A Manchester beer festival has been compared to Willy Wonka’s ill-fated Glasgow experience after customer complaints it was “the most disappointing beer event ever”.
The inaugural International Brewery and Cider Festival (IBC), which was a two-day ticketed event with prices ranging from £20 to £90, was held at Depot Mayfield Manchester, last weekend.
However, organizers were forced to apologize for the “less than perfect experience” after a series of complaints about rude staff, cold weather and a bad atmosphere.
Calling the event a “steep learning curve,” organizers said “learnings and feedback will be taken into account.”
People took to Families were greeted with an “almost empty warehouse.”
The first International Brewery and Cider Festival (IBC), which was a two-day ticketed event with prices starting from £20.00, was held at the Depot Mayfield Manchester last weekend, but it presented similarities to Willy Wonka’s ill-fated experience in Glasgow.
One person wrote: “I don’t think I’ve been to a less well organized event. The term “Can’t organize a pi** up in a brewery” was created for this festival.
“At midterm, there were less than 100 people. The signs on the barrel and cask were too small to read from any distance.
He continued: “The people rushing to the bar had no knowledge of the beers and had no information in the app.”
The disgruntled drinker said he felt “ripped off” after paying the £20 entry fee “to drink out of plastic” and complained about the price of the beer “at city prices”.
“Some brewers had packed up and left hours before the end,” he added.
Another said: “Most disappointing brewing event ever. I had three beers that all tasted like a plastic cup. One went into the sink, another finished for me, the third went into the urinal. We left before we had been there two hours.
“The least these organizers could do is apologize to us and the owners, as they too seemed to have been disappointed in their own affair.
‘The Wonka of beer festivals. I paid £43 to get in there. I will overcome the financial cost, but I will be wary of such events in the future.
The IBC responded: “We are very sorry that you had a less than perfect experience at the International Brewery and Cider Awards Festival. It was our first festival and everything wasn’t perfect.
Organizers were forced to apologize for the “less than perfect experience” after the event was riddled with complaints about rude staff, cold weather and a bad atmosphere.
Meanwhile, Manchester-based beer writer Matthew Curtis told the BBC he estimated crowds did not exceed 50 to 100 people at any one time, saying the atmosphere was “very muted”.
Another customer took to X to share a multitude of snaps of the empty warehouse and to complain to the IBC festival, calling the event a “mess”.
A photo showed a large warehouse decorated with fairy lights but very few customers
Another shot showed a craft beer vendor with a single customer using tables as a counter
Meanwhile, the stage was lit and ready for the band, but it seemed like they didn’t have a big crowd to perform in front of.
“We are a not-for-profit trade organization representing the value chain supplying the brewing and beverage industry and organizer of the world’s oldest international brewing and cider awards.
“As a first-time festival, we underwent a steep learning curve and believe we adapted to deliver a better model as the event progressed. Certainly, if we organize a festival to follow the 2026 Awards, all our learnings and your comments will be taken into account. The IBC festival team
Matt Turner-Allen, from Bolton, said he paid £38.50 for a ticket which came with six tokens – but only for half a pint of selected drinks.
Talk to BBC News he said he was surprised by the calm that reigned and found the room “freezing”.
“It’s an old brick structure at the end of March, which is fine if it’s packed, but it just wasn’t the right venue. I texted my boss in Glasgow and said it was the Willy Wonka festival in Manchester.
People took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share their frustration over “the most disappointing brewing event ever.”
Organizers said the event was a “steep learning curve,” and “learnings and feedback will be taken into account.”
Meanwhile, Manchester-based beer writer Matthew Curtis told the BBC he estimated crowds did not exceed 50 to 100 people at any one time, saying the atmosphere was “very subdued”.
Freddy Hardy, co-founder of Manchester independent brewery Courier Brewing Co., said a low turnout in such a large venue meant the “vibe just wasn’t there”, saying he wasn’t selling out beer to only about 20 people – 10 of them according to him. be other people in the industry.
Another customer took to X to share a multitude of snaps of the empty warehouse and to complain to the IBC festival, calling the event a “mess”.
On the IBC website, the event was described as “a weekend filled with camaraderie, live music, mouth-watering food trucks and, most importantly, well-crafted beer and exceptional cider.”
The event description said: “Providing a rare opportunity for the public to sample a wide range of local, national and international beverages, including award-winning beers and ciders from the International Brewing & Cider Awards.
“The festival is organized by the world’s most historic international beer and cider competition, the International Brewing & Cider Awards, which will move to Manchester after being hosted at the National Brewery Center in Burton-upon-Trent over the past decade.
“For the first time in its 137-year history, the awards will be accompanied by a public festival and represent a significant milestone in the awards’ commitment to promoting and supporting the brewing and cider industries.
Police called to ‘immersive’ Willy Wonka event in Glasgow after it was canceled mid-run
Furious parents branded £35-a-ticket event in Glasgow an ‘absolute disaster’ after being promised ‘a universe where your dreams come true’
The Mail Online contacted the International Brewery and Cider Festival.
It comes after parents were left furious when they showed up to a Willy Wonka ‘immersive’ event and their children sobbed when it turned out to be a small bouncy castle and of a small lollipop.
Angry parents branded the £35-a-ticket event in Glasgow an “absolute disaster” after being promised “a universe where your dreams come true” and would “create memories that will last a lifetime”.
Just 24 hours before “Willy’s Chocolate Experience” at Boxhub, organizers House of Illuminati released photos of a van full of props and declared that “everything is going well.”
Families were stunned when they arrived and were greeted with an almost empty warehouse with a few Wonka-themed props and a small bouncy castle, leaving the distraught children in floods of tears.
The event was canceled midway through Saturday as angry mothers, fathers and grandparents demanded refunds. The organizers promised to give people their money back.