Cardiff’s Halloween Festival flopped so hard it’s been branded the new Willy Wonka event

The Cardiff Halloween Festival 2025 has just kicked off, but customers are saying it flopped so hard they’ve branded it the new Willy Wonka event.

The Welsh capital hosted the fair down at Alexandra Head in Cardiff Bay, which was a lot like the previous year’s set-up. This time, however, it received much scarier reviews.

One person likened the entrance to a “Covid jab queue”, and another compared it to “Chernobyl”.

Angry families complained about how the supposedly “free pumpkins” that the website advertises for every child to take home were smashed, whilst others said that “after paying a high entry fee”, they were shocked to find the activities inside cost extra.

One attendee, Brych Rees, a teaching assistant from Merthyr Valley, told the BBC it was “surreal”, saying there were only a “handful of rides and the rides themselves seemed depressed”.

Brych said he’d attended the same event at different locations over the past two years, but this year’s experience was “really disappointing”.

The Halloween Festival is taking place until 31st October and boasts a variety of activities like pumpkin picking, trick or treating and potion shows.

For those who don’t remember, a Glasgow-based event went viral for all the wrong reasons last year, after it promised to give kids the Willy Wonka “experience” but left them literally sobbing.

Kirstie Bevan was one attendee who said Cardiff’s fair “just reminded me of the Willy Wonka experience in Scotland.”

@abanoss

Cardiff Halloween Festival down Cardiff Bay. Opening weekend… You’ve all seen the reviews, here’s mine #cardiff #placestogo #placestovisit #thingstodo #halloween

♬ Halloween ・ cute horror song(191109) – PeriTune

According to the Cardiff Halloween Festival website, a daytime ticket is £14.50 for adults and £13.50 for children, with a £1.50 booking fee added on top. This rises by £1 for the twilight slot, which is when many would be going as a family.

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Many people took it upon themselves to share their experiences of the event on social media. Jake Abanos was one attendee who uploaded a video documenting the event on TikTok; he advised anyone thinking of going to take their “life savings” and “incredibly low expectations”.

He then likened it to the League of Gentlemen putting on a fun fair and said it was “nowhere near as good as last year”. Jake did enjoy the entertainment, but he says he’s still hoping the organisers fix the issues over the next few days.

In fairness, not everyone thought it was a flop. Others have rated it highly, with one person saying it was a “brilliant day out”, and another saying the boat trip to and from the festival was a “good touch”.

Cardiff Halloween Festival has since released a statement on its Instagram saying it’s “truly sorry” that some attendees were left feeling disappointed.

The post cited severe weather causing activities to be shut or having to move location. Organisers say they’ve been working “tirelessly” since then and are hoping anyone visiting in the coming days will see the difference their support has made in making the experience better.

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A post shared by Cardiff Halloween Festival (@cardiffhalloweenfestival)

A Cardiff Halloween Festival spokesperson said: “We are very sorry that some guests did not have the experience we wanted for them during the opening daytime session.

“Severe weather in the 24 hours before opening meant that a number of areas were still being finalised on Saturday, which understandably led to disappointment.”

They said they had been “working tirelessly” to provide the “experience people expect from us”, adding that the safety of families was “always our highest priority”.

Soft flooring in the bouncy castle area had been adjusted and was being monitored throughout each day following feedback on Saturday, the spokesperson said.

The organisers were “listening carefully to all feedback”, they added, and were “encouraged by the many families who have contacted us directly to share how much they enjoyed their visit and the improvements they have experienced since Saturday”.

“The majority of visitors since then have had a positive experience and we’re delighted to see children and parents creating magical Halloween memories together across the island,” they said.

Featured image via Canva and TikTok @abanoss