Disappointment as North Pole Experience flops

A Lincoln mum is among hundreds of customers who were left feeling angry and frustrated at delays and cancellations of the highly anticipated North Pole Experience at Newark’s Thoresby Park.

The North Pole Experience was due to take place at the park from November 13 to December 23, with individual tickets costing between £34.99 and £52. After initially being delayed, the event now appears to have been cancelled with no news yet as to when, or if, it will be rearranged.

Event organiser North Pole Experience Ltd issued a statement to customers via email on November 28 saying they wanted “to ease any concerns” due to “speculation and false information posted on social media” – read the full statement here.

They claimed the weather and the venue’s ‘Risk Assessment and Insurance’ meant the event could not go ahead. The statement says that they made a decision not to open this weekend (November 27-28) despite the fact the event was due to start two weeks earlier.

However, Thoresby Park said: “The continued failure by The North Pole Experience to open, despite half completing their set up has disappointed us as much as anyone else.”

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Visitors to the experience were originally promised a bustling elf village and woodland cabin where they would meet Father Christmas.

There would also have been a North Pole Post Office, toy factory and ice rink, as well as food, drink and entertainment.

A Lincoln mum, who wishes to remain anonymous, contacted The Lincolnite saying she had been due to attend the event, but has still heard nothing back from the organisers.

She described it as a “rather large scam with hundreds of families out of pocket with now nowhere left available to book in to see Santa elsewhere” after paying around £145 for her and her family.

She said: “We paid £32 a ticket plus ticket protection which is now invalid. I bought tickets for my husband and I, and our two children aged seven and five.

“I have previously contacted them on Facebook regarding the event with no response, their website is now inactive and even Thoresby Park cannot make contact.

“It’s a shame. With it being at Thoresby and they themselves advertising it, I felt confident they had done the relevant checks and that it was a legitimate business.”

Thoresby Park also appeared to be disappointed, saying: “They (the event organisers) seemed competent and were able to provide references and we hoped to enable another successful event to wrap up the year.

“Unfortunately, this has not come to pass. The continued failure by The North Pole Experience to open, despite half completing their set up has disappointed us as much as anyone else.

“The estate does not believe this is due to malice however the outcome is the same. North Pole Experience have failed to meet their obligations to us and to the public.”

The event organisers said that anyone wishing to reschedule an effected booking should email [email protected] with their selected date and time, and they will do “everything possible to accommodate these requests”.

They added that for anyone wishing to make a claim, or initiate a refund request, it has to be processed directly through https://www.ticket-refunds.com/ as the organisers “cannot assist with this”.

Meanwhile, Copper Entertainment has tried to do its bit to help the frustrated customers, by offering discounted tickets to their event in Nottingham to those who have been affected.