‘Raging’ Santa Claus rips off beard and tells children to ‘get the f*** out’ after fire alarm disrupts grotto
‘We told our children he wasn’t the real Santa. He was an imposter and will be going on the naughty list’
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A furious Santa Claus stunned children at a Christmas event in Cambridgeshire by bursting out of his grotto, tearing off his beard and telling them to “get the f*** out”.
Organisers of the Father Christmas Grotto experience in St Ives have apologised to families over the entertainer’s foul-mouthed tirade, apparently sparked by a fire alarm.
The event at the town’s Corn Exchange had been billed as a chance for children to meet Santa and his “chief snowman”.
But St Nick saw red when a smoke machine at a “family rave event” downstairs triggered the alarm and an evacuation of the building.
“He came changing in, ripped his hat and beard off in front of 50-odd kids and started shouting and swearing at people to leave,” wrote one father, Adam Gaynor, on Facebook.
He added: “You should be ashamed of yourself acting like that in front of children. There is no way he should be allowed near a child.”
Mr Gaynor, who was at the event with his three-year-old son and seven-year-old daughter, claimed the irate Father Christmas screamed “get the f*** out” in front of children.
“There was no need for that,” he added.
Stuart Wilkin, who was DJing at the rave, suggested Santa was “p****d off” at the event disrupting his grotto.
He said: “Santa was raging and did rip off his beard and hat and swore in front of the kids, which I am making no excuse for – it was terrible.
“However, I do think though the reason Santa was raging was because they booked a kids’ rave on the same day as kids going to see Santa upstairs above the event.
“He probably sat there trying to talk to kids with thumping music playing and was p****d off. The fire alarm going off was probably the final straw for him.”
One parent told Cambridgeshire Live her children asked “why Santa was being horrible”.
“My friend’s little boy was upset as his dad was carrying him when Santa told them ‘to get the f*** out’,” the mother added. “We told our children he wasn’t the real Santa. He was an imposter and will be going on the naughty list.”
Festival Events St Ives (FESt), a local non-profit group which organised the grotto, apologised for the incident.
In a statement posted on its website, it said: “Last Sunday during a family rave event in the Corn Exchange, St Ives, the fire alarms were activated by smoke in the Charter Hall.
“Santa was upstairs in his grotto, an event organised by Festival Events St Ives and immediately assisted in the evacuation of the building.
“FESt wish to apologise for any offence or distress caused to parents and children by the attempts to ensure all visitors and staff had exited the building and were safe.”
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