They were promised a larger-than-life, interactive Barbie Dreamhouse, an ’80s-themed roller-skating party and a glittery pink day in Barbieland.
Instead, fans of the world’s most famous doll who went to the “Barbie Dream Fest” in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, was met with a cardboard cutout of a haunted house and a small, kids-only “rink,” far from what was advertised on Instagram.
The event ran from Friday to Sunday at the Broward County Convention Center. In a promotional post on Instagram, it suggested a Barbie fashion show, list speakers, meet and greets, workshops, interactive exhibits, games, screenings, yoga and more. Adult ticket prices ranged from a $69 day pass to a $449 “Dream Pass” with other pricing and accessibility options in between.
But two people who attended the event who spoke to NBC News said they were disappointed by the lack of pink, glitter and excitement they said was expected — especially for the prices they paid to get in.
“It just makes me laugh, because if I don’t laugh, I’m going to cry,” said Brenna Miller, one of the many attendees who posted videos of the event online.
As photos and videos began to spread online, people began to draw comparisons to other over-promised, under-delivered festivals online, such as the 2017 fake Fyre Festival and the recent Willy Wonka-inspired disaster in Glasgow, Scotland.
The disappointment of fans was also reflected in the devoted Barbie community on Reddit, where many called out the organizers of the intense event. “They really should give everyone ‘I Survived Barbie Nightmare Fest’ stickers,” one Reddit user wrote, later adding, “WE WONKA’D!”
A spokesperson for Mattel, Barbie’s parent company, said the event was “created by Mischief Management, who licensed the Barbie brand to Mattel.”
“We are working with Mischief Management, who are handling the event’s attendance response and providing full refunds to everyone who purchased tickets,” the spokesperson said. “We want every fan experience to be the best.”
Mischief Management confirmed in a statement that the company will issue a full refund to everyone who purchased tickets for the event.
“Mischief Management is incredibly grateful to everyone who joined the Barbie Dream Fest,” the statement said. “Bringing fans together – alongside great Barbie role models, designers, partners, and global icons who embody the true spirit of Barbie – was at the heart of this event. Barbie Dream Fest was created as an intimate fan gathering designed to foster meaningful connection, inspiration, and closer access to Barbie and her world.”
Misfit Toys Communications, which is helping to promote the event in partnership with Mattel and Mischief Management, wrote in an email that the company terminated its contract with event organizers in October “due to a lack of payment and our concern that the event is not shaping up as originally described.”
Miller, a social worker from New York, said she found her home in her Barbie community. He bought tickets in December, shelling out about $500 for a VIP, three-day pass to the event – “Dream Pass.” Airfare and hotel costs are not included in the ticket price.
But Miller, 40, said the event was out of order. There wasn’t a separate line for VIPs to enter and, upon entering, she was given lots of Barbie merch to grab, but the staff told her they didn’t have any goodie bags.
A vendor table was selling posters of Barbie’s 2024 concert tour for $20, and the cheapest $25 Barbie dolls were gone after a few hours. Miller said he paid extra to sit in the front row during speaking engagements, but no one checked his ticket when he sat down.
Alexandria Dougan, 33, described similar frustrations.
She attended the “Barbie Dream Fest” with her sister and niece, who was celebrating her seventh birthday. Each adult spent $70 for a day pass to the event, and an additional $30 for their niece. But the three ended up spending about an hour at the convention center before leaving for the day. This event was supposed to be open from 9 am to 6 pm, he said.
The hall was a “disgrace” and the event company could not fill it, leaving the floor empty and the shows uninteresting, Dougan said. While vendors set up stands, none of what they were selling or promoting was included in the ticket price, including the heavily promoted “glam bar.”
Retailers also seemed confused by the Dreamhouse, or lack thereof, she said. But the nail in his family’s coffin was the cycling course, which his nephew enjoyed.
When they got to the front of the bike line on Saturday, Dougan’s nephew was told that the bikes they had were too long, and that all the bigger ones had broken the day before.
“It was sad to see him, because you could see that he was watching other children go in front of him, who were waiting behind us, to go ahead and ride a bike,” said Dougan about his nephew.
Miller said the friend he brought to the event was looking forward to the rink. But when they got there, the couple learned that there were only child-sized skates – none of which would fit adult feet.
“I keep seeing people like, ‘Oh, this was for kids. Adults are upset because they signed up for a kids’ event,'” Miller said. “If you look at the promotional materials they use, the adults in roller skating … are adults dancing. Adults. We’re the ones spending the money. Kids don’t have $450.”
The roller-skating “rink,” he said, is an “animal pen” with “roller disco” sheets. The interactive Dreamhouse was a 10-foot tall cardboard cutout sitting next to a Volkswagen van.
Mismanagement followed with some promises. Serena Williams, Angel Reese, Marlee Matlin and other famous celebrities attended and did speaking engagements. As did the Mattel designers responsible for creating Barbie.
But if fans wanted a photo with any of the celebrities, there was a hefty price tag. A photo with Williams costs about $400, according to a screenshot provided by Miller, and each celebrity was priced at different “levels,” he said.
Miller thought that was “weird” because “these are strong women, too. Like, these are leaders. These are role models. And I felt like the festival put a value on their value.” He added: “These are women in STEM, in sports, in many male fields. So to put a dollar on them, I would feel insulted.”
Representatives for Williams, Reese and Matlin did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
It wasn’t all bad – both Dougan and Miller praised Michael’s series for having excellent posture and work throughout the event. Dougan and her nephew took free photos, decorated free frames to take home and were given goodie bags filled with art from the store.
And both Dougan and Miller said they received emails confirming their ticket prices would be fully refunded.
Overall, however, Dougan described “Barbie Dream Fest” as “a complete flop.”
“There should have been some kind of oversight of events or a backup plan or making sure that’s what you put on social media, because there wasn’t,” Dougan said.
Miller was more forgiving, noting that this was the first “Barbie Dream Fest” and that she didn’t expect perfection. But what he experienced was much less than that.
“Barbie is the No. 1 selling toy in the world. She’s been an icon for 67 years. She represents so much,” Miller said. “And this was definitely not Barbie-level.”
