Fans left disappointed by Detroit 'Bridgerton Ball'

By Hanan Dervisevic, ABC

For fans of Netflix's wildly popular period romance Bridgerton, the chance to immerse oneself in the lavish costumes of the show is a dream come true.

So fans in the US state of Michigan were excited by the prospect of an event billed as the "Detroit Bridgerton Ball".

And with tickets reportedly costing between $US150 (NZ$243) and $US1000, expectations were high.

However, as some guests reported on social media, it was hardly the event of the season.

Now photos of the event have gone viral on social media, drawing comparisons to the infamous Willy Wonka-themed event in Scotland earlier this year.

Guests were promised 'a night of sophistication'

According to the official website detroitbridgertonball.com, the event promised guests an "evening of sophistication, grace, and historical charm".

However, photos posted on social media show a sparsely decorated room with plastic flowers and "extremely tacky" backdrops.

The advertised "live music" the show is renowned for (think classical covers of iconic pop hits) drew expectations for an orchestra but, according to one guest, there was only a lone violin player on the night.

"The 'dancing' they had was one stripper," a guest said on X.

Their recap of the event, posted to social media, attracted more than 6 million views in less than a day.

Guests were also promised the chance to be crowned the "Diamond of the Season", which is a prestigious title bestowed to characters on the Netflix series.

But, according to reports, no such diamond was ever announced.

One guest also said the food ran out after an hour.

"Some was raw. No-one was there to pick up plates, so you had to deal with strangers' leftovers yourself," they wrote on X.

The outrage was so immense that local news crews rocked up.

Speaking with 7 News Detroit, attendee Camerin Morey said she and her friends were incredibly disappointed.

"We were all really angry about it because we had built up these expectations and the tickets were not cheap," she told the broadcaster.

"I definitely think that the people in this company were just in it to make money and try to maybe copycat off a successful event."

There actually is a touring Bridgerton experience

The viral "ball" held in Detroit was not an official Netflix event.

But the streamer did have a touring event called The Queen's Ball: A Bridgerton Experience, which was held in 11 cities around the world.

It also hosts orchestral concerts.

However, Detroit was not among them.

What do we know about the event?

It was held by a company called Uncle N Me LLC.

The event's two-page website featured little information and was laced with grammatical errors, such as this one:

"Your welcome to sell your ticket as well if you cannot be in attendance."

Since the weekend, Uncle N Me LLC has disabled comments on its social media posts about the event.

In a statement to 7 News Detroit, the company said it understood "that not everyone had the experience they hoped for".

The company said it took "full responsibility and accountability for these shortcomings" but did not mention the word refund in the statement.

History repeating itself

This isn't the first time fans of a particular movie or TV series have been left disappointed by unofficial fan events.

The Bridgerton ball has already drawn comparisons to the infamous Willy Wonka pop-up experience that went viral for all the wrong reasons earlier this year.

Boasting an "Enchanted Garden", "Twilight Tunnel", and an "Imagination Lab", parents forked out 35 pounds (NZ$75) for an event that promised "surprises at every turn".

Instead, families turned up to find "little more than an abandoned, empty warehouse" the BBC reported.

The promised chocolate fountains and "chocolatey delights" were absent.

Children were instead offered a half-cup of lemonade and a small ration of jelly beans.

And we can't overlook the Fyre Festival fiasco, where guests were promised luxury accommodations and gourmet meals at an elite music festival, only to end up sleeping on mattresses on rain-soaked floors and being served packaged sandwiches.

- First published on ABC