A novelty event in Toronto with rooms filled with different bubble-themed activities and photo ops is being deemed a scam by would-be attendees who are venting their frustrations online.

Bubble Planet has advertised pop-ups in 12 other cities across North America and Europe, and was slated to kick off its Toronto iteration, the first in Canada, on November 16.

There's a bubble planet experience coming to Toronto and it looks pretty amazing https://t.co/D6ZPlP10sT #Toronto

— blogTO (@blogTO) August 27, 2023

The immersive experience uses a mix of VR and extravagant decor and props to transport participants to a world of bubbles, with 11 rooms housing various different Instagram-worthy sets ranging from a "bubble ocean" to a mock hot air balloon soaring over a fantastical bubble landscape.

But, despite ample press leading up to the Toronto date and some very captivating visuals from past iterations, a number of people are saying the whole thing was a complete letdown, as it didn't even take place.

One couple who bought tickets this past August told blogTO that the event was cancelled by the promoter "secretly" with no notice. And they weren't the only ones who felt like they got swindled.

"We've done a few Fever/Secret Toronto events before and they're always fun. Usually for previous events we would get a reminder email the week before, and the day or so prior to the event we would receive the location. But not this time around, which we both found very odd," they said.

After hunting down the address online themselves, they headed on a two-hour trek to the apparent venue at Bombardier Aerospace in North York, only to be met with security who had no knowledge of the event.

"He told us 'I'm sorry but there is nothing like that here, this is a private contractor. I don't know why they would say this is here. A lot of people have been showing up looking for this.'"

After travelling two hours to the alleged venue, the ticketholders reached out to organizers and received a late reply referring to a cancellation email they never received.

The duo reached out to organizers on social media and via email, but received no response until the following day, when they were told that Bubble Planet sent a cancellation email to affected patrons "but it bounced."

"They apologized for the inconvenience and our money has been refunded but we really feel like there's something shady with Bubble Planet. Just that feeling of something not feeling right," they added.

They also found it suspicious that there were no posts from anyone who had attended the Bubble Planet Toronto online, despite it being an event essentially designed just for social media shots. But they did find complaints from others who appeared to be in the same boat as them.

Did anyone buy tickets to Bubble Planet and get sent to the wrong place?
byu/bassjitsu inaskTO

Fever, which is behind the event, confirmed to blogTO that the Toronto Bubble Planet scheduled for last month had to be postponed "due to unforeseen circumstances" and "logistical challenges," and is now planned for March 2024.

"We understand the concerns of people who bought tickets for the opening originally scheduled in November, but we would really like to reassure people who have bought their tickets and allay any fears, "their PR team said.

The pop-up's website now asks anyone with tickets to the original Toronto dates to reschedule for the new dates in the spring, for which tickets are still available.

Anyone who purchased tickets for the fall dates has since been sent an email alerting them of the date change, letting them know their ticket is valid for any of the new dates and times available, and instructing them how to reschedule and use their redemption coupon.

Each will also receive a 30 per cent discount on merchandise from the on-site gift shop during their visit.

"Beyond this, we will work with any customer who is not satisfied and we will make things right with them. We simply ask them to contact us using the form on our website."