Young visitors to a Santa’s grotto in Cambridgeshire were horrified when Father Christmas tore off his beard and launched into an expletive-laden rant.
The bizarre outburst occurred during the Father Christmas Grotto experience at the Corn Exchange in the market town of St Ives, an annual event which Cambridgeshire Live characterises as “usually civil”.
“The descent into chaos began when smoke machines from a separate family-friendly 'blow your whistle' rave event, held downstairs, triggered the fire alarm,” the website reports.
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As families prepared to evacuate, the unidentified Father Christmas actor allegedly “burst out of his grotto” and began shouting at parents and children to “get the f*** out”, The Guardian reports.
Eyewitness Adam Gaynor described the unfestive outburst on social media. “He came charging in, ripped his hat and beard off in front of 50 odd kids and started shouting and swearing at people to leave,” he wrote, calling the unidentified actor “an absolute disgrace”.
One mother attending the event told Cambridgeshire Live: “My friend's little boy was upset as his dad was carrying him when Santa told them 'to get the f*** out'.”
“We told our children he wasn’t the real Santa. He was an imposter and will be going on the naughty list,” she added.
DJ Stuart Wilkin told The Guardian that he thought the rave event might have pushed Santa over the edge.
“He probably sat there trying to talk to kids with thumping music playing and was pissed-off,” he said, suggesting that the fire alarm could have been the “final straw”.
In a statement, event organisers Festival Events St Ives (FESt) confirmed that Santa had “immediately assisted in the evacuation of the building” following the fire alarm.
“FESt wish to apologise for any offence or distress caused to parents and children by their attempts to ensure all visitors and staff had exited the building and were safe.”
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