Rose Castle has issued an apology after it hosted an elf hunt event that left families disappointed.
The castle, based in Dalston, held the event last weekend, and initially advertised it as a chance for families to go on a festive scavenger hunt to find a series of Christmas letters lost by elves to help save the magic of Christmas.
But after attending the event, parents and caregivers quickly took to social media, claiming it didn’t live up to expectations.
Some said their children were left upset as there were no elves or festive decorations to make the trail special.
Others said the event only took 15 minutes to complete after they spent ‘hours’ queuing to get a parking space and goody bag at the end of the trail.
While some parents claimed the event was ‘not worth the money’ at £10 per child – others said the goody bag of sweets, a letter and key from Santa, a certificate, reindeer dust, bell and door hanger provided by staff as part of finishing the trail, was a silver lining at the event.
In response to social media comments and emails of complaint, Rose Castle has now issued an apology on social media.
It said: “To everyone who joined us for yesterday’s Elf hunt – we’re truly sorry. While some families created magical memories, many experienced disappointment and parking challenges.
“And it seems our elves were a bit too enthusiastic with their hiding spots – we’ll make sure they’re more visitor-friendly next time!
“A mismanagement of planning and ticket allocations led to safety concerns during Sunday’s event, where more vehicles turned up than expected per ticket.
“We failed to anticipate these issues, and that’s on us.
“In light of these safety concerns, we’ve had to make the difficult decision to cancel the Elf Hunt scheduled for December 14. All ticket holders have been contacted directly with full details and refund information.
“We’re already implementing changes to ensure future events are safer and better organised. We value our community and love holding larger events for you all.
“We look forward to welcoming you back when we can provide the magical and safe experiences your family deserve.
“Many of you have gone out of your way to share your positive experience of the event. We are grateful for the encouragement and want to thank all who have shared their feedback, both positive and negative.
“Needless to say, our original communications regarding the poor experience many of you received still stands and we have learnt valuable lessons on how to improve these types of events for all in the future.”
