'Shambolic' Doncaster Christmas market boss in hiding as fuming stallholders and visitors demand answers

The event on Monday night promised a festive wonderland with a Santa’s grotto, fairground rides, Christmas food and drink as well as dozens of stalls, with hundreds believing the market was being held in Doncaster town centre.

But the market – which featured only a handful of stalls in ‘a muddy field’ selling ‘over-priced tat’ was actually held at an out of town sports club – with visitors coming from across the country and left angry and confused by the privately organised event.

Organiser Angie Smith from Scunthorpe has now deleted the event’s Facebook page and appears to have deactivated her own account after reportedly coming under fire from dozens of angry visitors who accused her of ‘misleading’ advertising and ‘ripping off’ stallholders by charging up to £100 per stall.

Fuming visitors – some of whom had travelled from as far as Bedford, Selby and Wakefield contacted the Free Press, describing the market as ‘a pile of crap’ and an entry for the ‘worst christmas market in the UK.’

Held at Parklands Sports and Social Club throughout Monday, the privately organised event, dubbed Doncaster Late Night Christmas Market, told visitors it was ‘located in the middle of Doncaster’ and was illustrated with a colourful picture showing dozens of brightly lit stalls.

Those that made it discovered only a handful of stalls, barely any food or drink and traders ‘standing in the dark on a muddy field.’

Others said one stall was selling real fur coats for £300, another was selling fake fragrances while the Father Christmas in the Santa’s grotto was covered in tattoos.

Now stall holders and visitors have demanded answers about the market.

One stall holder, Bobby Kindly posted on Facebook: “I pulled on thinking ‘where's the rides? Where’s Santa? I can't smell food?

"WTF is this s*** I was thinking.

"I set up my stall and by the time I'd set up i thought I’m not paying £100 for this.

"So I packed up and left. I feel bad for all the traders who got ripped off. Luckily I didn't pay upfront like most of them.

"Spoke to a trader that told me they paid £200 for their plot. It was basically a small car boot sale at 10 times the price and low footfall. I may have come from Hull but i feel lucky i didn't stay.”

Another angry visitor fumed: “What a con. Hundreds of people in Doncaster centre looking for ‘Doncaster’s Late Night Christmas Market ‘ including us.

"Turns out to be a flea market – so much for the centre of Doncaster.

“Doncaster Council now getting major unjustified criticism from far and wide. It has nothing to do with Doncaster Council and they should now issue a statement to that fact.

“It was organised by a young lady from Scunthorpe who had never done anything like this before, had very little experience of using Facebook and doesn’t particularly know how it works. Oh please - a young mother these days who doesn’t know how Facebook works?

"Looking at the page, apparently some 13,000 people were ‘interested’ in this event, that’s pretty good for someone that doesn’t know how it works.

“Photo shows brightly lit outdoors market - it wasn’t, says drinks bar, food and refreshment - there wasn’t, says rides for the children - just a bouncy castle. This was a definite and deliberate con.

“Doncaster Council where are you? Trading Standards where are you? Doncaster Markets where are you?

"Get some statements out there. Doncaster’s reputation matters. Let’s clarify this issue.”

The event was not organised by Parklands Sports and Social Club or Doncaster Council. The Free Press understands Mrs Smith was the sole organiser.

Yesterday, angry visitors slammed the event as ‘shambolic’ and ‘full of tat.’

One town centre trader said they had been besieged with people looking for the market, writing: “I work in the Corn Exchange – we were fed up with people just coming in today asking for the Christmas market as the picture they put up was of the market square.”

Another added: “Why use a picture of the Christmas market that is in the town centre? False advertising much!”

Another post read: “I wish we hadn't bothered, there was about seven stalls and none which interested us. There was no food or drink stalls inside or out. Waste of time.”

Another fumed: “It's rubbish, just a few clothes things and fake designer bags and shoes.”

"Absolute joke! We’ve driven 50 miles to come to an “outdoor Christmas market”. It didn’t match any of those words,” wrote another.

One upset visitor added: “Poor selection of stalls, food abysmal. We came all the way from Bedford after seeing your advert on Facebook. Looks like someone has falsely advertised a poor excuse for a market and made it look like its an official event.”

“Promised my children we were going to a Christmas market with rides, sweety stalls and Santa……..what the hell, waste of my time and fuel….about four stalls and Santa sat on a stage inside club very upset children,” wrote one angry mum.

“We were there five mins. Almost in pitch black in middle of a field. Oh and Santa sat in the sports club,” added another.

“Absolutely thrilling - travelling miles for fake designer clothes and a bunch of mud on a field,” a post read while another angry resident said: “Fox fur coats, fake designer crap, tacky s**** and a bouncy castle. No food? Nowhere for a cuppa tea? What a waste of time and fuel.”

The Free Press has attempted to contact Mrs Smith for comment.