Waterstones apologises after readers brand event 'utter chaos'

Waterstones, one of the UK's most famous bookshops, has issued an apology after its annual BookFest event at the flagship Piccadilly store in London was described by attendees as 'utter chaos. ' The event, which took place on Wednesday, was meant to be a celebration for book lovers, giving them the chance to meet authors, get early copies of new books, and attend panels and workshops. However, many people who attended said the event was poorly organised and overcrowded, with some joking online that they had 'survived' the experience and others calling it 'hell on earth. ' Videos posted on social media showed huge crowds filling the shop, with long queues winding up the stairs and even spilling out onto the street. Waterstones responded by saying they were 'truly sorry to hear about any negative experiences' and insisted that the safety of attendees was 'never at risk. '

Kellie Greenhalgh, one of the attendees, described the shop as 'extremely busy' when she arrived. She said there were hundreds of people but no staff members to give directions or help. '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. ' Kellie waited for an hour and a half just to reach one stall and said she felt unwell from the heat and stress. She also witnessed an author having a panic attack and leaving the event. Another attendee, Porsche Barrett, said people were queuing on the stairs and blocking fire exits, which she described as 'downright dangerous' and 'pure chaos. ' She saw publishers being shouted at and people being shoved, but said there were no Waterstones employees present to help calm the situation.

A woman who uses crutches said she was left 'standing shoulder to shoulder with hundreds of other people' while trying to get a book signed by an author, and was knocked over twice due to the overcrowding. Hanna, another attendee, said she was frustrated because events like BookFest are important for connecting with others, especially for disabled book lovers. She felt the event should have been fully ticketed to control the number of people. While some talks were ticketed, entry to the shop was free, which meant regular shoppers were mixed in with the event crowd. Amy White said it was 'impossible to move' through the shop and the heat was 'unbearable' because of the number of people. Chloe from London criticised Waterstones for 'lazy' planning and said there was no crowd control. She questioned how Waterstones could claim the event was safe when no one was checking how many people were inside.

In a statement posted to social media, Waterstones said they would 'review and learn from this year to deliver much-improved future events. ' They explained that an unexpectedly high turnout led to very long queues and crowding around publisher tables and author signings. Waterstones said both the central events team and the shop team were present throughout the event and that customer safety was their top priority. They admitted that the event was unusually busy and that some visitors may have felt uncomfortable or distressed. The company promised to make changes to ensure future events are better organised and safer for everyone.