Parents left ‘disgusted’ over £80 party in an ‘empty field’
Parents were left ‘disgusted’ after a children’s field party in Southsea costing £80 was branded as nothing more than an ‘empty field with small stage’.
The Kids Party in the Park event on Monday at Castle Field was supposed to offer a day packed with fun activities for children to get involved in – but descended into an angry confrontation on stage as a children’s singing group was booted off stage in one of the low points.
Fuming residents who attended said they were left short-changed after accusing the company of ‘false advertising’ for failing to deliver on its promises. The vitriol directed at the organisers has led to the company hitting back after telling The News they were let down and have vowed to take court action and contact their insurance company. The female organiser, who did not want to be named, said they had been left ‘out of pocket’ from the event, which cost £25,000 to put on.
The organiser, who urged for patience from bitter customers amid efforts to get a refund, said: ‘I understand why people are angry and upset and we will deal with it in the correct way.’
Attendees said they were disappointed not to see a number of attractions that had been advertised. These included an outdoor cinema, bar, foam party, Hey Duggee, two stages, a magician, Sonic, inflatables, a toddler area, Paw Patrol characters Buzz and Rex, and Anna and Elsa.
Amy White, who attended the event, said: ‘it looked like a great day and although the cost was high the free funfair all day meant that it should be cost effective as there were no tokens to buy. And with the other advertised activities it should have been a great time. But what was paid for was actually an empty field with a small stage on one side.
‘It appears this is not the first time this company have done this sort of terrible event planning as there was another Kids Party in the Park organised in another part of Hampshire which was cancelled with a week's notice and refunds did not get given to the customers for over a month.’
Sarah Griffiths, who also paid to attend the party, said ‘families were let down’ and the company ‘massively messed up parking’. She added: ‘Shocking is an understatement.’