A highly-anticipated American-themed country festival held in Carmarthen has been described as 'disorganised chaos', with attendees leaving early and demanding refunds. The This Ain't Texas Country Festival took place at the United Counties Showground on June 27, 2026, but many who paid for tickets expressed disappointment and dismay.
Attendees share their grievances
Tyrone Davies, who left the festival early with his family, said: 'Man, I feel like a refund,' referencing a Shania Twain joke. He described the event as 'an absolute car crash' and noted long queues for overpriced items: 'One hour to queue for a beer at £7 each, £5 for an ice cream, £5 for a Coke.' Davies also mentioned that dogs were supposedly banned but were seen inside the venue. He paid £48.97 for three tickets and called it 'Wales’s very own version of the Glasgow Willy Wonka Experience'.
Meisha Evans attended with her husband and three children and reported similar issues. She said: 'There was very little for children to do apart from an extremely expensive fairground... Activities such as axe throwing and interactive family areas were either absent or not delivered as expected, and line dancing consisted of just two songs over several hours. The tribute acts were shockingly bad and sounded like bad karaoke.' She also raised health and safety concerns, including her son burning himself on a food van without warning signs, and open urinal facilities visible to children. The family left early and went to the cinema and McDonald's instead.
Online complaints and Facebook group
A Facebook group called 'This Ain't Texas Complaints' was set up after negative comments were allegedly deleted from the official page. One person wrote: 'Total disorganised chaos. As for the singers, dear lord my ears were bleeding.' Another said: 'Massively overpriced for everything - food, drinks and rides, and they charge you to get in. I will never attend one of these again. How you can charge £7 a can is beyond me.'
A video posted by a woman showed a toilet with rubbish on the floor and a missing door. She said: 'I stopped people bringing their children in there for a while because of how bad it is. The doors weren’t locking and there was no toilet paper.' Another attendee complained about a one-hour queue for the bar, £10 for a chips and cheese wrap, and cramped conditions: 'Way too many people for the size of the space, and then to have one bar, and only one BBQ food stand, what an absolute joke of an event!'
Other criticisms and positive feedback
One man noted: 'Not sure there was any actual country music and the speakers sounded blown. £7 for a can of warm beer and an hour-long queue... We’ve got friggin fish and chips, curry, burger, and £15 for a Greek wrap!' Another said the advertising 'must’ve been amazing because it seemed to have fooled literally everyone that went'. However, one attendee offered some praise: 'The only positive about today's event in Carmarthen was that the portaloos were clean and there was a lady stocking up the loo roll.'
Company background and previous issues
The event was organised by Nationwide Festivals Ltd, set up in September 2025, with director David John Rowlands. According to Companies House, Rowlands is also a director of Extreme Events Ltd, which organised the much-criticised Wales Balloon Festival at the same showground in 2024. That event also led to refund demands and traffic chaos. The organisers of This Ain't Texas have been asked for comment but have not yet responded.
