The Irn-Bru Carnival is gearing up for its second autism session after the first one was branded "shambolic".

Parents claim they were left disappointed after the iconic Glasgow event experienced a "technical fault" which left autistic children extremely upset.

It is understood that a ticket scanning error meant families were forced to wait in multiple long queues, which can be challenging for those with autism who may be hyper-focused or struggle with social cues.

It was the first of two sessions held for neurodivergent people at the carnival at the SECC on Friday, December 23.

The second event will take place on Tuesday, January 10 with organisers promising a better experience for visitors.

 

Glasgow Times:

Speaking to the Glasgow Times one family who attended the first session said: “It didn’t feel well organised so many kids in the queue were upset and it was stressing parents out of course.

“It was far too long a wait for this type of event, especially when we had booked in advance.

“It was utterly shambolic.”

The event promises surroundings would be more comfortable for guests with the main hall lights turned down, music turned off and rides operating at a slower pace.

No one with a general entry ticket could be granted access to the hall at this time, in a bid to offer a quieter time to visit.

Some parents also criticised the autism sessions for being overcrowded and overstimulating.

One mum spoke about how the event "ruined" her son's mood for days.

She told the Glasgow Times: “It was horrendous.

“The knock-on effect for our boy lasted days, he was angry at having to wait, it spoiled his overall enjoyment of the day.

“His anxiety increased because of not knowing how long he was going to be waiting, which was almost an hour.

“Once home, he was not able to cope with things and was shouting and crying.

“Everyone knows that to make something autism friendly requires more thought than turning the music down.”

Some parents took to Twitter to share their experience at the event.

One person said: "Absolutely shambolic from the Irn-Bru Carnival

 "35 minutes waiting in a queue to get our bands and stamps for an autism friendly session?

"Not to mention the queue to get back out the ticket hall?

"You should be ashamed of yourself! Meltdowns left and right!

"Shambles!"

Another parent said: "We waited over 20 minutes and considered leaving as the kids were in tears."

 

A spokesperson for the IRN-BRU Carnival said: “We unfortunately experienced a technical issue shortly before the Carnival was due to open on the 23 December.  

"This caused the ticket scanning to start later than planned and a queue built up.

"We arranged for additional staff to help at short notice, but it took longer than expected for visitors who had arrived around 12pm to gain access.

"Although the technical issue was out-with our control, it is not the experience we intended to provide and we apologise to any visitors who had to queue for longer than expected.

"We have successfully run autism sessions for a number of years now and we have another session scheduled for January 10.

"We have every confidence this will run smoothly and efficiently and be enjoyable for all attending.”