The Barbie Dream Fest in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, went viral after attendees posted videos of what they experienced at the March 27 to 29 event. Organizers have since apologized and started issuing refunds.
The three-day event was held at the Broward County Convention Center, with tickets ranging from about $69 to $449. Fans were promised an interactive Barbie Dreamhouse, an ’80s roller disco, a fashion show, workshops and celebrity meet-and-greets.
What people say they got was a lot less. The “life-size Dreamhouse” turned out to be a flat cardboard cutout, the roller rink was a small fenced-off area for kids, and some balloons still had store stickers on them. Videos on TikTok blew up, and people compared it to the Fyre Festival and the infamous Willy Wonka experience in Glasgow. One fan summed it up: “We got Wonka’d!”
Mattel, which owns Barbie, said the event was created by Mischief Management, a company that licensed the Barbie name. Mischief Management agreed to give full refunds to ticket holders, but some local vendors who paid to be there said they were also out thousands of dollars. The event did deliver some celebrity guests, including Serena Williams.
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