Thousands of people were forced to wait, trying to get into the Vancouver Craft Beer and Music Festival at the PNE. A Vancouver resident who tried to enter the festival with a friend said the whole experience “was a joke.” They ended up leaving the lineup to go to East Vancouver breweries. “The whole thing looked like the organizers didn’t care about the event, they just cared about selling tickets and making money,” said Vancouver resident Kevin MacDonald. “It was pretty much a joke and we just lost $60 each.”
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Story continues below ad Festival organizers issued a statement on Sunday blaming staff shortages and a wristband technology issue for the long lines, denying the idea that the event was oversold. “As seasoned event producers, we had prepared in case problems arose, but we experienced unprecedented and unfortunate staff shortages, which significantly impacted entry teams,” VCBW staff wrote in a social media post. “We also faced challenges with the new wristband system.” VCBW STATEMENT pic.twitter.com/0bdvybsvS3 — VCBW (@VCBW) July 10, 2022
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MacDonald believes the event was oversold, contrary to what the organizers said. Story continues below ad “I’d say there were about 2,000 people trying to get in,” MacDonald said. “They could have had 100 people at the entrance. People weren’t coming in. There was a gate, an entrance. Just imagine trying to get into a Canucks game with one entrance.” In the festival’s statement, it did not say whether it would compensate those who did not enter the event. 1:56 UGM Summer BBQ is back after the COVID-19 hiatus UGM Summer BBQ is back after the COVID-19 hiatus Related News © 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
