British 'Winter Wonderlands'

Thanks to @rhb for posting in the COVID chat thread:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-55206779

https://www.lfgss.com/comments/15685523/

Organiser Mellors Group initially announced a temporary closure due to "unprecedented high footfall".

It really must have come as a total surprise that, in a year when there was almost nothing on, people would flock to this.

It's definitely sad, for the traders hoping for some income, as well as for people who probably had nothing else to go to. It seems there was no way of operating it while restricting numbers, but maybe it wouldn't have been worthwhile in that case, and they may not have been set up to introduce such a system so quickly. You might think that a couple of barriers and some people in high-viz could control entry and exit, but it was probably not that simple. Shame.

And there I was thinking a noble tradition had been broken--I reckon this qualifies:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-55376683

Thanks to @chez_jay for posting it in the news thread.

https://www.lfgss.com/comments/15707788/

These are the gift that just keeps giving

Bosh. Came here to revel at this!

Not British, admittedly, but a good listen.
https://youtu.be/u5XLjG_S6eE

On a related note this wonderful house exists in Dublin.

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https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/dec/13/even-the-reindeer-were-unhappy-life-inside-britains-worst-winter-wonderlands

A more general article following the recent 'Willy Wonka' rip-off in Glasgow, which is equally as funny and sad as the various crappy 'Winter Wonderlands'. Same m.o.--some chancers promise far more than they can keep, resulting in furious parents and crying children.

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/feb/28/rip-off-events-willy-wonka-chocolate-experience

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/feb/27/glasgow-willy-wonka-experience-slammed-as-farce-as-tickets-refunded

Too much background destroys the mystery. :)

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/article/2024/aug/17/people-came-just-to-see-how-awful-it-was-from-wonkaland-to-fyre-the-inside-story-of-festivals-so-bad-they-went-viral

Good to see a tradition continuing (albeit not with an outdoor event):

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/dec/10/visitors-complain-of-santa-shambles-at-hampshire-grotto

‘Lisa Catherine, who visited with her newborn granddaughter…’

Right…

Does make you wonder if they charged her £18.50 for the baby ...

This year’s Santa (pictured) was described by one visitor as ‘just a guy dressed up in a cheap red suit with a blatantly fake beard’

.

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