Wonderla Chennai’s Women’s Day offer backfires, triggers gate chaos
It was a day exclusively for women, says Wonderla; there was much confusion as many missed that point and men turned up in big numbers accompanying women
A Women’s Day promotion at Wonderla Chennai sparked chaotic scenes on Sunday after entry was restricted for men, leaving several families and groups stranded outside the amusement park and triggering heated arguments with officials at the gates.
The park had advertised March 8 as a Women’s Day special, promoting a buy-one-get-one ticket offer for women. However, several visitors claimed there was no clear communication that men would be barred from entry, leading to confusion among families and groups who had travelled long distances expecting regular access.
Overnight travelers aggrieved
A visitor from Hogenakkal, who said he had travelled overnight to reach the park, alleged that hundreds of male visitors were turned away at the entrance.
“We started yesterday and travelled the whole night to come here. They said it’s an exclusive offer for women — if you buy one ticket, you get one free. We thought of buying it offline and came here. But unfortunately only ladies are allowed inside,” he said.
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“More than 300 men have come and returned. We were waiting here since 8 am. But they were very arrogant. They are stopping us using bouncers and not allowing us to go inside,” he alleged.
No clear instructions
Another visitor, Aman Gupta from Bengaluru, said many visitors had travelled after seeing the promotional offer online but were shocked to learn that men would not be permitted inside.
“It is mentioned on the website that there is a buy-one-get-one offer, but it was not mentioned anywhere that men are not allowed and that it is only for women,” Gupta said.
“We came all the way from Bengaluru. After reaching here, I drove for nearly an hour to get to the park. But once we arrived, they are not allowing anyone to go inside and are not even offering refunds,” he added.
Gupta said the restriction had left several groups divided at the entrance.
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“We came as a group. We cannot have three of our friends stay outside while three of us go inside and enjoy ourselves. We came together and want to enjoy the experience together,” said Vaishali, who accompanied him.
Some visitors also alleged that bouncers deployed at the park pushed or manhandled people during the commotion, though these claims could not be independently verified.
Continuing disappointments
The incident adds to a series of operational controversies surrounding the theme park since its launch. Soon after opening, the facility faced criticism after rides reportedly stalled mid-operation, including an incident in which a roller coaster halted mid-air, and riders were temporarily stranded before operations resumed.
While the management of Wonderla Holidays Limited had earlier attributed those disruptions to power fluctuations and other external factors, today’s episode has once again put the spotlight on crowd management and communication practices at the Chennai property.
The Federal reached out to Wonderla’s Chief Executive Arun K Chittilappilly for comment, but he was not immediately reachable.
We did inform: Wonderla
Edited to update: Shreya Shankar of Wonderla responded to The Federal's query to say the company's Women’s Day Women-Only Park Day is a "well-received initiative across our parks for the past four years, celebrating and encouraging women to enjoy the Wonderla experience in a dedicated environment".
"As in previous years, it was clearly communicated across all our official channels and guest communications that the park would be open exclusively for women guests on the day. We are reviewing the situation at our Chennai Park today and remain committed to creating safe, inclusive and enjoyable experiences for all our guests," she added.
