Calderdale Council apologises after Bohemian Rhapsody screening at The Shay draws complaints

Around 2,000 people attended the event, but some were left unhappy at the length of queues for refreshments and the sound quality.

Verna Anna Howson said on Facebook: "Waste of money and time, couldn’t hear a thing so left early. Total robbery not giving refunds. The band was great and the Shay staff were doing their best under the circumstances. This had the making of a great night but sadly a film is no good if you cannot hear it and this is what people paid for."

Niecey Western said on Facebook: "1hour 40mins for a drink. Only 2 people serving in the bar and couldn't understand anything the sound was so bad."

Deborah Ramsay said on Facebook: "An hour and 20 minutes to get a drink! What an absolute disgrace. Not the bar staffs fault but if the organiser is going to sell all them tickets on a Friday night expect people to be using the bar and staff it accordingly. At times 1 member of staff on the bar resulted in us missing half the film. So I’ve paid to stand in a queue!"

Not all the feedback from the event was negative though, with Katie Foster posting on Facebook: "We had an amazing time! Loved it! Yes the ques were long but we expected that, the band were great and really got the atmosphere buzzing, we laughed from start to finish and had the best time."

The event was organised by Adventure Cinema, who apologised for the poor sound quality and said they were unable to refund any unhappy customers, but said anyone who left early can get a free ticket to their next event in Halifax by emailing [email protected]

Sarah Richardson, Calderdale Council’s Assistant Director of Customer Services, said: “We hosted the Bohemian Rhapsody screening at the Shay Stadium to bring something new and distinctive to Calderdale and to make the most of the venue outside of the sports fixtures.

“Although we had lots of positive feedback, we are aware that there were some issues and we’re sorry that some people didn’t enjoy the event.

“This was the first ever event of its kind at the Shay, and we’re working with the company that organised it to make things better next time.

“We know there were long queues at the bars. We based our staff numbers on the organiser’s past experience of similar events, and on the usual requirements for sports matches. For any future events we will ensure that there are enough staff for the bars. We will also make sure the sound quality is the same throughout the stadium and that there are enough food outlets.”