Guests ‘devastated’ after paying for VIP tickets to ‘bizarre’ Prosecco festival

People who paid for VIP access to a Prosecco & Fizz festival in Cardiff were left “devastated” by the quality of the event after spending up to £35 per head.

Guests said they were disappointed by long queues and an “embarrassing” food menu. Lisa Morgan, 49, told Wales Online she paid up to £80 for three early-bird VIP tickets, but left after just over an hour and was left eating toast and crumpets at home “because we were so hungry.”

She added that the queue for VIP entry was even longer than general admission, while attendees also complained that perks such as a VIP area, separate bar and keepsake glass, as well as drinks tokens and food, were not available despite being advertised on the Prosecco & Fizz Facebook event page.

The festival took place on 24 March at Cardiff City Hall.

“There was no VIP section. Everyone just had to sit where they could get a seat. It was such a disaster,” said Rhian James.

“I felt embarrassed because I was the one who had instigated it all. It sounded like a perfect girly-day out. But it was awful.”

James, who organised a trip to the festival with four friends, said: “When I arrived I was given two free drinks tokens and a free glass of Prosecco. But two girls in my group didn’t get the free tokens.

“Our group shared a table with some strangers. We were served some Italian canapés in a plastic tray. It was embarrassing.

“We had to share this with strangers on our table. There were 10 people on our table.

“We left after about an hour-and-a-half. It was really bad.

“We did try and complain and were told to email an address on the flyer.

“You had to be there to believe it.”

One woman, who did not want to be named, said: “Everyone we spoke to thought it was terrible.

“I was one of the lucky ones who only paid £15 for a ticket, but some paid £35 plus.”

Sarah Thomas, another guest at the event, left a comment on the event’s Facebook page saying “whoever put this whole thing together couldn’t organise a p!$$ up in a brewery.”

“Every thing about it was an absolute shambles. The only good thing about it was having meeting up with friends, not that we could actually hold a decent conversation due to the music being so loud in the VIP area. We couldn’t wait to use up the drinks vouchers & get out of there.”

The event’s organisers told the drinks business: “We would like to apologise that some people were disappointed with our event at City Hall, Cardiff on 24th March 2018.

“We welcome the feedback regarding queues and the seating arrangements. We apologise that the food we provided did not live up to some guest’s expectations and we admit that in a few cases the quantity and choice fell below our normal standards. We contracted a local reputable catering company for the event and will be forwarding the comments directly to them and will bear in mind the feedback when we plan the catering for our future events.

“The majority of the 1000+ guests that attended our event were delighted with the choice of venue; at being given a good quality Prosecco Spumante DOC on arrival; enjoyed our broad range of Prosecco that was available throughout the event. We also provided 4 hours of live music by professional musicians during each 4 ½ hour session with the majority of guests thoroughly enjoying their experience and staying until the end.

This isn’t the first time a Prosecco-themed event has left punters outraged. Last year, people who bought tickets to a highly-publicised UK tour of a Prosecco ball pit were left out-of-pocket after a series of unexplained, last-minute cancellations, leading many to contact the National Fraud and Crime Reporting Centre.