Waterstones has issued an apology following complaints of “utter chaos” and severe overcrowding at its annual BookFest, held at its flagship store on Wednesday.
Attendees described the event as poorly organized and potentially hazardous, with some social media users quipping about having “survived” the event, while others characterized it as “hell on earth.”
Online videos depicted significant congestion throughout the Piccadilly, London location, with lengthy queues extending up staircases and onto the street.
The bookselling chain stated on X that it was “truly sorry to hear about any negative experiences,” and affirmed to the BBC that the safety of attendees was “never at risk”.
Kellie Greenhalgh noted the “extremely busy” conditions upon arrival at the event, which offers readers opportunities to meet authors, access early book releases, and participate in panels and workshops.
Despite the large number of attendees, she reported a lack of staff presence to provide directions or assistance.
“I did not see a single member of Waterstones or event staff the whole time,” she told the BBC.
“The queues were all on the stairs, all in front of the lifts.”
Greenhalgh, 33, recounted waiting in line for 90 minutes to reach a single stall: “I was shaking and did not feel well from the heat and stress”.
“One author had a panic attack and had to leave,” she added.
Another attendee, who relies on crutches, reported being “standing shoulder to shoulder with hundreds of other people” while attempting to have a book signed, and being knocked over twice due to the cramped conditions.
Hanna, 35, who wished to be identified by her first name only, expressed frustration, stating that such events were a crucial “lifeline for connecting with others,” especially for disabled book enthusiasts, and suggested that the event should have been fully ticketed.
While some talks required tickets, entry to the store was free, and attendees indicated that general public access was not restricted.
“There was still shoppers trying to browse the shelves pushing through the queues, some with children or more elderly people who had no idea about the event,” Amy White stated.
She added that it was “impossible to move” through the store, and the heat was “unbearable due to the amount of people”.
Chloe, an attendee from London, told the BBC that “there was no crowd control in place” and criticized Waterstones for “lazy” planning.
“No-one checked the number of people in or out of the building – tell me how they can say that is ‘safe’?”
In a statement released on X late Thursday, Waterstones pledged to “review and learn from this year to deliver much-improved future events”.
In a further statement to the BBC, Waterstones added that “an unexpectedly high turnout led to very long queues and some crowding around publisher tables and author signings”.
“Both the central events team and the shop team were on hand throughout across the floors, and the safety of our customers was our top priority as always.”
It continued: “We fully appreciate that this was an unusually busy event, which unfortunately may have caused some of our visitors to feel uncomfortable or distressed.”
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