Copyright dailyrecord
Families have slammed organisers behind a Christmas light switch on at a Glasgow shopping centre after it descended into chaos. The festive event at The Forge Shopping Centre on Saturday, Nov 8 was billed as "festive fun for the whole family" featuring face painting, reindeers, Santa's Grotto and a KPop Demon Hunters tribute act. However parents say children were in tears and the event became "carnage" after hundreds of people turned out to see the tribute act, dedicated to the hugely popular animated musical film on Netflix , shortly before 3pm. Families reported mass overcrowding and said the event "went into meltdown". Police Scotland were eventually called in to help direct growing crowds. Angie Byrne, who took her granddaughters, aged five and three, to the performance said it was "pandemonium". She told the Record: "It was a shambles. My granddaughters were so excited but they left scared and crying. "We arrived at 11am, we didn't realise KPop Demon Hunters didn't start until 3pm. We got a good space near the front because we ended up being so early. "But the crowds started piling in and people were getting squashed together. "My granddaughter who is only three started crying so I had to lift her up. "The woman standing beside me lost her grandson in the crowd, it was so busy. She was in a state trying to find him and had to push in to get past people." Angie said left with her grandkids before the show started because the children were in tears and said they were "scared" of the crowds. "The girls were distraught," she continued. "I grabbed both their hands to get through the crowds but it was so difficult. They kept saying they were scared. "I don't think the staff realised how busy it was going to be." Footage taken from inside the shopping centre went viral after hundreds of families packed into a small performance area outside of Superdrug & Barrhead Travel in the centre. Escalators were seen rammed with spectators while more shoppers could be spilling out onto the levels overhead. Lauren Innes was also at the show with her mum and five-year-old son. She told the Record: "People were pushing and shoving. "My son wanted to leave because there were too many people. "We left via the escalator but it started backing up because people standing at the top wouldn't move away from the balcony. "Security staff looked shocked by the number of people arriving." A spokesperson for The Forge admitted that the Switch On event received a bigger turn-out than anticipated and apologised to the families who suffered any distress. They said measures had been taken to ensure people's safety. A spokesperson added: "We take the safety and experience of all our shoppers extremely seriously. "The turn-out for this year's Light Switch On event, particularly for the Magicole Minis KPOP Demon Hunters' performance, significantly exceeded our expectations and pre-event estimations. "We sincerely apologise to any parents and children who had a negative experience or felt unsafe while attending. Nothing is more important than the wellbeing of our community. "In response to the volume of people, our management and security teams swiftly implemented enhanced crowd control and safety procedures, including support from the Police , to ensure the immediate wellbeing of everyone present. "We value the feedback received and are committed to making the necessary adjustments to guarantee that all future free events at The Forge Shopping Centre are safe and enjoyable." A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "We were made aware of reports regarding the volume of people at The Forge Shopping Centre on 8 November, 2025. "Officers attended and monitored the situation, working in liaison with centre management."
