Glasgow ‘Willy Wonka experience’ to be recreated in California
Actor Kirsty Paterson was billed as a ‘notorious Scottish Oompa Loompa’, and will take part in a Q&A session at the LA event.
The infamous Willy’s Chocolate Experience which prompted police to be called to a Glasgow warehouse by angry parents will be recreated in Los Angeles later this month.
The “notorious” event sparked dozens of memes, and it was even referred to in the House of Commons by Tory MP Penny Mordaunt after it hit the headlines in February when children were wrongly promised unlimited sweets at a warehouse.
Actor and yoga teacher Kirsty Paterson, 29, who became a viral hit after pictures emerged of her as a sad Oompa Loompa at the “immersive” £35-a-ticket experience, will be the star of the California event.
Attendees are invited to “step into a world of pure imagination at Willy’s Chocolate Experience Los Angeles as chocolate memes come to life” at a “nondescript” warehouse in California, where two free Jelly Beans will be given per 44-dollar (around £35) ticket on April 28.
Ms Paterson was billed as a “notorious Scottish Oompa Loompa”, and will take part in a Q&A session.
Speaking to the Daily Record, she described the opportunity as a “modern-day fairytale”.
The Glasgow event, hosted by House of Illuminati and businessman Billy Coull, was shut down after just half a day when police were called by angry parents, but Ms Paterson won a horde of fans and became an internet sensation in the aftermath.
The American version has adopted the name, but Ms Paterson said this was done as a joke.
Ms Paterson added: “I didn’t really expect to end up in the USA or to go as big as this because the USA is on a different level. I’ve not been to America before. As a trained actor it’s really exciting for me to go over there.
“I’m doing a lot of meetings and a lot of networking out there. As a trained actress it’s not an impossibility that I’ll be doing movies.”
Guests will be welcomed to “a plethora of enchanting attractions” in downtown LA, including DJ sets and film screenings, as well as getting to meet Ms Paterson, who was described as having a “heart of gold”.
After meeting film moguls in Hollywood, Ms Paterson will appear at the former Studio 54 nightclub in New York, now named 54 54 54, in May, the Record reported.
She added: “The House of Illuminati LA name is a joke. It’s not Billy Coull. I don’t do any work with him and steer clear of that for a reason. After LA I’m off to New York.”
