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Families demand refunds as festival branded 'Welsh version of Willy Wonka fiasco'

The highly anticipated This Ain't Texas Country Festival was held on the outskirts of Carmarthen, Wales, on Saturday, June 27, but it was slammed as 'disorganised chaos'

[A group of individuals are gathered in an outdoor setting, seated on the ground, engaged in a festive atmosphere. They are all adorned with sunglasses and some of them are making gestures with their hands. The backdrop features a cloudy sky with distant trees.]

A highly-anticipated American-themed country festival has been described as 'disorganised chaos'

An American-themed country festival staged in Carmarthen has been branded 'Wales' very own version of Glasgow's "Willy Wonka Experience" after punters walked out midway through, moaning about organisation, the cost of food and drink and the standard of entertainment on offer.

The This Ain't Texas Country Festival took place at the United Counties Showground on the outskirts of the Welsh town on Saturday (June 27).

Promoters pledged "a full-on Americana country and western experience" and an event that would be "welcoming and easy-going". Yet many who stumped up for tickets and arrived at the showground voiced their disappointment and even outrage at what they witnessed.

[An outdoor area filled with numerous individuals, possibly attending a fair or festival, with various amusement park rides and attractions in the background.]

A Facebook group has been set up filled with angry attendees(Image: Richard Swingler Photography)

Tyrone Davies got in touch with Wales Online late on Saturday night, having departed the This Ain't Texas Festival - which ran between 12pm and 10pm - ahead of schedule. Crafting a Shania Twain-themed quip in reference to one of the festival's tribute acts, he declared: "Man, I feel like a refund."

Mr Davies and his family actually left before that particular performance and revealed why, reports Wales Online. "What was to be the finale of our holidays before returning to work was an absolute car crash," he said.

He added: "One hour to queue for a beer at 7 each, 5 for an ice cream, 5 for a Coke. My sister said she can never remember leaving a gig midway and I can't either.

[At an outdoor music event, a performer is on stage with a large banner that reads "The Ultimate Country Music Festival." The stage is equipped with lighting and audio equipment, and there is a crowd of people gathered in front of the stage, some of whom are raising their hands in the air.]

The festival held in Carmarthen has been labelled "Wales' very own version of Glasgow's Willy Wonka Experience"(Image: Tyrone Davies)

"A true omnishambles. I feel for the line dancing clubs and families that would have saved up as the event of the year.

"I'm sure the organisers will be laughing all the way to the bank. The only positives were the friendly clean up crew."

Mr Davies also revealed that he and his family were informed dogs were not allowed at the festival, only to spot dogs within the venue. He said many festival-goers had similar grievances and urged the company behind the event to issue refunds to those left disappointed.

[An outdoor event featuring a large stage with an array of lighting equipment and a crowd of attendees gathered in front of it. The backdrop includes several trees, and the sky appears partly cloudy.]

Attendees left halfway through complaining about organisation(Image: Tyrone Davies)

"I paid 48.97 for three tickets," he continued. "Next time you hear 'This Ain't Texas' you will hear me saying 'I Ain't Going'.

"It's Wales's very own version of the Glasgow Willy Wonka Experience. It was that bad but not bad enough to be funny after the money spent today."

The "experience" he refers to is the Willy Wonka-themed event held in Scotland in 2024 which sparked outrage and calls for refunds. Meisha Evans reached out to Wales Online on Sunday and shared that she had a strikingly similar experience.

[An aerial view of a heavily congested highway with numerous vehicles, including cars and vans, lined up in multiple lanes, surrounded by a lush greenery of trees and grass on either side. The road is marked with white lines, and a few individuals are visible, likely attempting to navigate through the traffic.]

People have left angry reviews of what has been described as an "absolutely shocking day"(Image: Richard Swingler Photography)

She said: "I attended with my husband and our three children after seeing it advertised as a family-friendly western-themed festival, with activities such as axe throwing, line dancing, live country music, and themed food. Unfortunately, in my experience, the event fell far short of what was advertised.

"There was very little for children to do apart from an extremely expensive fairground, making the 'family-friendly' aspect feel misleading. Activities such as axe throwing and interactive family areas were either absent or not delivered as expected, and line dancing consisted of just two songs over several hours.

"The tribute acts were shockingly bad and sounded like bad karaoke. There were also health and safety concerns.

"My youngest son burned himself on the front of a food van, where there were no warning signs, and the response from the vendor was dismissive. In addition, the urinal facilities were completely open and visible to passers-by, including children, which I found wholly inappropriate at a family event.

"I have seen videos of the other toilets which were disgusting." Within hours of the Carmarthen festival kicking off, a Facebook group dubbed "This Ain't Texas Complaints" was established. On the group, dozens of people have posted furious reviews of what has been branded an "absolutely shocking day".

One disgruntled festival-goer posted: "Not sure there was any actual country music and the speakers sounded blown. 7 for a can of warm beer and an hour-long queue Where is the Tex-Mex food? We've got friggin fish and chips, curry, burger, and 15 for a Greek wrap!"

The organisers of the This Ain't Texas Festival wrote on Facebook: "We've received some constructive feedback from attendees, and we want you to know that we've listened carefully. Where we fell short, we sincerely apologise.

"Your experience matters to us, and we're committed to making things right. In fact, we've already started acting on your feedback within 24 hours of the event to ensure we learn, improve, and come back stronger.

"We understand that some of the entertainment didn't quite meet the standard you've come to expect from This Ain't Texas. Unfortunately, due to overwhelming demand, our team and performers were split across two locations on the same weekend.

"While that's no excuse, it is something we've taken on board and are already addressing for the future. As for the bars, we know wait times were longer than anyone would have liked.

"Less than 12 hours before the event, severe weather destroyed half of our bar setups, and sourcing replacements at such short notice proved incredibly difficult. So, like we do on the ranch, we rolled up our sleeves and made do with what we could save."

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