Manchester beer festival is compared to ill-fated Willy Wonka experience - as customers who paid up to £90 complain about freezing, half-empty venue, rude staff and drinks tasting of plastic

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A Manchester beer festival has been likened to Glasgow's ill-fated Willy Wonka experience after customer complaints about the 'most disappointing beer event ever.'

The first International Brewing and Cider (IBC) Festival, which was a two-day ticketed event with prices starting from £20 and going up to £90, was held at the Depot Mayfield Manchester, last weekend.

However organisers were forced to apologise for the 'less than perfect experience' after a string of complaints about rude staff, cold conditions and a poor atmosphere.

Saying the event was 'steep learning curve', organisers said 'learnings and feedback will be taken into account.'

People took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share their frustration with some drawing comparisons to the disastrous Willy Wonka event, which became a viral sensation and the subject of a TV documentary after families were greeted with a 'near-empty warehouse'.

The first International Brewing and Cider (IBC) Festival, which was a two-day ticketed event with prices starting from £20.00, was held at the Depot Mayfield Manchester, last weekend but it drew similarities to Glasgow 's ill-fated Willy Wonka experience

One person wrote: 'I don't think I've been to a worse organised event. The term 'Couldn't organise a pi** up in a brewery' was made for this festival. 

'Mid session there were less than 100 people. The signs on the cask and keg were too small to read at any distance.

He continued: 'People pouring on the bar had no knowledge of any of the beers and no info 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 beer costing 'town prices'.

'Some of the brewers had packed up and left hours before the end,' he added.

Another said: 'The most disappointing beer event ever. I had three beers which all tasted like a plastic cup. One went in the sink, one a mate finished for me, third went in the urinal. Left before we had been there two hours.

'Least these organisers can do is provide an apology to us and the proprietors, as they too seemed to have been let down by the own thing. 

'The Wonka of beer festivals. I paid £43 to get in. I'll get over the financial cost but distrust such events in future.'

The IBC replied: 'We are very sorry that you had a less than perfect experience at the International Brewing & Cider Awards Festival. This was our first festival and everything was not perfect.

Organisers were forced to apologize for the 'less than perfect experience' after the event was riddled with complaints about rude staff, cold conditions and a poor atmosphere

Meanwhile Manchester-based beer writer Matthew Curtis told the BBC he estimated crowds to be no bigger than 50 to 100 at any time, saying the atmosphere was 'very muted'

Another customer took to X to share a slew of snaps from the empty warehouse and to complain to IBC festival calling the event a 'shambles' 

One snap showed a large warehouse space decorated in fairy lights but very few customers 

Another snap showed a craft beer vendor with just one customer using tables as a countertop 

Meanwhile the stage was lit up and ready for the band to play but it appeared they didn't have a big crowd to perform to

'We are a not-for-profit trade organisation representing the value chain supplying the brewing and beverage industry and organiser of the oldest international brewing and cider awards in the world.

'As a first time Festival we underwent a steep learning curve & believe we adapted to deliver a better model as the event progressed. Certainly, should we organise a Festival to follow the 2026 Awards all of our learnings and your feedback will be taken into account. IBC Fest Team' 

Matt Turner-Allen, from Bolton, said he paid £38.50 for a ticket that came with six tokens - but only for half pints of selected drinks.

Speaking to BBC News he said he was surprised at how quiet it was and found the venue to be 'freezing'.

'It is an old brick structure at the end of March, which if it is packed is fine but this was just not the right venue. I texted my boss in Glasgow, and I said this is the Willy Wonka festival of Manchester.'

People took to X, formerly known as Twitter , to share their frustration at the 'most disappointing beer event ever'

Organisers said the event was 'steep learning curve', organisers said 'learnings and feedback will be taken into account'

Meanwhile Manchester-based beer writer Matthew Curtis told the BBC he estimated crowds to be no bigger than 50 to 100 at any time, saying the atmosphere was 'very muted'.

Freddy Hardy, co-founder of independent Manchester brewery Courier Brewing Co. said a low turnout in such a large venue meant 'the vibe… just wasn't there', saying he only sold beer to around 20 people - 10 of whom he believed to be other people from the industry.

Another customer took to X to share a slew of snaps from the empty warehouse and to complain to IBC festival calling the event a 'shambles'. 

On the IBC website the event was described as 'a weekend filled with camaraderie, live music, mouthwatering food trucks, and most importantly, well-crafted beer and exceptional cider.'

The event description read: 'Offering a rare opportunity for the public to taste a vast range of local, national and international drinks, including award-winning beers and ciders from The International Brewing & Cider Awards.

'The Festival is being organised by the world’s most historic international beer and cider competition, The International Brewing & Cider Awards, which will relocate to Manchester having been hosted at The National Brewery Centre in Burton-upon-Trent for the last decade.

'For the first time in its 137-year history, the Awards will be accompanied by a public festival, and represents a significant milestone in the Awards’ commitment to promoting and supporting the brewing and cider industries. 

Police were called to an 'immersive' Willy Wonka event in Glasgow after it was cancelled halfway through

Furious parents slammed the £35-a-ticket event in Glasgow as 'an absolute shambles' after being promised 'a universe where your dreams come true'

The Mail Online has contacted the International Brewing and Cider Festival.

It comes after parents were left furious when they turned up to an 'immersive' Willy Wonka event and their children were left sobbing when it turned out to be a tiny bouncy castle and a small lollipop.

Irate parents slammed the £35-a-ticket event in Glasgow as 'an absolute shambles' after being promised 'a universe where your dreams come true' and would 'make memories that will last a lifetime'.

Just 24 hours before 'Willy's Chocolate Experience' at the Boxhub, organisers House of Illuminati posted pictures of a van full of props and said 'it's all coming together nicely'.

Families were left stunned when they arrived and were greeted with a near-empty warehouse with a few Wonka-themed props and a small bouncy castle, leaving distraught children in floods of tears.

The event was cancelled halfway through on Saturday as angered mothers, fathers and grandparents demanded refunds. Organisers have promised to give people their money back.