Xplosive Events Reviews

Loved it. Fantastic day had by all.

Myself and 10 family members attended Abingdon summer fireworks. WOW the fireworks were out of this world! A little loud for the young children but that was to be expected. We had a gazebo to shelter from the English weather, I would definitely recommend getting one as it was a nice base for all.

Terrible company, I wish I had looked at these reviews before being sucked into their advertising. Here is a copy of my email sent to summarise my experience. Hello there, I am writing to express my complete dissatisfaction with the event we attended at Ardingley, on 10th August. The event was advertised as a family-friendly occasion, yet our experience was anything but enjoyable. First and foremost, I was threatened rather aggressively by a very unpleasant guest while waiting in line for the restroom. Another guest was also threatened when they politely pointed out that there was a queue. Being subjected to such aggression in what was supposed to be a safe, family-oriented environment was alarming and deeply unsettling. This incident ruined any chance of us relaxing or enjoying the remainder of our day. Additionally, the lack of a proper queuing system across the fairground was a major issue. We repeatedly tried to take our son on the “mini monster truck” ride, only to encounter people pushing in ahead of us. With no staff managing the lines, our son was left disappointed and upset after patiently waiting, only to miss out on the ride due to the lack of organization. Moreover, the overall atmosphere of the event was far from family-friendly. We observed men walking around shirtless, smoking, and clearly intoxicated. This created an environment that was inappropriate and uncomfortable, especially for families with young children. Finally, the excessive queues for activities and refreshments were extremely frustrating. The line for ice cream alone was about 100 meters long, and similarly, the bounce park and monster truck ride had unreasonably long queues. We didn’t think it was fair to endure these queues with our toddler, meaning we didn’t get to participate in activities we had planned to do with him, leading to an overall disappointing experience. I am extremely disappointed with how poorly this event was managed and the unsafe, unpleasant environment it fostered. This was not the family-friendly experience we were led to believe we would enjoy. I strongly urge you to consider these issues seriously and take immediate steps to improve future events. I would appreciate a prompt response addressing my concerns and outlining the actions you will take to prevent such issues in the future. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Laura

We have just returned from the Abingdon hot air balloon and firework display. It was advertised as a joint event between the two displays. It's also advertised to have monster truck rides and helicopter rides at additional costs. The cost for a family of four be paid a little over £90. The fairground rides were reduced to half price for the first 2 hours, at an average cost of £2 It was unheard of in this age and fantastic to see. The food and drinks trucks were also catering for all dietary needs at reasonable prices. Unfortunately the monster truck was fully booked the entire evening, and the helicopter never showed up. Due to weather conditions hot air balloon display also did not take place. At this point we would have expected a portion of our entry fee refunded as three of the main activities advertised on the posters and website were not available. I appreciate you can't help the weather however as this was one of the main advertising strategy and reasons for us attending I believe this is the least they should offer. Firework display however, was spectacular. The greatest display I have ever seen with pyrotechnics fire lighting and audio All-Timed to perfection. The music was clear and easy to hear throughout the field. Providing of the advertised activities are available to all. I would highly recommend, however, if items advertised are missing I would expect a partial refund.

Abingdon balloon and fireworks festival 2024 was hands down the best fireworks I’ve ever seen it truly was magical, everyone involved did a fantastic job running the whole event, from getting you in and out as smoothly as possible, to keeping you updated on events throughout the afternoon and evening. The event was well laid out with something for everyone, with the food and drinks stands along with the fairground. This was our first time attending and we will definitely be going again and 100% recommend to everyone.

There is 0 entertainment other than a fair which you then have to spend money on. You also have to pay for food, i understand as to why the hot air balloons couldn't fly however the 'day light fireworks' lasted around 5 seconds. The main fireworks didn't start until 9:15 and we were stood there for hours.

Awful, overpriced, misleading, overcrowded, terrible food, terrible rides, overly expensive, the list goes on. Don't waste your time, absolutely awful.

What an incredible day at the Ardingly SummerFest. Sooo much going on and very well organised. We saw Stunt shows, monster trucks, fairground rides, parkour show, Noasis, Symphonic Ibiza, ate noodles and cookies, wore ourselves out dancing, watched fireworks, did rifle shooting and relaxed in the sun. Couldn't have wished for a better or more fun day. Thank you Xplosive Events, we will be back next year!

We visited the ardingly one in 2022. It was awful from start to finish. Chaos parking the car no organisation. Expensive to get in, rude staff. Shows we're crap and not long enough. Nothing was good. 3 hot air balloons that didn't even fly.. 1hr queue for food & water in 30 degree heat. I complained orginially on their fb page and was immediately blocked. They ignored all my emails. Fireworks were delayed and basic. Don't go you'll regret it!

Could have been a great event if it wasn't for the ridiculous prices they were asking. Not only did we have to pay £50 to get in, but the rides on the fun fair went up from £2 a person to £5pp after 2PM!! This is just one example of the silly prices that were being charged. The motor cross & hot wheels shows were very good & my boys of 6 & 4 did have great fun watching them but the prices ruined the day for us.

We went today, 2 adults, 2 young children. We bought tickets in the super early bird offer ages back after a Facebook ad. I can’t imagine what it might have cost some people to get tickets. I thought a family friendly festival with monster trucks would be ideal. I was not expecting so many things to need additional payment apart from food and stalls. Maybe this was naive of me. We arrive, very easy to park and the children see the collection of bouncy castles and it’s a big queue and £5 for 10 minutes inside a fenced area. Disappointing, as meant to be a family day out I’ve paid to attend and I now have to pay for all things again. We watched the monster trucks drive around people (who have paid for rides) and it was great to see the big trucks as not seem them in person before, but we couldn’t get a look at the actual show slot at 3.30pm too busy, to get the kids to get anywhere to see. I couldn’t see as a pretty tall adult. We did go on the little free land train. Loved the bubble performer. It needed more festival type entertainment like this as it makes a great vibe. There were some great circus people, but it was tucked down the opposite side. We missed the Parkour as couldn’t find it, as spent as so much time queuing to do anything and spending. I’ve never taken the kids to a “festival” and my oldest loved it, as he bought loads of donuts and a giant ball to mess about with. He went on the bungee trampolines ( which we paid for) could have done that at a fair. My wallet was hurting a little, but it’s good to try new things. I think some nicer FREE rides, like a some Carousels, some things kids can do like giant connect 4 or just a little keep class with the general look. Fairs are great, but I hadn’t expected to need to pay for lots of fair rides here and was a bit tacky. There was also a stunt show, motorbikes, we’ve seen them before at a community event and they are good, some pyrotechnics. I’d paid something like £3 per person last year to go to that, similar thing with a fair in comparison. I think this too similar to monster trucks, so maybe a trick show like dance, parkour as a bigger thing would have been nice as an alternative. Music and shows noise all competing, kids not at sit still age, but seemed good for tribute acts and lots of organised people with seats. Also a bit fumey, more from a strong smelling generator as part of the fair giving us a dose of fuel smell when in another queue. Would I go again? Not sure, the idea is good, maybe change the name to drop the family day out and just say the family and seemingly dogs welcome.

Ridiculous prices for rides £4:00pp. The monster truck show was boring and only lasted 5mins due to a flat tyre. The last show - was a no show. No bins around so litter everywhere. People were leaving early. With the advertising and extortionate entry prices you would expect something special, but it was a disappointment! Will not be returning.

Market Harborough Summerfest 2024 We had a nice day but you really don't get a lot for your money considering you pay (and queue between 45 and 90 momutes) for most activities once in. The venue at Market Harborough only allows viewing of the "arena" from one side so, being 5 foot 4, I saw very little. My 5 year old saw some of it on his dads shoulders but there really was an appalling lack of actually seeing any monster trucks 😀 The music was good but as the weather didnt play along, we didnt spend much time on that side of the field (not the hosts fault, of course). Organisation of parking and welcome staff on the gate were excellent. I just wish I'd spent a bit more to see one of the indoor arena monster truck shows where we could actually see some monster trucks in action!

Well just returned home very dissatisfied from market harbough summer fest with my experience from start to finish ground totally not suitable for mobility scooters at all due to poor ground had to leave early and miss everything else due to scooter been dead. No accessible platforms so had to fight to get to the front or couldn't see any of the shows which affected our anxiety been cramped in. Also only one disabled toilet at far side of field which resulted in not drinking due to been unable get their and back easily So disappointed with event organisation.

Subject: Feedback on Harborough Festival Dear Sir/Madam, I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with the Harborough Festival held on June 1, 2024. While I understand that events of this nature require substantial financial investment, I believe that the admission fee of over £70 for a family is excessive and does not reflect the value offered. The festival was essentially a carnival, with activities such as inflatable slides, children's balloons, candy floss, and fair rides all carrying additional charges. For instance, a simple inflatable slide cost £10, kids' balloons were £7, candy floss was £5, and a 5-minute helicopter ride for a family cost a staggering £240. I find it particularly concerning that the event is operated by Exposive Events, OX13, a private company. I believe that local events should be organized and subsidized by local councils to ensure affordability and accessibility for the community. By doing so, more people would be able to attend, and local businesses would benefit from increased revenue. In comparison, a day at Alton Towers, a renowned theme park, offers significantly better value for money. I hope that my feedback will be taken into consideration for future events to ensure a more positive and inclusive experience for attendees. Also waiting in a car for 2hrs due to bad organised parking was not appreciated. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Mr Jason Lee Roe Sincerely,

Went to Market Harborough Summerfest yesterday. We headed out early traffic was good parking well organised. Had a fantastic day loads to do food was reasonably priced we had noodles and we had roast pork spit roast both were really good. Cocktails were nice. Entertainment was really good especially the Wurzels something to do all day. They even reduced fair rides to £2.00 a ride before 2pm which was excellent. Fireworks at the end was a bonus all in all a brilliant day we'll done xplosive events.

Harbourer summer fest, waiting in traffic for 2 hour to get in, traffic management and signage was poor which caused the delay. Spent a lot of money on tickets and to miss 2hrs due to poor organisation was disappointing. The event itself was good, plenty to do but I felt the ticket price was very high for what was on show. Don’t think I would attend again.

Arrived early and made the best of the good weather. We planned our day/afternoon from the days schedule as advertised not expecting to stay more than a few hours but found we actually stayed till after 6. Plenty to eat and drink, some ques at some of the stalls and prices were as expected!.

From the moment we arrived, we knew we were in for something special. The light displays, the firework choreography, and even the food options were incredible.

Dishonest company who advertise events at a set price then when you try and book the price increases. When contacted they said the tickets at that price have sold out (convenient) and because on the separate Eventbrite payment page the tickets aren’t available this isn’t their problem. Rude, unhelpful and dishonest. Doesn’t say a lot for their events if this is how they treat people trying to give them money. Avoid.