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Update on Dec. 10, 8:50pm: Ice Magic's organisers have responded with a statement, which you can read here.

Ice Magic, a pop-up winter-themed attraction at Bayfront, allows those in Singapore to experience the snow and chilly temperatures of temperate countries without having to travel overseas.

It seems, however, that many visitors were left dissatisfied after having to queue for hours in the sweltering heat just to enter the attraction.

According to one Mothership reader who visited the place on Saturday (Dec. 10), this was made worse by the fact that many had arrived dressed for the cold temperatures inside the event space.

Many dressed for the cold

The reader shared that the timeslot she had booked was from 3pm to 7pm.

Visitors can choose between three different four-hour timeslots per day (10am, 3pm and 7pm), during which they can enter anytime except in the last 30 minutes. They also have to exit by the end of the four-hour timeslot.

The recommended duration of the experience is 60 minutes, according to SISTIC.

Upon arrival at the event space with her three-year-old son though, the reader heard from the staff there that the waiting time would be around two to three hours.

This meant that she would only be able to enter the attraction at around 6pm.

"The queue situation outside the entrance was terrible," she said.

Additionally, having heard that temperatures inside can be as low as -15°C, she had dressed her toddler "suitably for the cold".

However, visitors had to queue outdoors in the heat, and she observed that many children were dressed in winter clothes — "beanies, thick outerwear, boots, even gloves".

"They were sweating profusely," she added.

A video she filmed showed the queue stretching across the open space, with the majority of the visitors dressed in jeans and long pants.

Most children in the queue were also dressed in long pants and long-sleeved tops, with some even clutching thick outerwear.

Visitors asking for refunds

The reader shared that there was apparently a group of disgruntled visitors asking the staff if they could get refunds.

When they asked what reason to provide to receive a refund, the reader noted that the staff allegedly said: "I can't give you a reason to give because the reason is simply because you do not want to wait."

The reader shared that she and her kid eventually gave up queuing and left as the queue was not moving.

"And I wasn't going to let my poor disappointed toddler queue for so long under the sun to enter and play for less than an hour when we were promised four [hours]," she continued.

The reader said that she had bought their tickets from booking platform KKday, but has not been promised a refund, and is "not sure what's going to happen".

Ticket prices on SISTIC and KKday range from S$38 for a child between two and 12, to S$49 for an adult, and S$152 for a family bundle for two adults and two children, including booking fees.

She hopes that by sharing what happened, others who plan to visit Ice Magic can "manage [their] expectations".

"I wouldn't want anyone to leave disappointed like my toddler today," she concluded.

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Top photo courtesy of Mothership reader