A family festival that promised parents and their children “lasting memories,” did just that, but for the wrong reasons, with parents complaining of having to pay exorbitant prices for a badly organised event.

The Wanderlust Festival, was held by NGRY Concepts Ltd at Ta’ Qali picnic area over the weekend and was marketed as the “first family festival of its kind” with a list of free activities for children up to the age of 12, apart from an entrance ticket.

It promised fun, outdoor activities, music, games and craft workshops.  

“Our festival is a unique blend of music, art, wellness, and outdoor experiences that aim to create lasting memories for families of all ages,” the event description on the festivals website read.  

The free activities were said to include art and creativity workshops, a bubble show, face painting, kids yoga, a magic show and a Peppa Pig Dance A Long.

Attendees had to purchase entrance tickets starting from €10 for adults and a child day ticket of €25. The price for a weekend ticket for a child bumped up to €35, and a family of three had to fork out €50 for a weekend ticket. A family of four paid €80. Children under the age of three could go in for free. 

But several parents took to social media to complain that they had to pay over and above the entrance fee for their children to take part in the activities, and what was offered was a disappointment.

Parents were disappointed at the heavily promoted family festival. Photo: Facebook Wanderlust Malta's Family Festival

Posting on popular Facebook group ‘Are you being served’ one parent said the way the festival was marketed was far from what children and parents experienced. 

“There are only two small trampolines for the whole festival which basically targets kids, same for bouncy castles - one of them nearly fell with kids screaming inside (and parents alike) as well as the go karts - one can only go two at a time!”

“Definitely not up to the level of quality which one expects from the heavy advertising made in the run-up for this festival.” 

The post gathered close to 200 comments, with one parent saying how after just two hours and spending €80, they left disappointed.

“It’s disgraceful! Shame on you. At least, at least make sure the activities are up to standard,” the upset parent wrote. 

“Even the one bouncy castle left there was deflated at the bottom with thin sheets of foam which kept moving to one side. Kids landing on a hard surface, recipe for disaster!” a parent wrote. 

Others said the event was terribly organised and slammed the festival as “daylight robbery”. Many called out for a refund and for the organisers to apologise. 

The festival's Facebook page was also not short of complaints and bad reviews. 

One parent listed several reasons why the festival did not live up to its expectations: 

“The event was supposed to end at 7 but by 5 the go-carts, archery and one bouncy castle were closed. Only one bouncy castle was left open with a massive queue of kids waiting to go up,” he said. 

The unhappy parent also called out the organisers for the dirty toilets, ‘rave-like’ volume for music, and bouncy castles left unattended.

One of several complaints about the Wanderlust festival. Photo: Facebook.

‘Child is getting a value of over €140 and other free activities 

The festival organisers dismissed the claims. One of the organisers, Jonathan Pace, replied to several complaints on Facebook to explain the reason for the prices.  

“Firstly, all the activities inside are free, over 40 activities, educational workshops and much more,” he said, going on to price how much such activities would usually cost. 

Organiser Jonathan Pace was quick to reply to the dissapointed comments. Photo: Facebook

“I won’t comment further as everyone is free to give feedback on prices and I can assure you this is something we will discuss internally for our next edition (…) a child is getting a value of over €140 PLUS all the other free activities which I haven’t mentioned, a never-ending list.”

Speaking to Times of Malta, Pace provided a list of over 40 free activities at the festival. He said the only activities attendees had to pay extra for were for the artisanal workshops.

“With regards to health and safety, as per any other event, we had our risk assessment certification in place, otherwise insurance policy wouldn’t have covered the event,” he said. “Paramedics, along with a standby ambulance, also as per every event, were also present throughout all operational hours.”

When asked for a reaction to parents calling the festival disorganised, he said: “Constructive criticism has been taken into consideration for future improvement.”