Inside ‘nightmare’ Barbie Dream Fest that turned out to be disaster worse than you could imagine

It would seem an event to give the viral Glasgow Willy Wonka experience a run for its money has reared its head. Over the weekend, the Barbie Dream Fest took place in Florida, but people who were there have called it anything but a dream.

In fact, it’s been likened to a “nightmare” and compared to the infamous Fyre Festival. Ouch. The event was held from Friday 27th March to Sunday 29th March in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. On Instagram, it was sold as the “ultimate fan event”, with film showings, exclusive merch, meet and greets with the Life in the Dreamhouse cast, and other pop-ups and events.

It backed itself as offering “unforgettable experiences”. The website said: “Join us for three days of glam, nostalgia, and dream-big energy made for Barbie fans of every generation.”

However now, people who went are speaking out about what the experience was really like. The event was held at the Broward County Convention Center, and had varying ticket options available. A Pink Pass cost around $250, and a Dream Pass over $400. All the passes included additional fees.

via Reddit

‘#BarbieNightmareFest’

“Barbie Dream Fest….. more like Barbie Fyre Fest,” one Reddit user said, sharing photos they took from the event. “This was branded as an event where you’d get to interact with a life-size Barbie Dreamhouse, participate in a disco themed roller rink experience, and have access to an amazing marketplace. That is… not what it was. Our ‘swag bag’ was a hand sanitiser.”

Another added: “What if I just find the nearest cliff? #BarbieNightmareFest.”

via Reddit

‘The experience was certainly unforgettable, but not in the way we were expecting’

A further attendee, named Tara, spoke to BuzzFeed about her time there. She detailed how she had travelled over four hours to the event, and met with a friend who had travelled all the way from Tokyo.

“The experience was certainly unforgettable, but not in the way we were expecting,” Tara claimed. “The first disappointment was the ‘exclusive swag bag’ we were supposed to receive. This turned out to be a single Barbie-themed hand sanitiser which is currently available at your local Dollar Tree.

Most Read

After ditching model girlfriend for huge male singer, here are OnlyFans model Max’s spiciest pics

‘I’d end up on the no-fly list’: Group goes viral for ‘nightmare’ behaviour on delayed flight

Zohran Mamdani’s wife deletes X account after ‘vile’ racist and homophobic tweets go viral

“Attendees who paid for the ‘Dream Pass,’ the tier above mine, paid around $400 and received a hairbrush in addition to the hand sanitiser. Some of us were told the real swag bags were lost or late, while others were told what we received was it.

“The roller rink was probably the most shocking, as it was advertised with the wording ‘Lace up and glide under the neon lights at a retro inspired rink.’ The ‘rink’ was a small barricaded area with no lights or music to be found. On day two, the structure for a metal tent was added above the rink with a tiny disco ball.” 

via Reddit

Tara claimed there were multiple additional fees, including a ‘Collector’s Corner,’ which was advertised as an opportunity to view curated displays from collectors. She claimed she soon realised this was actually an event, that was charging an additional $500 for attendees. 

The food was also not up to much. “In the main warehouse area were two food booths, one serving candied nuts and the other serving egg/cheese/meat pastries out of a plastic container — not under a heat lamp or refrigerated,” Tara claimed. She said lots of the food stands sold out early on, and had limited options available for anyone with specific dietary requirements. 

via Reddit

People seem to be getting refunds

In a Reddit thread, one person who visited the event shared a screenshot of an email thread appearing to be between themself and event organisers. In the message, the user had complained and the event company replied: “Barbie Dream Fest was created as an intimate fan convention designed to foster meaningful connection, inspiration and closer access to Barbie and her world.”

The person appears to have been offered a refund for two thirds of the purchased ticket price. The email was signed off Mischief Management, who ran the event.

The Tab has reached out to Barbie Dream Fest and Mischief Management for comment, but upon publication was yet to receive a reply.

For more, like The Tab on Facebook. Featured image via Reddit.