I got two tickets for the 'scam' Lantern Festival - now I'm afraid I won't get my money back: Revellers' fears amid claims £50 event is 'ruse' akin to the Fyre Festival and Glasgow's Willy Wonka experience - as investigating officials is

A would-be reveller has revealed her horror after buying tickets for a lantern festival advertised on TikTok - amid claims the event is a 'social media scam'.

Lantern Festival UK is selling tickets for gatherings in Birmingham and London over the next three months at which people will be allowed to release fire lanterns.

The organisers are selling tickets for up to £50 per person and claim that two events have already sold out, while promising to create 'magical moments that leave you breathless and filled with wonder'.

But Birmingham council's trading standards body is now investigating the adverts after finding out organisers were promoting an event in the area.

The festival claims their ticketing policy is 'transparent' and the event will be hosted on 'private land' - meaning they do not need permission from the council.

But festival-hopefuls who have already bought their expensive tickets have been left terrified that they will be left out of pockets if it turns out to be a scam.

Keira Guise had spotted an advert for the festival while on social media - telling the BBC she thought it would be a 'bucket list moment'.

But after seeing others' concerns on social media she has become worried about whether she would be able to get her money returned. 

She told the broadcaster: 'It was when I was scrolling through TikTok the day later and I had a video come up and it was stating all these things that were a scam.

'At first I was a little bit skeptical - because I looked on the website a day later - and everything had just changed.'

The event has been heavily advertised on TikTok, showing videos of people releasing the picturesque objects into the night sky.

Some social media users claim they are yet to receive tickets, while others have raised concerns about the lack of information surrounding the events - including exact locations.  

However, there has been a backlash online with people demanding refunds on their tickets amid allegations the entire event is a 'scam', with some comparing it to the infamous Fyre Festival and Glasgow Willy Wonka Experience. 

The Chartered Trading Standards Institute has started an investigation, with its lead officer for scams saying the festival has 'all the hallmarks' of being dodgy.

Katherine Hart, the institute's lead officer for doorstep crime, scams and consumer vulnerability, explained that the website was only made in March by a Danish company and claims to have venues in London and Birmingham - despite neither of these appearing to have permission from the council.

She told MailOnline: 'What we've got is a website - I couldn't say whether it was a scam or not a scam. The issue is it's got all the hallmarks of one.

'People were buying tickets for a venue that actually didn't exist. And when you've got thousands of people potentially embarking on a city and they don't know where they're going, there can be all sorts of issues.

'I would advise people to actually contact their banks and see whether they can stop that transaction. I would also be asking them to see whether they can process the refund through the company.'

There was no sign of the firm at the office listed as its business address in London yesterday, with staff from Brewdog - which has an office in the same building - telling MailOnline they had 'never heard' of the company behind the festival.

Lantern Festival UK claims its tickets are '100 per cent refundable within 14 days of purchase'. 

However, its refund policy then goes on to state that 'all ticket sales are deemed as final transactions' and there 'there will be no ticket returns/exchanges/cancellations'.

It adds that if the event is cancelled in its entirety due to unforeseen circumstances, it reserves the 'sole and absolute right' to not issue refunds. 

Ms Hart continued: 'The other thing that  alerted me to the fact that it is likely to be a scam - it says it gives a guaranteed 14 day refund. And then when you look a little bit further, it actually says they wouldn't give a refund if things change.

'It's a very, very well put together website as well. When you first look at that website you do think that this is this is put together by a very professional organization.

'The pictures on it are actually from lantern festivals, but they're not in the UK. 

'They have also put on things like saying it's sold out. But I don't think those tickets were ever sold in the UK.

'I've got no evidence to say that, but bearing in mind the website was only actually designed and put out in March - that causes me a little bit of concern.

'When people are looking to buy these events they really need to thoroughly research them first.

'If there's such a big event, a council would actually be promoting it and the parking and accommodation and all those sorts of things. You would find a lot more information. 

'There is nothing in this particular scenario - nothing at all. Obviously that causes concern for me.'

Lantern Festival told BirminghamLive that it wanted to 'address the recent media reports and allegations regarding our upcoming lantern festivals in Birmingham and London'. 

It added: 'We share the public and media's heightened awareness of events promotion, following the disastrous Wonka experience in Glasgow that was widely reported recently. Our events and theirs could not be more different.

'We have carefully planned these events, and made numerous location selections in Birmingham and London, optioning sites of different capacities, based on their attributes that will enable us to create a safe and environmentally friendly event for all.

'As ticket sales have overperformed our expectations, we've released the site options on lower-capacity venues and entered into final agreements with the larger venues we've identified as part of our planning process.

'The specific locations for the events have not yet been publicly announced due to the overwhelming popularity of ticket sales, which has resulted in us securing larger venues as part of our strategy to safely accommodate as many people as possible. However, we can confirm that the Birmingham venue details will be released in the coming days once final arrangements are complete.

'Regarding claims that the events in Birmingham may not have proper permissions, we want to clarify that the lantern festival will be hosted on private land and therefore does not require planning permission from the local council. We have instructed our solicitor to again review our lease agreement in Birmingham and local council rules to ensure this compliance.

'Our ticketing policy is transparent - customers can receive a full refund if they return their tickets within 14 days of purchase. After that window, refunds are not offered as we near the event dates to maximize capacity at what are low availability, highly demanded events.'

But others on social media share Ms Guise's concerns about the event being a scam. 

Aisha Ali, commented: 'Stop I'm scared! I bought tickets last week and it didn't even cross my mind it could be a scam. Keeping my fingers crossed.

One man said he had even made his partner a Tangled poster to surprise her with the tickets - based on the Disney film's stunning scene where using sky lanterns.

Another added: 'Girl I just booked two tickets for June 8 in London - if it's a scam I'll scream.'

And a fourth, called Rachael, said: 'I'm literally so scared because me and my guy friend are supposed to go.'    

On X, formerly known as Twitter, one person wrote: 'The lantern festival that I keep seeing on TikTok is giving FYRE FESTIVAL lol. Huge scam! 

'You think the UK government would actually allow 2,000 lanterns in the sky when ULEZ is a thing??? If you bought a ticket you better start making a claim with your bank now lmfao.' 

Since it was first publicised on TikTok in early March, videos showcasing the supposed delights of what Lantern Festival UK could look like have been viewed millions of times on the social media site. 

A pre-sale registration form which Lantern Festival UK has links to in its social media purports to have been filled out by more than 45,000 people. 

Claiming to be the 'UK's first ever lantern festival', the people behind the event shared videos of hundreds of people releasing fire lanterns, selling it as a fairy tale experience for couples and families alike. 

One such video showed a woman releasing a fire lantern only to look down and find her boyfriend on one knee proposing to her, while another portrayed dramatic fireworks being set off in the background.

But these videos were taken outside Britain, with one showing the Yi Peng Lantern Festival in Thailand and another using footage from The Lights Fest which is a series of events in the United States.

Organisers say they have four events organised in the UK so far - two in Birmingham on June 1 and July 13, and two in London on May 26 and June 8.

On its website, Lantern Festival UK says the first Birmingham and London events have sold out, despite still allowing people to buy individual tickets for these dates.

No specific locations have been given for any of the four events, with the website just claiming they will take place in London and Birmingham. The web page claims further details will be announced on April 20.

One advert claims that those attending can expect to find a 'fun fair and entertainment' as well as food trucks, although the specific details of what this entails are in short supply.

On its website the organisers even claim that 'every lantern used will be carefully collected and recycled, leaving no trace behind'.

Campaigners have warned that the fire lanterns are uncontrollable while in the air and can drift onto people's property and into fields, potentially setting fire to areas where they land.

Many councils in England have banned people from releasing fire lanterns on their land, over these environmental and health and safety concerns.

Among those is Birmingham City Council, where two of the events are purported to be taking place, while a number of London councils have also done this, including local authorities in Ealing, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Redbridge and Wandsworth.

The lack of concrete information has some people who have bought tickets worrying that they have been scammed, with others questioning how the organisers would get permission to host the event.

One person wrote on TikTok that 'it's giving Fyre Festival, it looks so sus', while another added it reminded them of the Glasgow Willy Wonka Experience.

Another added: 'they didn't even put like the location.'

Someone else wrote: 'Over 200 councils have banned lanterns so no idea where they'll be setting them off.'

On X, formerly known as Twitter, one person wrote: 'The lantern festival that I keep seeing on TikTok is giving FYRE FESTIVAL lol. Huge scam! You think the UK government would actually allow 2,000 lanterns in the sky when ULEZ is a thing??? If you bought a ticket you better start making a claim with your bank now lmfao.'

One X user wrote: 'I purchased two tickets for the lantern festival and everyone's saying it's a scam, are you joking me? I've been so excited for this.'

Another person added: 'I've just [bought] a ticket for a Lantern festival in June I want it reimbursing!! £40 So quick slave quick.'

Responding to a person who said they had bought tickets, one X user wrote: 'Get a refund asap they would never allow a lantern festival in LONDON.'

On its website Lantern Festival UK is selling individual tickets for £35, down from the normal £50. It says people who buy tickets get '1 Premium Lantern + Lighter + Marker'.

Tickets for couples are being sold for £50, down from £65, while entry tickets for groups of four are going for £75, down from £100.

Birmingham City Council has said its trading standards team is looking into the adverts by Lantern Festival UK.

A spokesperson told MailOnline: 'We are aware of a number of online adverts promoting a lantern festival, reportedly including two dates in Birmingham, that have prompted concern this could be a scam – and our Trading Standards team are looking into this.

'Birmingham City Council does not permit the intentional release into the sky of lanterns from any land or property which it owns and/or controls - this includes our streets, public spaces, cemeteries and local authority schools.

'They may travel and land anywhere, potentially causing harm to wildlife and the environment, and in the case of sky lanterns, have been the cause of several major fires. Full details of the council's policy on the release of sky lanterns and balloons can be found on the council's website.

'Anyone who suspects an offer may not be what it purports to be can send details and evidence to our Trading Standards team by emailing tradingstandards@birmingham.gov.uk or by calling Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 0808 223 1133.'

When MailOnline attempted to contact Lantern Festival UK for comment by phone it was redirected to an automated message telling callers to email or send a text message, with no option to leave a voicemail.

MailOnline has contacted Lantern Festival UK and the Greater London Authority for comment.