Families have demanded refunds after leaving a 'bleak' and 'depressing' pumpkin display, which has been likened to the infamous Willy Wonka experience in Glasgow.   

Alex Dodman, a reviewer on Instagram and TikTok with more than 450,000 followers, described it as 'the UK's most depressing pumpkin patch', with organisers deciding to 'chuck a load of pumpkins in a field'.

Suffolk Pumpkin Patch, in Barton Mills, promised 'fields full of pumpkins and memories to last a lifetime' but families have hit out at the attraction over smashed-up pumpkins, a run-down mini golf course and 'abysmal' K-pop entertainers.

Tickets for the pumpkin patch cost £4 for children and £5 for adults, while the cost of food and rides is extra. Organisers have defended the prices, saying they are a 'small family-run business' and claim that visitors are smashing up the pumpkins. 

Mr Dodman, who calls himself the 'home of real reviews', posted his critical video across his social media platforms, saying the event's Halloween decorations were 'questionable' and 'nothing seems to work'.

He added that the attraction had 'Glasgow Willy Wonka vibes' in a reference to the viral event in 2024 where children were left sobbing by the experience's poor quality.

Posting online, Chloe Dyer told people thinking of visiting the pumpkin patch, 'don't bother' as she said she had 'one disappointed little girl' and labelled it a 'waste of a yearly tradition'.

'Half the pumpkins were smashed,' she said. 

'Only orange and white pumpkins despite the website stating they have varieties. The only variety was a couple of red and grey placed on a table by the gate. 

'The K-pop entertainment was abysmal. The mini golf was smashed up, including nails poking out where kids are playing.'

Jenna Wright said that her family 'left after 40 minutes' with 'three very disappointed children'.

She added that the KPop Demon Hunters lip-syncing performance was a 'monstrosity', as she demanded a refund.  

One Instagram user said: 'The pumpkin patch was basically a field with Harris fencing [sic] and a load of pumpkins tossed around. 

'A few cute photo props, but that's genuinely where the magic ended – and there were barely any staff around to help or direct anyone.'

She added that the K-pop performers 'tried their best' but that the 'music kept cutting out' and that the 'lip syncing wasn't syncing'. 

The user added: 'The mini golf was so broken it felt like an insurance claim waiting to happen, the target practice balls were all crushed, and the space hopper area was basically Lord of the Flies: Autumn Edition. Face painting had a queue that could be seen from space.'

The organisers of Suffolk Pumpkin Patch said in a statement: 'We often get asked, "Why do you charge an entrance fee to the pumpkin patch?" Well, unfortunately, this is one of the reasons why...

'Every morning, after a busy day welcoming families to our patch, we are faced with the heartbreaking sight of more and more pumpkins deliberately smashed, damaged displays and unnecessary mess left behind.'

They continued: 'Would you walk into Tesco and start smashing the fruit and vegetables because there wasn't a sign telling you not to? Of course not! So why should it be any different here? Surely we shouldn't need signs telling people not to deliberately destroy things that don't belong to them?

'And sadly, it's not just the pumpkins. We've also had displays, activities damaged and our skeletons pulled apart.

'We aren’t a big company with endless amounts of money.

'People often only see the finished pumpkin patch, but what they don’t see is the countless hours of work behind the scenes, the early mornings, the late nights and the financial commitment it takes to make all of this happen.

'Every single pumpkin has cost us money. Every display has cost us money. Every decoration has been bought, made or put together with care.

'When someone deliberately smashes a pumpkin, it isn’t just a bit of harmless fun. 

'That is money straight out of our family’s pocket. Money we cannot get back.'