Grinch event cancelled after one day as parents moan it's not worth £20 per child
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A Grinch event selling tickets for £20 per head has been cancelled after staff at the pub venue holding the festive occasion were subject to "severe trolling and bullying". The Balfour Arms, a pub in Sidmouth, Devon, was transformed into the fictional town Whoville - the location of the internationally-beloved film The Grinch Who Stole Christmas - for the season this year, following a successful Harry Potter themed event several months ago.
Owners of the local watering hole had hoped to spread the festive cheer with their latest transformation, but ended up upsetting the Sidmouth community. Parents who spent £20 per head for their children's entry were left shocked after the event ran for just one day, with pub representatives promising to refund all those who booked.
Devon Live reports that the Whoville Christmas experience was advertised as an event set to take place between December 21 and 23, with the pub cramming a host of activities and gifts into the £20-per-head tickets, including a packed a fairground ride, face painting, a buffet, and meet and greets with the Grinch, Mrs Claus, Cindy Lou and elves.
The tickets also included a visit to Santa's grotto, bouncy castle, gifts, a barbecue, a ball pit, an activity table, a hot chocolate and live music. The event went ahead as planned on December 21, but was cancelled for the following two days after the Met Office released a yellow warning for rain in the area.
The move sparked a wave of anger and negative comments posted to the pub's Facebook page, with criticisms including that the move left "a lot of very unhappy people and children", some of whom had travelled from Plymouth, Dawlish and Torquay to experience the event.
