Panda Fest faces criticism due to overcrowding issues leaving visitors disappointed
HARTFORD, Conn. (WFSB) – One of the largest outdoor Asian food festivals in the country hit Hartford this weekend.
“Panda Fest” drew a very large crowd, but some who attended left disappointed and felt taken advantage of.
Organizers believe 30,000 people were here between Saturday and Sunday.
But people felt it was extremely unorganized and expensive. Some even say they paid for their ticket in advance and couldn’t get in because of the long lines.
In several TikTok videos, you can see many visitors expressing their concerns, “If you didn’t make it to Panda Fest in Hartford, CT consider yourself lucky because this was a nightmare of an experience.”
Another video on the social media platform stated, “It was so crowded in here. And it just felt so disorganized.”
Overcrowding and long lines were the first big issues for folks at Panda Fest.
Tickets were $17 ahead of time, people were each given a specific two-to-three hour window to attend to potentially avoid overcrowding but instead fest-goers claim the event was so unorganized, no one was abiding by their time slot leading to crowd issues.
In a separate TikTok video visitors said, “I feel like I literally just paid to wait in line and don’t get me started on the prices!”
On top of paying for their ticket, folks were expected to pay $25 for specific drinks.
Some attendees complained about the price and quality of the food.
The lines were so long, some people couldn’t even buy any food and some claim they couldn’t get into the event at all because of overcrowding.
More videos also describing the experience at the festival, “At that point we were so overwhelmed the crowds were horrible so we left.”
Nehe’miah Moye who attended the festival also expressed her concerns.
“It was very disorganized,” said Nehe’miah Moye. “Very pricey. You had to pay a pricey ticket to get in and then pay for the pricey food while you were there.”
A spokesperson for Panda Fest said there are lessons to be learned and their team is reviewing feedback.
Panda Fest has also drawn criticism for previous events earlier this year in Philadelphia and Charlotte.
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