An expensive winter wonderland in Missouri suffered a setback after being labeled a “disaster” before being forced to temporarily close due to snow.
The Jingle! The Holiday St. Louis event was marred by unsafe festive rides, a lack of Christmas decorations and icy surfaces, customers said — adding that the atmosphere was a far cry from the “unforgettable holiday experience” they were promised.
Organizers offered tickets for as much as $160 for general admission, leaving many visitors disappointed with the haphazard “wonderland” they arrived at.
On the event’s Facebook page, disgruntled customers took the opportunity to slam the company’s approach, saying organizers refused to refund tickets.
“Do not go here under any circumstances,” one attendee commented. “There’s nothing but ice to walk on, everyone fell and got hurt.”
Another who bought tickets for his family said: ‘Waste of $350. We were there for 1/2 hour. There (was) nothing to do.
“The snow tube line was super long and the kids refused to go down because people were getting thrown around. The skating was canceled. The entire floor was filled with ice stains. Very disappointing. Insanely expensive.’
Days after the event opened, organizers announced that the space would be closed on the first Saturday the event would be in operation, on November 30, due to “winter weather advisory and slippery conditions.”
Participants in the Jingle! The Holiday St. Louis event drew criticism from organizers after they said the ‘winter wonderland’ didn’t live up to expectations
The Missouri event was marred by unsafe festive rides, a lack of Christmas decorations and icy surfaces, customers said.
Dissatisfied customers that the atmosphere was far from the ‘unforgettable holiday experience’ they were promised (photo is an image of the advertised event on the Facebook page)
Families said at the opening of the event that it was quickly clear that the promised winter wonderland – including the photo on the Facebook group showing an array of festive lights and amenities – would not deliver.
“It was pretty clear that no one knew what was going on,” attendee Jennifer Guarnieri told KSDK.
“I was looking for a unique new event where we normally do Christmas lights after Thanksgiving… It was a disaster.
‘There was no signage showing which line was for what. So we stood in line for quite a while which turned out to be snow tubing
“People jumped off the walls and got hurt when they landed very quickly on the ice.”
Guarnieri added that many food trucks were not open and several advertised extras were not offered. “There were promises that there would be live entertainment. We didn’t see any Christmas carols. There was no one on stage and no jinglettes to be seen,” she said.
As many claimed on Facebook, Guarnieri said she asked for a refund after the somber evening but was denied and told all sales were final.
One attendee said they arrived on opening night to find that ‘no one knew what was going on’, and said there was a slew of issues including no signage and dangerous icy conditions.
Another who bought tickets for his family said: ‘Waste of $350. We were there for 1/2 hour. There (was) nothing to do.
The event organizers angered customers with a Facebook post saying they were ‘grateful for the enthusiasm of our guests’ and ‘greatly appreciate the feedback we received’
Customers said they were devastated when they discovered what they were advertised for (left) wasn’t what they came for (right)
Although the Jingle! The event was closed for the first Saturday, with organizers insisting they planned to remain open for the next three weeks until Christmas.
The event angered customers with a follow-up post on Facebook explaining how it handled the issues, saying they were “grateful for the enthusiasm of our guests” and “greatly appreciate the feedback we received.”
They opened the mail: ‘Jingle! Holiday is excited to bring her vision of a “new, old-fashioned way” to celebrate the season for the first time ever in the St. Louis region.
‘Our mission is to create an unforgettable holiday experience, creating cherished memories for years to come.’
Organizers admitted the awkward opening “provided invaluable insights” and said they were trying to improve factors including keeping guests warm, solving icy conditions, repairing the ice rink and improving parking.
“We recognize areas for improvement and are actively implementing changes to ensure every guest has an exceptional experience,” the event said.
“We were deeply disappointed that we did not exceed all of our guests’ expectations.”
Some compared the Missouri event to the infamous ‘Willy Wonka’ experience in Glasgow that went viral earlier this year
After footage of the Missouri event went viral, some compared it to the infamous ‘Willy Wonka’ experience in Glasgow that attracted international attention earlier this year.
The event left children sobbing after they were confronted with a nightmarish version of the Wonka movie, including a chilling made-up character called ‘The Unknown’.
But while that disastrous attempt cost just £35 per ticket, the Jingle! event was more than four times that amount.
Ring! did not immediately respond to a request for further comment when contacted by DailyMail.com.