Parents' anger over Fortnite Live Norwich festival

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Cave experience at Fortnite Live NorwichImage source, Justine Petersen/Facebook
Image caption,
The "cave experience" was "a trailer... with a tunnel through it", said one frustrated customer

Angry parents have hit out at a festival themed around the video game Fortnite, complaining of long queues and underwhelming attractions.

Fortnite Live Norwich billed itself as the "Fortnite event of the year", with outdoor laser-tag, a climbing wall and archery at the Norfolk Showground.

But dozens of guests have demanded refunds on Facebook.

The organisers of the event, which continues on Sunday, have not responded to requests for comment.

Justine Petersen, who queued for 90 minutes to get in with her husband and her nine-year-old son, said it was "like the episode of Father Ted when the fair comes to Craggy Island".

Tickets for the event, themed around the global video game sensation, started at about £12, with wristbands for unlimited access to activities costing an extra £20.

'Like a school fete'

Reenie Greenwood and her husband Ed paid nearly £80 for their son Kieran and four friends to go to celebrate his 12th birthday.

"They were really looking forward to it given they play online," said Mrs Greenwood, 41, from Norwich. "They've done nothing apart from queue. I'm really angry and gutted for my son."

Image source, Reenie Greenwood/Facebook
Image caption,
Some visitors reported queuing for up to two hours to get in to the event at the Norfolk Showground

Oliver Phillips said he and his son Theo, 10, were at the front of the queue when the event opened at 10am, by which time early-bird ticket holders were already leaving.

He estimated 2,500 were at the Norfolk Showground at the event's peak.

"The attractions were pretty rubbish," he said. "It was the sort of thing you see at a school fete.

He added that the cave experience was "a trailer, no bigger than a car, with a tunnel through it".

He said the day had cost him £130 plus a 130-mile round trip from his home in Sudbury, Suffolk.

Image source, Reenie Greenwood/Facebook
Image caption,
Many people said they gave up waiting before they made it to the front of the queue for the gaming activities

The event was organised by Exciting Events, which is planning similar events in locations including Spalding and Newark, according to its Facebook page.

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