds going to the Medical Aid for Palestinians charity.<ref name="Artnet">{{Cite news |last=Boucher |first=Brian |date=12 March 2024 |title=Backdrops From Disastrous Willy Wonka Experience Are Up for Auction |url=https://news.artnet.com/art-world/backdrops-glasgow-willy-chocolate-experience-ebay-2450784 |access-date=12 March 2024 |work=Artnet News |archive-date=12 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240312223849/https://news.artnet.com/art-world/backdrops-glasgow-willy-chocolate-experience-ebay-2450784 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Times" />
==In popular culture== A photo of a dispirited Paterson playing a "Wonkidoodle" in the "Jellybean Room" (a table covered in chemistry equipment) became a viral phenomenon.<ref name="vulture22" /><ref name="Watson-2024" /><ref name="Wired" /> The image became a meme and was compared to a picture of a "meth lab"<ref name="vulture22" /><ref name="Wired" /> and to Édouard Manet's 1882 painting ''A Bar at the Folies-Bergère'', which depicts "an alienated woman at work".<ref name="Artnews Greenberger">{{cite news |last=Greenberger |first=Alex |title=Sad Oompa Loompa from Viral Wonka Experience Draws Comparisons to Manet Painting |url=https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/sad-oompa-loompa-wonka-experience-edouard-manet-folies-bergere-jeanne-dielman-1234698292/ |access-date=3 March 2024 |work=ARTnews |date=29 February 2024 |archive-date=3 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240303061323/https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/sad-oompa-loompa-wonka-experience-edouard-manet-folies-bergere-jeanne-dielman-1234698292/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The character of "The Unknown" was also featured in several memes,<ref name="BI2" /> after appearing in a video recorded by a mother at the event, Maryanne McCormack.<ref name=":3" /> Some Twitter users expressed plans to dress up as the character for Halloween.<ref name="BI2">{{cite news |last=Singh |first=Olivia |date=29 February 2024 |title=Memes about a disastrous Willy Wonka-themed event are taking over the internet |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/willy-wonka-experience-glasgow-best-memes-reactions-oompa-loompa-unknown-2024-2 |access-date=1 March 2024 |work=Business Insider |archive-date=29 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240229234945/https://www.businessinsider.com/willy-wonka-experience-glasgow-best-memes-reactions-oompa-loompa-unknown-2024-2 |url-status=live}}</ref>
The event was spoofed on ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' in April 2024 in a skit called "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Part Two", featuring Freddie Highmore, who had played Charlie Bucket in the 2005 film adaptation of the novel.<ref>{{cite news |last=Thomas |first=Carly |date=10 April 2024 |title=Freddie Highmore Spoofs Infamous Willy Wonka Immersive Fan Event on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/freddie-highmore-spoofs-failed-willy-wonka-fan-event-1235871435/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240508042251/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/freddie-highmore-spoofs-failed-willy-wonka-fan-event-1235871435/ |archive-date=8 May 2024 |access-date=7 May 2024 |work=Hollywood Reporter }}</ref> In February 2025, John Oliver compared the United States Department of Government Efficiency, then headed by Elon Musk, to the event due to their "stark disconnect between marketing and reality."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Evans |first=Greg |date=2025-02-24 |title=John Oliver compares Elon Musk's DOGE department to viral Willy Wonka experience |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/john-oliver-elon-musk-doge-b2703403.html |work=The Independent}}</ref> Felicia Dawkins and one of the actors who played Willy also appeared in the "Glasgow Willy Wonka Experience Quiz and Game Experience" in April, a night hosted by theatre company Awkwardprods at the Clapham Grand in London, featuring performers including drag queen Kate Butch.<ref>{{cite news |last=Butler |first=Sinead |date=3 April 2024 |title=The Glasgow Willy Wonka Experience comedy show comes to London |url=https://www.indy100.com/viral/glasgow-willy-wonka-experience-clapham |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250827152845/https://www.indy100.com/viral/glasgow-willy-wonka-experience-clapham |archive-date=27 August 2025 |access-date=10 December 2025 |work=Indy100 }}</ref>
On 6 March 2024, Keir Starmer, the leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition, joked in the House of Commons that it seemed Jeremy Hunt, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, had been taking marketing lessons from the event, in reference to Hunt's promises regarding childcare.<ref>{{cite news |last=Patrick |first=Holly |date=6 March 2024 |title=Jeremy Hunt 'taking lessons from Glasgow Willy Wonka experience', jokes Starmer |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/tv/news/budget-jeremy-hunt-starmer-glasgow-wonka-b2508043.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240306202648/https://www.independent.co.uk/tv/news/budget-jeremy-hunt-starmer-glasgow-wonka-b2508043.html |archive-date=6 March 2024 |access-date=7 March 2024 |work=The Independent |language=en}}</ref> Similarly, Conservative MP Penny Mordaunt, the leader of the House of Commons at the time, joked that she was under the impression that the Scottish National Party had organised the Glasgow event given its "high cost, poor return, and the fact that the police were called", alluding to Operation Branchform.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jackson |first=Russell |date=7 March 2024 |title=Penny Mordaunt jokes she believed SNP were behind Glasgow's Willy Wonka experience due to 'high cost', 'poor return' |url=https://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/penny-mordaunt-jokes-she-believed-snp-were-behind-glasgows-willy-wonka-experience-due-to-high-cost-poor-return-4547225 |access-date=9 March 2024 |website=The Scotsman |archive-date=9 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240309005842/https://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/penny-mordaunt-jokes-she-believed-snp-were-behind-glasgows-willy-wonka-experience-due-to-high-cost-poor-return-4547225 |url-status=live}}</ref>
An hour-long documentary about the event, called ''Wonka: The Scandal that Rocked Britain'',<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.tvzoneuk.com/post/pr-willywonkascandal-c5#google_vignette |title=Wonka: The Scandal That Rocked Britain | Preview (Channel 5) |website=www.tvzoneuk.com |date=12 March 2024 |access-date=19 March 2024 |archive-date=19 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240319142650/https://www.tvzoneuk.com/post/pr-willywonkascandal-c5#google_vignette |url-status=live}}</ref> was commissioned by Channel 5 on 6 March 2024<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.tvzoneuk.com/post/willy-wonka-scam-channel-5-explore-viral-experience-in-new |title=Willy Wonka Scam: Channel 5 Explore Viral Event in New Documentary |website=www.tvzoneuk.com |date=6 March 2024 |access-date=19 March 2024 |archive-date=19 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240319141146/https://www.tvzoneuk.com/post/willy-wonka-scam-channel-5-explore-viral-experience-in-new |url-status=live}}</ref> and broadcast on 16 March 2024.<ref name="c5rev"/> The programme included interviews with Coull and the actors from the event;<ref name="c5rev" /> Coull stated that "I have lost my friends. I've lost the love of my life. I was made out to be the face of all evil. And genuinely, that's really not the case."<ref name=":3" /> He also said he had received "hundreds and hundreds [of messages] calling me the most awful names saying I'm a villain, I'm a horrific dad, I'm better off dead, I should kill myself."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fulton |first=Matthew |date=2024-03-18 |title=Glasgow Willy Wonka organiser's 'life ruined' after disastrous event |url=https://news.stv.tv/west-central/willy-wonka-organiser-billy-coull-breaks-silence-on-disastrous-glasgow-event-in-channel-5-documentary |access-date=2025-08-12 |website=STV News |language=en-GB}}</ref> The documentary received 2 stars out of 5 from ''The Guardian'', which described it as having "the strong whiff of someone vastly overexplaining the joke" and that the "only real scoop" was the interview with Coull.<ref name="c5rev"/>
Following the popularity of the event, Felicia Dawkins was offered the opportunity to train with the performance team and make a guest appearance acting in the London Dungeon, a haunted house attraction in London. A London Dungeon spokesperson said the aspiring actor who played The Unknown is "clearly a natural when it comes to the art of the scare".<ref name="Independent-March"/> In April 2024, Kirsty Paterson appeared at a "Willy's Chocolate Experience LA" cocktail and performance evening. It was staged by a collective of local artists in Los Angeles, unaffiliated with the Glasgow event. Attendees were offered three jelly beans, and proceeds were donated to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.<ref>{{cite web |last=Yang |first=Angela |date=29 April 2024 |title=Viral Glasgow Willy Wonka 'Chocolate Experience' inspires Los Angeles event |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/glasgow-willy-wonka-experience-los-angeles-event-rcna149468 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240502092153/https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/glasgow-willy-wonka-experience-los-angeles-event-rcna149468 |archive-date=2 May 2024 |website=NBC News |language=en |access-date=2 May 2024 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=29 April 2024 |title=Wonka-inspired chocolate experience in Los Angeles that mimics Glasgow event attracts dozens |url=https://news.sky.com/story/wonka-inspired-chocolate-experience-in-los-angeles-that-mimics-glasgow-event-attracts-dozens-13125997 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240502092153/https://news.sky.com/story/wonka-inspired-chocolate-experience-in-los-angeles-that-mimics-glasgow-event-attracts-dozens-13125997 |archive-date=2 May 2024 |website=Sky News |access-date=2 May 2024 }}</ref> ''The Guardian'' was positive in its review of the event, noting that Paterson was severely jetlagged during her performance but asked, "how can you complain when shoddiness is the point?"<ref>{{Cite news |last=Cantor |first=Matthew |date=2024-05-01 |title='Yes, this is real': LA recreates Glasgow's Willy Wonka disaster – sad Oompa Loompa included |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/may/01/los-angeles-willy-wonka-pop-up-experience |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240531102504/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/may/01/los-angeles-willy-wonka-pop-up-experience |archive-date=31 May 2024 |access-date=2024-05-24 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077 }}</ref>
Richard Kraft produced a musical stage reading about the event for the 2024 Edinburgh Festival Fringe,<ref name=":1" /> including performances from the actress and comedian Riki Lindhome, the actresses Shelley Regner and Cassandra Parker, the actor Eric Petersen, the Broadway songwriters Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner,<ref>{{Cite news |date=2024-03-16 |title=Viral Willy Wonka Glasgow event to be turned into musical |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-68574299 |access-date=2024-08-08 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB |archive-date=8 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240808211710/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-68574299 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite news |first=Pauline |last=McLean |date=2024-08-07 |title=Willy Wonka disaster leads to Fringe Golden Ticket |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c39klr88e73o |access-date=2024-08-08 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB |archive-date=8 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240808211712/https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c39klr88e73o |url-status=live }}</ref> the director Andy Fickman,<ref name=":0" /> the Emmy Award winners Tova Litvin and Doug Rockwell,<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last= |first= |last2= |last3= |last4= |first4= |title=Willy's Candy Spectacular: A Musical Parody |url=https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/willy-s-candy-spectacular-a-musical-parody |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240808212340/https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/willy-s-candy-spectacular-a-musical-parody |archive-date=8 August 2024 |access-date=8 August 2024 |website=Edinburgh Festival Fringe |language=}}</ref> and Kirsty Paterson, who played herself and a narrator. Additionally, he recruited cast members from ''Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory'' Paris Themmen, who had played Mike Teevee, and Julie Dawn Cole, who had played Veruca Salt.<ref name=":0" /> ''The Stage'' gave it two stars, saying that "the show is self-aware enough to point out that we're watching a crappy, thrown-together piece of entertainment based on a crappy, thrown-together piece of entertainment".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bano |first1=Tim |title=Willy's Candy Spectacular review at Pleasance Dome, Edinburgh |url=https://www.thestage.co.uk/reviews/willys-candy-spectacular-review-pleasance-dome-edinburgh-kraft-engel-productions |access-date=21 August 2024 |work=The Stage |date=20 August 2024 |language=En |archive-date=21 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240821083408/https://www.thestage.co.uk/reviews/willys-candy-spectacular-review-pleasance-dome-edinburgh-kraft-engel-productions |url-status=dead }}</ref>
Multiple subsequent events have been compared to Willy's Chocolate Experience. These include the Detroit ''Bridgerton'' Themed Ball in September 2024,<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Nanji |first1=Noor |last2=Sini |first2=Rozina |date=2024-09-27 |title=Bridgerton ball: Inside 'scam' event in Detroit compared to Wonka |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2kj45yy88o |access-date=2025-08-12 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250726134751/https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2kj45yy88o|archive-date=26 July 2025}}</ref> Christmas Spectacular Bury St Edmunds in December 2024,<ref>{{Cite web |last=King |first=George |date=2024-12-02 |title=Christmas event in Bury St Edmunds like town's 'Wonka experience' |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwyx78j7g4xo |access-date=2025-08-12 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref> the A Million Lives Book Festival in Baltimore, Maryland in May 2025,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Yang |first=Angela |date=2025-05-06 |title=Fantasy ball or Fyre Fest? Attendees describe chaos at Baltimore book event |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/million-lives-book-festival-booktok-fyre-fest-rcna204954 |access-date=2025-08-12 |website=NBC News |language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260302140715/https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/million-lives-book-festival-booktok-fyre-fest-rcna204954|archive-date=2 March 2026}}</ref> and the Barbie Dream Fest in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.<ref>{{Cite web |date=30 March 2026 |title=Barbie Dream Fest in Florida to issue refunds after fan complaints |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp3l1422d3qo |access-date=31 March 2026 |website=BBC |language=en-GB|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260331090935/https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp3l1422d3qo|archive-date=31 March 2026}}</ref>
== See also == * DashCon * Fyre Festival * TanaCon * Detroit ''Bridgerton'' Themed Ball * Barbie Dream Fest
== References == {{Reflist|30em}}
== External links == *{{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240224232231/https://willyschocolateexperience.com/ |title=Willy Choclate Experience|date=24 February 2024}}{{sic}} *[https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24449349-willyschocolateexperince Script for the event obtained by Gizmodo]
{{Charlie and the Chocolate Factory}}
Category:2020s in Glasgow Category:2024 controversies Category:2024 scandals Category:2024 in Scotland Category:Applications of artificial intelligence Category:Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in popular culture Category:Works based on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Category:Scandals in Scotland Category:Organised events in Glasgow Category:False advertising Category:February 2024 in the United Kingdom Category:Internet memes introduced in 2024 Category:Internet memes introduced from the United Kingdom Category:Warehouses in the United Kingdom Category:Immersive entertainment