The organizer of a disastrous Brooklyn holiday festival claims her winter wonderland was just fine — until it was undermined by “disgruntled” vendors and a snow-job by local media.
Grumpy “Winterfest” customers griped about advertised attractions that didn’t exist, pricey wine tastings with cheap booze, a chocolate “experience” that was just snack-sized Halloween candy, and instant cocoa instead of promised high-end hot chocolate, at the festival set up in the Brooklyn Museum’s parking lot last year.
But Winterfest boss Lena Romanova says in a $10 million lawsuit that her event was “sabotaged” by a “defamation campaign,” and she lost a shot at making the festival an annual affair because of it.
Handbag seller Pamela Barsky, who paid $6,000 for a spot at Winterfest, only to end up with a leaky stall with no electricity, was vocal about the holiday horror.
“Everybody got scammed,” said Barksy, who closed her booth early and said she took her complaints to the Brooklyn District Attorney after she claimed she didn’t get a refund.
In a lengthy statement, Romanova defended Winterfest, saying Barsky caused her own power problems by using an electric heater and noting most vendors stayed until the end. One attraction was removed before the start of the event, said Romanova, who added the festival was presented according to plans approved by the Brooklyn Museum. The DA never contacted her, Romanova added.
The organizer, who is suing Barsky and the Brooklyn Eagle in Brooklyn Federal Court, slammed the newspaper for several stories about her and a reporter’s tweets implying she’d wronged vendors.
A lawyer for Barsky didn’t return a message.
The Brooklyn DA looked into the Winterfest debacle, but after a review, “we have determined that it did not rise to the level of criminality,” a spokeswoman said.
The Brooklyn Eagle called Romanova’s lawsuit frivolous and said it “thoroughly fact-checked” the story.
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