Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer is supposed to have a ‘very shiny nose’.
But families at a Christmas drone show promising Prancer and the gang flying through the West Sussex sky were not shouting with glee after technical faults left them with a ‘Temu experience’.
Standing outside in the freezing cold, people were left squinting at a barely visible Santa, struggling to make out the vague elf shapes at the Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Drone Show in Ardingly.
At the end of the disappointing show, many asked for refunds before being left to trudge through mud
Krissi Binder paid £40 for her VIP ticket and took her two daughters, expecting to be blown away by the ‘mesmerising’ 600 LED drones illuminating the sky with festive displays of Rudolph and even the Abominable Snow Monster.
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But instead, ‘It was definitely more of a Temu experience than a VIP one,’ Krissi told Metro.
Her VIP package was supposed to come with food tokens and glowsticks, but all she was offered were three marshmallows or plain nachos with cheese for her teenage children.
Not only was the drone show disappointing for Krissi and her family, but leaving the event was not any better.
‘A stampede of people started to leave, all slipping in the pitch black and mud, as there was no lighting or signage. People with wheelchairs and buggies were upset.
‘All in all, it was a disaster, and now we have to find the money to book something new and recapture that Christmas magic that the Lumina Grinch stole from us.’
Advertising for the show had promised: ‘The stars will come alive with the heart-warming tale of the world’s most famous reindeer, told through cinematic sound and light with a mesmerising swarm of 600 drones.
‘Be amazed with friends and family at a revolutionary event this Christmas.
‘The night sky becomes our canvas as we capture the magic of Rudolph’s story like never before!’
But Ellie Merritt, who went with her kids after seeing a sponsored Instagram ad for the show, told Metro: ‘From arriving at the event, you could tell it was badly run.’
‘The automatic parking readers used to confirm payment for parking wasn’t working, causing huge queues and we weren’t asked for proof of tickets when we entered.’
‘After this, the Santa grotto that was advertised was nowhere to be seen, neither was the Christmas market.
‘The food stalls were charging £16 for food, £10 for chips, £5 for hot chocolate. Some were refusing to take card.’
Jack Lambert took his four-month-old baby and 10-year-old son to the show, which he described as a ‘complete let down’ that left his children disappointed.
Many of the customers told Metro that they have been denied refunds.
Lumina Drones apology in full
A spokesperson from Lumina Drones told Metro: ‘Unfortunately, our Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer drone show at the South of England Showground last night experienced technical difficulties, affecting some of the drones. We sincerely apologize to customers whose enjoyment of the show was affected by these issues.
‘We spent months creating a spectacular Christmas show and were excited for all our guests to experience it. We are incredibly disappointed that we were unable to deliver the entire show to the high standards we adhere to.
‘Our technical team is in communication with the drone manufacturers in France in the hope that they can shed some light on why some drones failed to take off, even though our systems were showing no faults. We have successfully operated multiple shows to date across the UK with no technical problems; however, large-scale drone shows are complex by nature, and unforeseen issues may occasionally arise.
‘Some customers also reported problems with car parking. Unfortunately, adverse weather the day before the show created muddy conditions in the car park area and contributed to delays. We work with a third-party partner to manage parking, who had over 30 traffic management staff on site. All car parking information, including costs (£7 pre-booked and £10 on the day) and a link to book, was sent to all customers via email on 25th November, ahead of the event, and was also clearly listed on the Eventbrite ticketing platform.
‘We are aware that some customers were also unhappy with the food stalls and fairground attractions. These are run by third-party partners who are responsible for the range of options and prices. The information email sent to all customers on 25th November clarified that fairground rides were not included in the ticket price.
‘We welcome all feedback and will review all third-party partnerships as we look for ways to improve the overall customer experience at our events.
‘We are continuing to investigate the cause of the technical issues and will contact all ticket holders via email as soon as possible with an update. In the meantime, customers can contact us directly at skytheater@luminadrones.com’
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