One attendee, Michael Gorey, who flew to the event from Ohio for a spring break trip with his daughters and wife, told the Times, external that upon entering the concrete event space, he thought: “Is this it? Like, did I miss something?”
Others took to social media to air their complaints.
“This event sucks,” one user wrote on Reddit. “The ‘life size Barbie dream house’ is a cheap backdrop with a picnic table on some fake turf/grass.”
Hell Hotel, a burlesque group who attended the event, told the BBC that they were “expecting much more based on what was advertised to us through their social media channels”.
They say that young women in their 20s and 30s were advertising the event on social media, but in reality many of the experiences at the convention were height restricted and “for children up to eight years old”.
“There were empty halls, maybe 14 vendors, lack of things to do for all ages and especially a lack of events for our demographic,” the group said.
“Barbie Dream Fest was created by Mischief Management, which licensed the Barbie brand from Mattel,” the company said.
“We are working with Mischief Management, who are managing attendee feedback and issuing full refunds to everyone who purchased tickets. We want every fan experience to be an excellent one.”
Mischief Management, meanwhile, said in a statement to the BBC that it appreciated “the passion and engagement from the Barbie community”.