In the proud tradition of shows like DashCon, Fyre and NathanCon, an under-staffed, under-planned and unlicensed Fortnite party held in the UK over the weekend turned out to be a complete disaster. Advertisement UPDATE: the show’s organisers are being sued by Epic. Fortnite Live, held February 16-17 in the English city of Norwich, billed itself as “the ultimate Fortnite Battle Royale!”, which would feature stuff like dance battles, activities like archery and rock-climbing, big-screen broadcasts of YouTubers and banks of PCs available to play Fortnite on. Tickets cost between £12-20 (USD$15-25), and just under 3000 kids showed up for the party. Entry for anyone not in possession of an early bird pass was massively delayed—organisers blamed staff shortages—but once inside things didn’t improve. The Guardian reports that despite the attendance figures “There was...only space for four children to practice archery at the same time and just one climbing wall tower with room for three climbers”. Attendees reported that the PC section cost money to play, despite Fortnite being a free-to-play title that kids could have been playing for nothing at home. Disappointed parents have been leaving messages on the show’s Facebook page like: It was terrible, what an absolute disaster.... not like advertised!! We went for the early bird but some stuff wasn’t even set up!! The best thing about the event was the burger I had!! My son wanted to leave!! And As for the organiser saying it went well, what an absolute joke. I have got tickets for tomorrow not taking my son to get upset want a refund like everybody else does It’s awful. I have a very disappointed 9-year old. They should be ashamed. A tarpaulin lobbed over a van with a plastic slide sticking out the back [was] billed as a ‘Cave Experience’. Advertisement But enough words. Please allow this video, uploaded by the show itself presumably as some kind of hype clip, set the scene: The owner of the show’s operating company, Shaun Lord, told The Guardian that “he had given a refund to everyone who had asked”, and that he’s “dealing with people on an individual basis”. Advertisement The event, despite using Fortnite’s name, logo and official art to promote itself, was in no way licensed or approved by Epic Games.<doc-sep>Justine Petersen, who queued for 90 minutes to get in with her husband and her nine-year-old son, said it was "like the episode of Father Ted when the fair comes to Craggy Island".<doc-sep>Families have been left furious by a video game festival with "depressing" attractions that left kids in tears and parents demanding refunds. The two-day Fortnite Live event - based on the hugely popular online video game of the same name - was billed as the "event of the year" for fans. Organisers Exciting Events promised the "ultimate Fortnite Battle Royale" with "crazy competitions, awesome activities... and much more" this weekend. Visitors to the festival in Norwich, Norfolk were charged up to £22 for a ticket and a further £20 each for wristbands to take part in the attractions. But hundreds of fans are now believed to have asked for their money back after they were confronted with long queues and disappointing amusements. 'Fortnite Live' in Norwich Show all 6 1 /6 'Fortnite Live' in Norwich 'Fortnite Live' in Norwich An inflatable loot llama at 'Fortnite Live' Justine Petersen / SWNS 'Fortnite Live' in Norwich Archery at 'Fortnite Live' Justine Petersen / SWNS 'Fortnite Live' in Norwich The 'Dusty Diner' at the event Justine Petersen / SWNS 'Fortnite Live' in Norwich The event's dance stage Justine Petersen / SWNS 'Fortnite Live' in Norwich Visitors watch children using the event's climbing wall Justine Petersen / SWNS 'Fortnite Live' in Norwich The itinerary for 'Fortnite Live' Justine Petersen / SWNS Justine Petersen travelled 25 miles to the event with husband Martin and their nine-year-old son Richard, after paying around £40 for tickets. The mum from Bradwell, Norfolk, said: "We queued for about 45 minutes to get through the gates, then joined another queue to get wristbands." After having waited another hour, the family decided to walk around to see what was on offer. Ms Petersen said: "There was a climbing wall that could only fit about four kids on it, the sort of thing you would only see at a school fete." Another attraction included on an itinerary handed to families was the "Cave Experience". Recommended How children playing Fortnite are helping to fuel organised crime The mum said: "It was some sort of truck with a tarpaulin over the sides, then they had stuck a grey plastic slide on the back. "It wasn't even slippery. The kids were using their arms to push themselves down it. "In front of that there was a merchandise stall. There were baseball caps with cannabis leaf logos on them." She added: "We then went to the main building. There was a big inflatable llama with a crowd barrier around it, pushed against a wall. "The main stage where they were meant to be having a dance competition was tiny." Ms Petersen said there was also a “Dusty Diner”, a location appearing in the game where players can collect resources. She said: "It was two or three tables and a couple of ladies with tea urns and they had three or four cakes in front of them. "Everything had a massive queue. There were thousands of people and only about six things to do." The disappointed family left within an hour. ✕ Fortnite megastar Ninja reveals he may be first '$10-million-a-year' gamer Ms Petersen said: "Richard was miserable, he was really upset. As a parent it's quite hard to pick them up from that. "There were children upset everywhere. There was not a single person who seemed to be happy about what they saw. "It was horrendous. It seems they're not taking any responsibility for it. It's just depressing really. "I felt like they were just trying to capitalise on something that was popular and just scam people." Ms Petersen said she had contacted the organisers to demand a refund for her tickets. She added: "As far as I know they were only refunding the wristbands and not the actual tickets." Liam Buddle went with his three sons Tyler, nine, Riley, six, and Dylan, also aged six. The father-of-three said he paid £67.50 for tickets and a further £15 on tokens that could be used for the activities. Mr Buddle from Norwich, Norfolk said: "For me, the big disappointment was the lack of entertainment and the dreary look of the place. "There was really nothing to do there and the things that were there were of a poor standard for the money we spent. "A lot of things were either not open or just completely not there. My children love Fortnite and after half an hour they were disappointed and wanted to leave." Speaking to local media, event organiser Shaun Lord said the long queues were a result of staffing issues. However, he claimed it had been a "fantastic show". Writing on their Facebook page on Saturday, the organisers said that "so many happy children have enjoyed a great day at Fortnite Live Norwich today." They later added: "However, these happy visitors have been accompanied by a mixed bag of feedback with the queues wearing thin on some visitors' patience and we sincerely apologise to those visitors who gave feedback regarding the queues." SWNS<doc-sep>
Parents were fuming after a shambolic video game festival left their kids crying. The two-day Fortnite Live event was billed as the 'event of the year' for fans with a variety of exciting competitions and the 'Ultimate Fortnite Battle Royale'. Loading… But things didn't quite go to plan and now hundreds of parents are demanding a refund from organisers of the weekender in Norwich. Advert 10 Justine and Martin Petersen splashed out £40 on bringing their excited nine-year-old son Richard to the event, and were deeply let down by the attractions. The angry mum said: "We queued for about 45 minutes to get through the gates, then joined another queue to get wristbands." "There was a climbing wall that could only fit about four kids on it, the sort of thing you would only see at a school fete." Families were left disappointed with the festival and are demanding a refund. Credit: SWNS Advert 10 The 44-year-old said she and her family were particularly disappointed with the 'Cave Experience'. "It was some sort of truck with a tarpaulin over the sides, then they had stuck a grey plastic slide on the back," she said. "It wasn't even slippery. The kids were using their arms to push themselves down it. "In front of that there was a merchandise stall. There were baseball caps with cannabis leaf logos on them." Advert 10 She added: "We then went to the main building. There was a big inflatable llama with a crowd barrier around it, pushed against a wall. One mum said thousands of people were queuing up for attractions. Credit: SWNS "The main stage where they were meant to be having a dance competition was tiny." They left within an hour. Advert 10 Liam Buddle, 32, forked out £67.50 for tickets and a further £15 on tokens to bring his three sons Tyler, nine, Riley, and Dylan, both six, to the festival. And safe to say, he wasn't too impressed either. The supermarket manager said: "For me the big disappointment was the lack of entertainment and the dreary look of the place. "There was really nothing to do, and the things that were there were of a poor standard for the money we spent." Advert 10 One family was so disappointed they left within an hour of arriving. Credit: SWNS "A lot of things were either not open or just completely not there. My children love Fortnite and after half an hour they were disappointed and wanted to leave." But despite the complaints, event organiser Shaun Lord was adamant it was a 'fantastic show'. Writing on their Facebook page, the organisers said that 'so many happy children have enjoyed a great day at Fortnite Live Norwich today'.