Party-goers demanded a refund after a north London nightclub event left them feeling unsafe and like cattle.
Attendees of the UKF15 Drumsheds event complained about overcrowding and unsafe management of the 15,000 person capacity venue on 13 December.
Over 2,000 people have signed an online petition for Drumhead to refund attendees of the event, while also leaving negative Google reviews which they they claimed were subsequently deleted.
Esmeralda Susix, 22, said: “I was stuck in the queue for 1 hour 40 minutes with no access to toilets or drinking water.
“I have never felt more unsafe in an event in my life, they push us through like cattle, crowds are surging because [the event organisers] decided to send crowds through tighter walkways, causing mass panic and people getting injured or suffering from claustrophobia.”
The Tottenham venue, formerly an IKEA store, used big shipping containers to funnel people to the single entrance of the massive venue.
People on Reddit, Facebook and Instagram expressed anger as they spent the first two-three hours of the event waiting in a queue outside the venue.
The east London resident said: “By the time I got in to the venue, I had already missed three of there artists that I was really excited to see.
“I spent more time queuing everywhere than dancing.”
Cristobal Delgado Candela, a content creator from Spain, travelled to London for the sole purpose of attending the UKF’s 15th anniversary.
Candela thought he was going to witness history, with headliners like Knife Party, Pendulum, and Flux Pavilion.
He said: “We waited in line like cattle heading to slaughter for about two or three hours, outside in the cold, with no water, no food, and no bathrooms.
“Men were peeing in line because they couldn’t hold it anymore. Women were also forced to pee there, and I felt awful for them because I saw some really tragic scenes.
“Everyone was afraid of being trampled, dehydrated, or getting lost. It was one of the most unsafe, stressful events I’ve ever attended.”
Candela said he had spent thousands of Euros to attend one of the worst electronic music events he had ever gone to.
Attendees voiced further complaints about having to face additional queues inside the venue, with the doors to the main stage shut during some of the performances.
Susix said: “The people who tried getting in to see Pendulum [in the main room] been told to basically back off and cannot enter anymore.
“Which is insane because so many people paid money to see this specific act and ended up missing it because for some reason the entry to the room got closed.”
People online raised additional complaints about the removal of their Google reviews of the Drumsheds event, calling for venue to face the backlash and take accountability for its management of the night.
A spokesperson for Drumsheds said: “We are aware of the concerns raised and sincerely apologise for the frustration and discomfort caused during the event.
“Unfortunately, we faced a number of challenges on the night, including longer-than-usual queues and congestion due to a combination of factors, including enhanced security procedures.
“While these measures were necessary, we understand their impact and are conducting a thorough review.”
Join the discussion