Children were left in tears when they were turned away from a Christmas fair because a technology company had booked it out for their annual office party.
Arm Holdings, a software design company worth more than £100billion, reportedly paid hundreds of thousands of pounds to hire out Cambridge Christmas market for its staff and their families on Saturday.
The event, which features a large Ferris wheel, an open air rink and a selection of festive stalls, is usually open to the public and free to enter.
However, when hundreds of locals turned up at the venue for what is normally one of the busiest days of the year, they were turned away at the gate.
Instead, Arm staff were given full access to the fair and even provided with carol singers and wreath-making classes, among other festive activities.
Jubilant employees shared videos of the event on social media. One said: 'The office party is like a full-blown FunFair hijack.
'Honestly… peak chaos, peak fun, peak memories,' they added, along with the #armlife.
Another employee posted on Facebook, along with a video of the event: 'A great day at the Arm Christmas party.
Arm Holdings reportedly paid hundreds of thousands of pounds to hire out Cambridge Christmas market for its staff and their families on Saturday
'Food, music, ice skating, bouncy cars and so much more.'
Among the disappointed attendees was Craig Duncan, 54, who had driven two hours to the Christmas market to celebrate his wife's 52nd birthday.
The couple only found out they were unable to attend at the gate.
He told The Times: 'One woman said she took three trains to get there. She had three kids, all were distressed and crying because their mum was upset.'
Mr Duncan, a solicitor, questioned why Arm Holdings had been able to book out the venue on such a popular day on the festive calendar.
He said: 'Who in their department thought of buying this on a Saturday afternoon? It's elitism at its worst.'
He added: 'You could have done it on Tuesday night or afternoon for employees if you love them that much and want to show off.'
The 54-year-old said he thought thousands of people had been turned away from the market in Cambridge as a result.
Another woman who was refused entry by security, branded the decision to hire it out to a corporate company as 'disgusting'.
Jubilant staff shared videos of the event on social media. One said: 'The office party is like a full-blown FunFair hijack
Denise Richards, 62, had travelled on a two-hour train from Ruislip, London, for a weekend with five of her old friends.
She said they had planned their trip around attending the fair in Cambridge, and that it had been 'spoilt' as a result.
Cambridge Christmas market is run privately by Seventa Events, but is held on council-owned ground.
The company offers exclusive hire for up to 3,500 guests with packages starting at £50 per person.
According to The Times's report, the tech company arranged the event with the organisers of the market months in advance.
Arm's company founder, Simon Brooks said he was 'genuinely sorry' people had travelled miles only to be told they could not attend the fair.
A spokesperson added: 'Arm has been proud to call Cambridge home for more than 30 years, and we care deeply about being a positive part of the community.
'Our annual holiday gathering is a long-standing tradition for our Cambridge employees; we engaged the organizers to plan the event months in advance and were not aware of any other conflicts.
'We remain committed to supporting a vibrant and welcoming Cambridge, both during the festive season and throughout the year.'
Cambridge council added: 'Commercial hires form an important part of the overall viability of the Christmas in Cambridge offer to the public.'