Himley Hall and Park — Attraction in South Staffordshire

Himley Hall is undeniably a stunning venue, and the upkeep of both the hall and its surroundings is impeccable. This review does not reflect the location itself, which is visually breathtaking, but rather my experience at the Himley Hall Fireworks display. While the event has always been a highlight of the season, there were significant shortcomings this year that need addressing.

I attended the display with my partner and her younger sister. As a registered disabled individual with a blue badge, I am eligible for disabled parking and rely on it to minimise walking due to a serious back injury. We arrived early enough to secure parking, but event staff informed us that the car park was full and turned us away. This resulted in us parking a considerable distance from the venue, forcing me to walk far further than I am physically capable of without severe pain.

To my frustration, upon arriving at the event, I noticed several unoccupied disabled parking bays that I could have utilised. It left me feeling as though I had been judged based on my age (29) and the invisibility of my disability. This oversight demonstrated a lack of mindfulness on the part of the event staff and caused me unnecessary discomfort.

I had also purchased VIP tickets, expecting the premium experience that was advertised. Unfortunately, this upgrade fell short of expectations. The so called premium viewing area did not offer any significant advantage over the standard viewing areas, which were actually closer to the fireworks and provided equally good views. Additionally, the distance to the VIP area was not disclosed in advance, requiring me to endure another painful walk to reach it.

The only noticeable benefit of the VIP tickets appeared to be the ability to purchase alcohol within the designated area. However, as someone who doesn’t drink, this feature held no value for me, leaving me questioning why I had spent extra money on the upgrade. To add to the frustration, there were almost no places to sit or stand comfortably. I had to request a chair from a staff member, which was provided, but it should not have been necessary for me to ask given my circumstances.

Despite these challenges, the fireworks display itself was spectacular, as it is every year. The event remains one of the most impressive in the region, and I would attend again based on the quality of the display alone. However, my experience this year highlighted areas that require significant improvement.

Event staff must be more mindful and better trained to accommodate the needs of disabled attendees, particularly when it comes to parking arrangements. Additionally, the value of the VIP ticket should be reassessed, with clearer information provided about what it includes and whether it truly offers a premium experience.

Himley Hall Fireworks remains a brilliant event overall, but addressing these shortcomings would greatly enhance the experience for...

My family's experience at Himley Hall Bonfire Night was nothing short of a letdown. We had high hopes when we purchased On Site Parking tickets, but our expectations were shattered from the moment we arrived.

Upon reaching the event, we were directed to an 'Overflow' car park, a significant distance away. The journey to this makeshift parking area took a frustrating 40 minutes, followed by an additional 20-minute trek to the event due to traffic congestion and cars blocking the footpath. This was particularly concerning for us, as we had chosen onsite parking for health reasons within our family.

The breach of our consumer rights became evident as we realised we didn't receive the promised "on site" parking explicitly stated on our tickets. According to the Consumer Rights Act 2015, sellers must provide services with a reasonable degree of care and skill, a standard that was certainly not met in this case. Consequently, we find ourselves with no option but to seek a full refund for the onsite parking we paid for.

Adding insult to injury, both See Tickets and Himley Hall have been unresponsive to our concerns. See Tickets, in particular, has denied our refund request, leaving us with no choice but to escalate the matter to Trading Standards. The lack of accountability is disheartening; consumers deserve to receive the services they've paid for, and in this instance, the term "on site parking" was a gross misrepresentation.

The overall condition of the event site was unacceptable, with ankle-deep mud posing a significant safety hazard. The absence of effective traffic management further compounded the chaos, as thousands of people struggled to navigate between moving cars. This event should have been canceled or, at the very least, organisers should have shown the decency to issue refunds for parking that was never provided.

In conclusion, our experience at Himley Hall Bonfire Night was marred by poor organisation, false advertising, and a disregard for the safety and well-being of attendees. Shame on you, Himley Hall, for falling short of the standards expected from a...

Must admit we were initially a touch apprehensive about going due to the apparent "nightmare" parking issue on leaving etc but can honestly say it took us approximately 5mins the exit the grounds but 15-20mins to get from the Grounds to the traffic lights which were a temporary measure to allow 4 way traffic control I assume to reduce congestion but unfortunately I'd say added to it. Neither did it help the pedestrians deciding to walk down both sides of the road instead of the designated coned off footpath provided to them! Stupidity! You needed eyes in the back of your head!

Travelling to the ground was fine until we hit the hotel where the traffic coming from Wolverhampton A449 came to a standstill, it then took around 20z25mins to travel 1/4 mile to the car park, mainly due to the temporary traffic lights mentioned previously. The event itself was amazing! Brilliant firework display, lots of activities for families to do before the show started,market stalls, fair ground, lots of choices regarding food & refreshments.

We had premium tickets for the elevated area next to the main hall overseeing all the display & bonfire costing around £37 (2 adults, 2 children with our 3rd child being free as under 5) well worth it as this area also has various food & beverage stands too. All in all a great night had by us as a family of 5,slight issues with traffic/pedestrians (a reported 22000 attended) but we'll worth it! Will be looking at booking...