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‘It's a shambles!' Parents slam £55 Monster Truck ‘extravaganza' with lame cars in ‘middle of empty, dusty car park'

‘It's a shambles!' Parents slam £55 Monster Truck ‘extravaganza' with lame cars in ‘middle of empty, dusty car park'

The Irish Sun04-07-2025
A MONSTER Truck event has been slammed a "let down", as attendees demand refunds.
Despite promising an "adrenaline-pumping weekend of thrills", attendees were
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The event promised an 'adrenaline-pumping weekend of thrills'
Credit: Facebook
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The finale featured a monster truck driving over four cars
Credit: SWNS
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Some attendees have asked for refunds on their £19 tickets
Credit: SWNS
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The dusty field wasn't a suitable setting according to attendees
Credit: SWNS
The
After paying £19 per ticket for the two-day event at Wolverhampton Racecourse, attendees were underwhelmed by the shows, with some demanding refunds.
The event took place in what some visitors described as a "dusty car park", which commentators told audiences was causing issues for
Several of the weekend's events were also impacted by "operational issues".
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One attendee said: "We queued longer to get in the place than we stayed there, there was nowhere to sit and we couldn't see a thing.
"The event was
This was after she had spent £85 on five tickets to bring her truck-loving two-year-old to the event.
Another said that commentators used the terrain as an excuse for the
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She said: "They had advertised a
After a disappointing first day, she called the ticket provider to ask for a refund on the £55.30 she spent on four tickets.
Glastonbury opening ceremony branded a flop by disappointed revellers as fireworks display 'dogged by sound issues'
She was told to contact RA Monster Events directly but hasn't heard back.
Throughout the weekend, guests were expecting a range of events across bikes, stunts and
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She said: "The acts were quite disappointing, seemed very limited and short.
"I felt deceived that the 'show' was portrayed as a lot larger and involved a lot more than it actually did, and that certain things were missing, such as the ride on monster trucks," she added.
The wait time for the acts took upwards of 40 minutes, with over an hour for the finale monster truck show.
This finale only lasted eight minutes and featured one truck driving in circles, crushing four cars.
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In an advert for the event it says the morning session would run from 10am-2pm, and the afternoon session from 4-8pm.
The advert also promised monster truck rides, but these were reportedly cancelled on the day.
One family was left disappointed by the finale.
After a forklift moved cars around, leaving four in the middle of the arena, the monster truck "drove round and round and over the cars - it was so disappointing and all felt a bit flat" an attendee said.
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He said: "It was just a shambles, the kids were really disappointed.
"The most disappointing thing was the venue and the
The attendee said that ground surface impacted the shows, and that it should have been on grass or tarmac.
With temperatures soaring to 34C over the weekend, attendees found it difficult waiting around in the heat.
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The open area lacked shade, and the venue charged £2 for bottles of water.
UK Monster Truck Rides, who supplied trucks for the weekend, pulled out of the show and RA Monster's future shows after the "minimum requirements" were not met.
A statement on RA Monster Events'
It said: "The decision to withdraw was made solely by the ride truck operator.
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"While we respect their right to make their own operational decisions, we must firmly correct the record: our event fully met all agreed safety and operational standards.
"RA Monster Events is committed to delivering an unforgettable and safe experience for families across the UK."
Throughout the summer they will be hosting their Motorfest and Funfair events in towns like Market Rasen, Wolverhampton, Hertfordshire and Great Yarmouth.
The Sun has approached RA Monster Events for comment.
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All Together Now festival in Waterford – your complete guide to routes, safety and top tips
All Together Now festival in Waterford – your complete guide to routes, safety and top tips

Irish Independent

time2 days ago

  • Irish Independent

All Together Now festival in Waterford – your complete guide to routes, safety and top tips

'We're excited to welcome 30,000 festival-goers to for the sold out sixth chapter of All Together Now (ATN), taking place across the bank holiday weekend from Thursday, July 31 to Monday, August 4,' said a spokesperson. 'We can't wait to throw open the gates and get the party started once again for another incredible weekend of music, art, conversation, and connection. Here are some tips and hints, and everything you need to know to have the best experience at ATN25 - we can't wait for you to join us.' Whether you're going for just one day, or for the whole weekend, here is everything you need to know about safely getting there and back. Stage times and site map - get the ATN App The ATN App, powered by Bank of Ireland, keeps festival-goers in the loop across 21 stages. The app is available at the App Store, Google Play or via This gives you all live stage times and set changes, special guest alerts, and interactive site map, and live traffic and travel updates. 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Card for cashless payments as the festival does not accept cash as payment for anything. Layers, rain gear, sun cream and wellies – prepare for all weather. ADVERTISEMENT Learn more Organisers would suggest that if you don't need an item, don't bring it, especially any valuables. Professional photographic equipment is not permitted at the festival. Early entry – Thursday, July 31 Early entry is open to all ticket holders - no separate early access ticket required. Organisers encourage as many as possible to beat the rush by arriving on Thursday evening. Campervan, boutique and pre-pitched camping will all be ready and waiting for early arrivals. There will be live entertainment to get the celebrations started, with music on the bandstand and other surprises around the site. Festival opening times Thursday, July 31 - Car park opens at 2pm. Campsites open at 4pm. Last entry at 10pm Friday, 1 August – Sunday, 3 August. Car park and campsites: open from 9am daily. Last entry: 10pm Monday, 4 August. Site closes: 12pm noon. Please take everything with you. Leave not trace. Age policy All Together Now is strictly over 21s, except for children aged 12 and under, who may attend free with a family weekend camping ticket and a parent-guardian. Download your ticket to your phone before leaving the house - on-site signal may be limited. Alcohol policy – BYOB Each person with a general weekend camping ticket is permitted to bring one of the following: 24 cans or one litre of spirits or 1.5 litres of wine. These are allowed only on your initial entry. Alcohol may be brought into both the campsite and the main arena. No re-entry with alcohol once wrist-banded. No single-use plastic bottles. Please decant and use reusables. No glass: glass bottles are strictly prohibited. We suggest you decant to reusable plastic or stainless steel containers. Campervans and caravans Campervan - caravan field opens at 4pm on Thursday, July 31. Camping in tents is not permitted in this field. No gazebos allowed – to ensure everyone has adequate space. No generators, and no electrical hook-ups allowed. Awnings must be built-in, not free-standing. Sleeping in cars in the car park is strictly prohibited. Getting to the festival The car park will open at 2pm on Thursday, July 31 and the campsite will open at 4pm on Thursday, July 31, for all ticket holders. Travelling by road between 9am - 1pm is one of the quietest times to travel to the festival. For the latest traffic news, check: local radio (WLR 95.1FM and BEAT 102.0FM), the Festival App, or Twitter (X) @ATNFestival for the latest travel news as well as live updates. Driving Organisers have advised that festival goers should not follow Google Maps or Sat Nav, as it will not get you all the way to the festival site. Please use the directions at the bottom of this page, and follow the festival signage as soon as you see those. Do not travel to the festival via Carrick-on-Suir. Drop off - shuttle buses Friday drop off: designated drop off zone at Highfield Business Park, Portlaw, accessed from the N25 Kilmeaden Interchange. Free Shuttle Buses will bring ticket holders to the festival (operating Friday, 9am-9pm) and returning (Monday, 8am - 1pm only). Best option: use Waterford City Bus Terminus for Bus Éireann festival shuttle service, operating a regular service to the festival site. Taxis and drop offs The designated taxi pick-up and drop-off zone is located at the bus drop-off area right beside the main entrance to the festival. Ask your taxi driver to enter via Gate 4 for the smoothest access. Please do not arrange to be dropped off or picked up elsewhere near the estate as this can cause delays and disrupt traffic flow. Drop-off on the event site is prohibited on Friday and Monday. 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Irish-produced drama Mix Tape and the musical love letter
Irish-produced drama Mix Tape and the musical love letter

RTÉ News​

time2 days ago

  • RTÉ News​

Irish-produced drama Mix Tape and the musical love letter

BBC drama Mix Tape, a tale of star-crossed lovers who bond over music, is coming to RTÉ soon but can it reinvigorate the lost art of the mix tape as musical love letter? It was a teenage rite of passage and also what the kids now call a major flex. Making a mixtape was a labour of love, a musical way into the heart of the one you fancied and also a proud artefact of just how very good your taste in music really was. Carefully pressing the right buttons on your twin tape deck, choosing the tracks of your hopes and dreams and lovingly inscribing the song titles and artists on the inlay card became something of a minor artform back in what some people probably correctly call simpler times. Van Morrison called it the inarticulate speech of the heart and for millions of seventies, eighties and nineties kids, the mixtape was the musical equivalent of the love letter - the spark for countless nervous conversations and maybe even debates. God knows, I still have a box of them in my spare room. And no, they weren't all retuned, un-played and unloved. These days, of course, you will see wizened old Boomers and Gen Xers posting tiresome memes on wizened old Facebook (it's where the adults hang out, OK?) of cassette tapes accompanied by a pencil. If you know, you know. This, apparently, is the modern age's equivalent of uncovering ancient runes and explaining arcane rituals to digital nativists. In our era of instant gratification, even the noughties phenomenon of the CD burn has given way to soulless Spotify playlists and causal YouTube shares on mobile phones. As ever, something has been lost but with a new generation turning to vinyl and even the cassette format making its own comeback, can the actual physical mixtape become a tribune of love once again? Perhaps recent BBC drama Mix Tape (ta-dah!), which is due to air on RTÉ soon, will inspire a fresh flood of spooling polyester plastic film coated with magnetic material as musical missives. Perhaps not. In any case, the fabled mixtape is the jumping off point for the four-part series. It is the overwrought story of two music mad Sheffield kids, with the very Irish names of Daniel O'Toole and Alison Connor, who meet as teens at a house party in 1989. The young Daniel (who looks like a cross between Grian Chatten of Fontaines D.C. and a young Neil Morrissey) is a music obsessive and he wins bookish Alison's heart with his impressive knowledge of Cabaret Voltaire. Then again, we later learn that his favourite Bowie song is Modern Love. Their first dance is to Joy Division's immortal Love Will Tear Us Apart, their first kiss is to The Jesus & Mary Chain, and when their bedroom fumbling goes much further, they DO IT to the strains of In-Between Days by The Cure. Oh, the drama! Oh, the great basslines! There isn't enough of The Fall featured in Mix Tape for my liking but music is the spine of young Dan and Ali's romance and it plays out the beats and missed heart beats of puppy love (thankfully, no songs by Donny Osmond were used in the making of this programme). Daniel slips his mixtapes into Alison's school bag and she hands him lovingly curated TDKs on the bus to school. We hear The Jesus & Mary Chain, The Velvet Underground and The Stone Roses. All very good, indeed. But just as their teen crush turns to full-blown romance, Alison vanishes from Sheffield, leaving Daniel feeling like a Morrissey song. It's an intriguing premise and the drama plays out in a dual timelines and dual time zones, making it a lot like Sliding Doors meets Sleepless in Seattle - a Proustian rush of 'what ifs' and 'if onlys' played out longingly in verboten mobile phone texts and mutual cyber stalking and the songs of their lost youth. Normal People it is not. However, it is fraught stuff. We follow Daniel and Alison, who is now a successful novelist living in Syndey and married to a total eejit, and move between their teenage romance in 1989 Sheffield and the modern-day reality of their adult relationships living on opposite sides of the world. Daniel and his wife aren't exactly singing from the same hymn sheet back in Sheffield. He now works as a music journalist but never seems to do any actual work (so, that makes sense) and he is toying with writing a book about some great lost music figurehead, like Daniel Johnson or Nick Drake. Mix Tape is a very Irish affair. The four-part drama was originated and developed by Dublin-based production company Subotica, who have previously produced North Sea Connection and The Boy That Never Was, with help from Ireland's generous Section 481 Film and Television tax incentive and the support of Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland and Screen Australia among others. It was also filmed entirely on location in Dublin and Sydney. And so, the former steel town of Sheffield is played by Dublin's Liberties (I was tickled to see that some of it was shot on the very street where I live), while location filming was also completed in Australia. However, things get seriously meta when the young Alison actually moves to actual Dublin and young Daniel nearly has a whitey on the actual Ha'penny Bridge when he sees her with another bloke. Strangely, no U2 was used in the making of this programme. Based on the novel by Jane Sanderson and adapted for television by Irish writer Jo Spain, the show stars Teresa Palmer as the adult Alison and Jim Sturgess as the adult Daniel and Rory Walton-Smith as young Daniel and Florence Hunt as young Alison. And here's the thing, the actors who play the younger versions of our protagonists are so much better than the anguished grown-up versions, who spend most of the time moping about like extras in a Cure video. Of course, the whole thing reminded me of that minor noughties indie hit about an estranged couple haggling over their shared record collection in the same way rich people haggle over their condo in Bel Air or their D4 pied-à-terre. If you're looking for a good music-based romance, Stephen Frears' film of Nick Hornby's High Fidelity is still your best. Mix Tape is a mite too tortured and joyless but it does have two major flexes - those Dublin locations and the actual music. It also asks an eternal question posed by music obsessives in every time line and time zone - can the songs that sound-tracked our young lives and loves ever really sound the same again?

Sweet lovers race to Poundland for new Haribo packets scanning for just £1
Sweet lovers race to Poundland for new Haribo packets scanning for just £1

The Irish Sun

time2 days ago

  • The Irish Sun

Sweet lovers race to Poundland for new Haribo packets scanning for just £1

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