Thousands of visitors were refused entry to a Christmas market after a £100billion tech firm booked out the whole venue for eight hours.
Children were left in tears after the Christmas in Cambridge event was mass-booked by Arm Holdings, the semiconductor giant, paid hundreds of thousands of pounds to hire the entire venue for a private staff party.
The annual event at Parker’s Piece, which sits on council-owned land and typically welcomes the public free of charge, was closed to outsiders for eight hours on Saturday while Arm hosted employees and their families.
Security staff stationed at the entrance turned away crowds who had travelled from across the country, with witnesses saying how young children were distressed after discovering they could not access the market’s ice rink, Ferris wheel and alpine lodge bar.
Craig Duncan, a 54-year-old solicitor, had made the two-hour journey from Kent with his wife Debbie to mark her 52nd birthday at the market.
“This would have been the highlight of her day,” he told The Times, describing how they arrived after lunch to find raised voices and confrontations at the gates.
Mr Duncan recounted witnessing a mother who had taken three trains to reach Cambridge standing with her three children – all crying because of their mother’s distress.
He then condemned the company’s decision to book the venue on such a popular day.
“It’s elitism at its worst,” he said. “Arm shouldn’t be allowed to buy Christmas. Days were ruined. It’s not in the spirit of Christmas, it’s the anti-spirit of Christmas.”
The annual festive attraction at Parker’s Piece was closed to outsiders for eight hours on Saturday
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INSTAGRAM/CHRISTMASINCAMBRIDGE
Denise Richards, 62, faced similar disappointment after travelling two hours by train from Ruislip with five friends for a weekend they had been organising since June.
Security personnel refused to reveal which company had hired the venue, telling the group only that a private function was taking place.
“It spoilt the weekend for us because that was the whole idea of going,” Ms Richards said. “We thought it was disgusting.”
She said attractions inside went unused while crowds gathered outside.
“When we looked in, the big Ferris wheel was not moving, no one was on helter-skelter or visiting the stalls. It’s selfish. There were more people outside wanting to get in than actually going in.”
Seventa Events, which operates the market under planning permission granted by the council in 2023, confirmed the ticketed event reached capacity during the closure from 10am to 6pm.
The company said the booking had been advertised on its website.
The Liberal Democrats deputy leader on Cambridge City Council pledged to raise the matter with the Labour administration
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GOOGLE MAPSSimon Brooks, the firm’s founder, said: “We recognise that some people were disappointed on the day, especially those who had travelled, and we are genuinely sorry to anyone who arrived during the sold-out sessions and could not enter.”
Katie Porrer, deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats on Cambridge council, said she was “very concerned” and pledged to raise the matter with the Labour administration.
She said: “Our understanding had been that the private event was taking place in a separate area and that, while access to the fair would be available to all attendees, this would not mean residents and visitors were excluded.”
The council defended the arrangement, describing commercial hires as essential to the market’s survival, while declining to disclose details of its agreement with Seventa.
Arm Holdings is understood to have planned its party months in advance, with the event a long-standing tradition for Cambridge employees.