Parents demand refunds for 'sad and pathetic' Glasghost Glasgow Halloween event

Parents have demanded refunds for a Halloween-themed event in Glasgow described by visitors as “sad and pathetic”.

Glasghost, hosted by Fan Frontier Events over three days last weekend, drew thousands of visitors to the SEC centre.

The event promised experiences such as a ghost train, laser tag, a silent disco, and a kids’ zone, as well as Harry Potter-themed attractions.

Adult tickets cost £25 each and children’s tickets cost around £16, while those under three years old could go for free.

However, parents who spoke to STV News said it lacked atmosphere and they faced long queues

Fan Frontier said it had only received a “small number” of complaints and had improved waiting times and fixed operational problems after some initial “teething problems”.

Parents felt the attractions at Glasghost fell short. Supplied

Leigh Allison, from Rutherglen, took her child along on Saturday, but demanded a refund from the organisers after being disappointed by the event.

She booked a slot between 11am and 1pm, but left after less than half an hour. The mum was told she would get a refund for her tickets after contacting Fan Frontier.

Elaine Wylie, from Bishopbriggs, paid more than £40 for entry with her five-year-old son on Sunday, but said queues were long for some attractions.

She told STV News: “At the silent disco there was one song on repeat – Michael Jackson’s Thriller.

“There were three lines of queues for the laser tag, but it looked like sheets put up with rope. It was dead sad and lots of people were moaning.”

She added: “We were in for an hour and waited 20 mins for the ghost train and 25 mins for the laser tag. It was pathetic, to be honest.

“I think someone could have done a better job of it in their back garden. There was no music, no atmosphere when we were walking about it. It was dire. It was rotten.”

Jane, another mum, visited on Saturday after paying more than £30, despite seeing social media videos on Friday of others complaining.

She said queue lengths meant it was difficult to get around attractions within the session time slots.

“For being such a big venue, I thought surely it’s going to be better than it was,” she said.

“It was quite a cold hall. They weren’t promising much more than they did have.

“Kids aren’t looking for much. Even a few tables with arts and crafts or something would have made it better, to keep them entertained.

“It was underwhelming. For how well it was advertised, there was a lot of hype.”

Caitlin, who took her kids on Saturday, said the SEC “felt empty”.

“It was honestly terrible,” she told STV News.

“We were in and out in 25 minutes and that was us lingering about to see if we could do anything for the kids.”

She paid more than £50 to get in and felt the gifts on offer, including a pumpkin balloon and a small plastic gun, were underwhelming. She is yet to receive her money back, but has been told she will receive a refund.

A number of other parents took to social media to vent their frustration over the quality of the event.

Fan Frontier Events admitted it had some “teething problems” and had received “good and bad” feedback from visitors.

The organisers said the event faced “challenges”, including with third-party suppliers for rides and attractions.

Customers who contacted the firm were told they would receive a response this week.

A statement issued by the company said: “Thank you so much to everyone who came down to Glasghost 2025, we’ve had a fangtastic time with you all.

“For our audiences who experienced some of our teething problems, thank you for your patience and for those who emailed us, we will get back in touch with you this week.

“Putting on new events is not without its challenges, especially when you work with multiple third-party suppliers for things like rides and attractions.

“We will be reviewing all feedback (good and bad) with those suppliers as soon as possible.

“As always, thanks to our wonderful team who worked their socks off all weekend and went above and beyond to give lots of lovely children a great experience.

“Have a happy Halloween, Glasgow.”