Las Vegas "Bluey" Event
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Overview
Las Vegas Bluey Event refers to a Bluey-themed promotion put on by the Las Vegas hot dog bar Dirt Dog. The event, held in May 2024, drew significant outrage from attendees due to long lines and cheap costumes, with some expressing that the event was a scam, comparing it to the Glasgow Wonka Experience from earlier in 2024. Organizers later explained that they did not anticipate nor plan for the high level of interest for the free event, leading to the disappointing experience noted by parents and children. The "Bluey Day" held at the bar garnered significant attention after it went viral on social media, with many making memes and jokes about the event.
Background
On April 25th, 2024, Dirt Dog, a hot dog bar in Las Vegas, advertised a "Bluey Day" to take place on May 11th, 2024. The event's description promised: "Marathon of all the Bluey episodes! Meeting Bluey & Friends. Face painting. Games & Special Bluey Treats."[1] The event drew significant interest, and over 2,600 people responded that they were "interested" in attending on the Facebook post (seen below).
Developments
When the event took place on May 11th, 2024, many attendees reported that they were greatly disappointed by its quality. In particular, a photograph of who the bar got to play Bluey went viral online. It shows a bearded man in a Bluey onesie, not a mascot costume (shown below).
On the event's Facebook page, multiple attendees warned others about attending, noting what they perceived as the cheap effort the venue put into creating the event.[1] Parents complained that the promised snacks appeared to be store-bought cupcakes. The "Bluey marathon" was simply episodes of Bluey playing on the restaurant's televisions on mute. "Face paint" was purportedly done quickly and cheaply to accommodate the crowd.
On May 11th, Dirt Dog then posted an apology for the event to its Instagram[3] (shown below).
The backlash drew news coverage in the following days. On May 18th, 2024, a Vegas news affiliate of Fox[2] did a segment about the outrage over the event, interviewing disappointed children and parents who attended the party (shown below).
Hundreds of Las Vegas parents and kids were hurt after a restaurant advertised an event featuring “Bluey” but had a man dressed in Bluey pajamas instead
“The kids were distraught. Some kids were crying … how could you do that to little kids?” https://t.co/k3dMfTagKb pic.twitter.com/U0W2qFBlbv— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) May 18, 2024
In the story, employees of Dirt Dog explained their side of the fiasco. A spokesperson said, "We expected like maybe 50 to 60 people—not in the sense of like the whole city coming out. Just now knowing who Bluey is, we would have planned ahead and would have had security." They also explained that an employee had baked over 120 cupcakes for the event, but they were quickly eaten.
Online Reactions
The event drew jokes and commentary on social media as it gained virality online over the following days. For example, Cr1TiKaL covered the drama in a May 19th, 2024, YouTube video that gained over 1.3 million views in one day (shown below).
Several posters[4][5] on Twitter / X compared the event to the Glasgow Wonka Event from earlier in 2024. However, others noted that because the event was advertised as a free event at a hot dog bar in Las Vegas, attendees were partially at fault for setting their expectations too high.
On May 16th, Romper writer Jaime Kenney[6] made that point but conceded it was "still funny" in a tweet that gained seven likes in four days (shown below).
Search Interest
External References
[1] Facebook – Dirt Dog Las Vegas Bluey Day
[2] Fox – Parents outraged by massive event featuring amateur ‘Bluey,’ restaurant apologizes
[4] Twitter – Halswayne1
[6] Twitter – LaComtesseJamie
