Birmingham New Year Festival Organisers Apologise
3 January 2015, 08:48 | Updated: 30 March 2016, 13:50
Organisers of New Year's Day festival 'Day One' in Birmingham have apologised after hundreds claimed they queued but weren't allowed in.
Some people took to Facebook to complain about the event in Coventry Street, Digbeth.
Some said it opened later than advertised, bouncers were letting women in whilst other people had been standing in the rain, and that after queuing for hours were told it was one-in-one-out.
Tickets were up to £40.00.
Charlotte Zoka, 18, from Sutton Coldfield, told Capital she'd wanted to go after hearing good things about the festival: "Friends had been in the past, and it sounded great.
"I got by ticket, which cost me £33.00, and got to the venue at 5pm [on New Year's Day] as the ticket said last entry would be at midnight.
"But when I got there, we were told to queue, and we were there for three hours and ended up soaking wet in the rain before being told by bouncers on a megaphone it would be one-in, one-out.
"People started shouting and then just decided to leave as we didn't think we would get in."
Charlotte told Capital she started a petition to get the organisers, GLASParty, to refund everyone who didn't get in.
GLASparty, the organisers of Day One, issued a statement last night apologising for any upset caused. They said: "Tickets WERE NOT over sold. Quantities were aligned with the numbers advised by risk assessments and authorities and therefore limited. Unfortunately the majority of ticket holders turned up close to or after the doors were officially closed at 6pm as advertised. This resulted in extensive queuing, delays and pressure upon the entrance.
"In the interest of safety a decision was made to halt the queue until pressure was relieved. We understand how frustrating this would have been for you if you were affected and can only apologise for the inconvenience. Our first priority will always be your safety and sometimes tough decisions have to be made to ensure the event stays safe for everyone.
"For people seeking refunds please email info@dayonefestival.com with your ticket details. Each case will be individually reviewed and processed as soon as possible."
