The lantern festival, feared to be a hoax, is canceled at the last minute

A lantern festival feared to be a £50-a-ticket scam was canceled at the last minute due to the risk of “thunderstorms” – despite clear blue skies.

Lantern Festival UK has charged thousands of people up to £50 per person to take part in the festival where they will be able to launch a fiery lantern into the sky, with events due to take place in London yesterday and today.

But ticket holders took to social media after being disappointed by a last-minute email informing them the festival had been “postponed” due to a predicted “storm”.

Many were quick to point out that no such storms are expected in the south of England today, with clear skies over much of the capital. A yellow warning for thunderstorms is in place for the north of Scotland until this evening.

This comes after ticket holders previously raised concerns after discovering that all the footage used to promote the events came from festivals in other countries held by different promoters.

Just weeks ago, the planned June 1 date in Birmingham was pushed back to July 13, reportedly due to overwhelming demand, which led organizers to find a bigger venue.

According to a screenshot uploaded by one TikTok user, those who bought tickets were told that this weekend’s event, as well as the June 8 event, have been cancelled.

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Planned events were postponed in Woking, Hatfield, Redbridge and Sevenoaks.

“We feel it is best to move these events to a future date when weather conditions are more favorable,” organizers said.

‘We are working hard to set new dates in the coming weeks and will keep you updated.

“Your tickets will remain valid for rescheduled events. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your understanding.”

The events were heavily advertised on TikTok, showing videos of people launching picturesque objects into the night sky.

However, there has been online backlash with people demanding refunds for their tickets amid accusations that the whole event is a “scam”, with some comparing it to the infamous Fyre Festival and Glasgow’s Willy Wonka Experience.

Organizers appeared to hold back on initial promises of fire-lit lanterns, instead saying the lanterns would be helium-based.

Some social media users also said they were yet to receive tickets, while others expressed concern over the lack of information about the events – including the exact locations.

Lantern Festival UK claims its tickets are “100% refundable within 14 days of purchase”.

However, its refund policy further states that “all ticket sales are considered final transactions” and “there will be no ticket refunds/exchanges/cancellations.” It adds that if the event is completely canceled due to unforeseen circumstances, it reserves the “sole and absolute right” not to refund.

The London event page adds that the venue will be announced by email and will be “within 35 miles” of London.

There was further confusion after events were advertised at golf clubs, but the company that owns the course said they were definitely not being held on their premises, the BBC reports.

“We have decided that the events are no longer appropriate for our premises,” a spokesperson said.

Since it was first posted on TikTok at the beginning of March, videos showcasing the anticipated delights of what Lantern Festival UK could look like have been viewed millions of times on social media.

More than 45,000 people filled out the pre-sale registration form.

But the videos were taken outside the UK, with one showing the Yi Peng Lantern Festival in Thailand and another using footage from The Lights Fest, a series of events in the United States.

It was also previously revealed that Birmingham Council’s trading standards body investigated advertisements for the event in the city and confirmed that none of the necessary permissions had been sought.

The festival claimed the event was to be held on private property, no permit was needed.

Organizers added that all lanterns will be collected and recycled after release to protect the environment.

One ad claims attendees can expect to find a “fairground and entertainment” as well as food trucks, though specifics on what that entails are scarce.

The Chartered Trading Standards Institute launched an investigation and its chief fraud officer said the festival had “all the hallmarks” of being dodgy.

Katherine Hart, chief officer of the Institute for Domestic Crime, Fraud and Consumer Vulnerability, explained that the site was only set up in March by a Danish company and claims to have premises in London and Birmingham – although neither appear to have permission from the council.

She told MailOnline: “We have a website – I couldn’t tell if it was a scam or not. The problem is that it has all the hallmarks of one.

“People were buying tickets to a place that didn’t actually exist. And when potentially thousands of people venture into a city and don’t know where they’re going, all sorts of problems can arise.

“I would advise people to actually contact their banks and see if they can stop the transaction. I would also ask them to see if they can process a refund through the company.”

MailOnline previously contacted the firm’s registered business address but found no evidence of its existence.

Many councils have banned the release of fire lanterns in England on their grounds due to fire hazards and concerns for the safety of participants.

Among them is Birmingham City Council, which is said to be hosting two of the events, while a number of London councils have done so, including local authorities in Ealing, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Redbridge and Wandsworth.

Lantern Festival UK states on their website: “As The Lights Fest is an outdoor event, we understand that there may be some inclement weather at times.

“Event dates and locations are therefore subject to change. In the event of inclement weather leading to the cancellation of the Sunday event, the first available make-up appointment will usually be scheduled for the Sunday of the following weekend.

“If Sunday is not feasible, a second advance date will be arranged within 90 days of the original event date. Please note that refunds are not provided if weather requires the event to be rescheduled or relocated.

“Your tickets will remain valid for the first available makeup date we arrange. If a makeup date is not scheduled within 90 days of the original event, a refund will be offered. We appreciate your understanding and flexibility regarding these circumstances.”

A spokesman previously said: “We share the increased public and media awareness of event promotion following the disastrous Wonka experience in Glasgow which was widely reported recently. Our actions and theirs could not be more different.

“We have carefully planned these events and made a number of site selections in Birmingham and London, choosing venues of varying capacity based on their attributes to enable us to create a safe and environmentally friendly event for all.

“As ticket sales have exceeded our expectations, we have released seat options at lower capacity venues and entered into final agreements with the larger venues we identified as part of our planning process.

“Specific event venues have not yet been publicly announced due to the overwhelming popularity of ticket sales, which has led us to secure larger venues as part of our strategy to safely accommodate as many people as possible. However, we can confirm that details of the Birmingham venue will be released in the coming days once the final touches have been completed.

“Regarding the claim that Birmingham events do not need the proper permits, we want to clarify that the lantern festival will be held on private land and therefore does not require planning permission from the local council. We have commissioned our solicitor to re-review our Birmingham tenancy and local council rules to ensure this is in line.

“Our ticketing policy is transparent – ​​customers can get a full refund if they return their tickets within 14 days of purchase. Refunds are no longer offered after this period as event dates close to maximize capacity for low availability and high demand events.”

MailOnline has contacted Lantern Festival UK for comment.