Walibi Fright Nights ad becomes most complained-about commercial of 2025

An advertisement by the amusement park Walibi promoting its yearly Fright Nights event became the most complained-about commercial of 2025, according to the Dutch Advertising Code Foundation (SRC). The ad generated 889 complaints, while the organization handled a total of 6,611 complaints throughout the year.

The commercial features a terrified, bloodstained woman trapped in a glass enclosure while grotesque figures bid on her during an auction. In the final scene, the floor beneath her gives way, and she disappears, leaving the glass walls splattered with blood.

The advertisement caused significant public backlash, prompting Walibi Holland to pull the campaign. The Dutch Advertising Code Committee later concluded that the commercial breached the Dutch Advertising Code, stating that depicting a woman as an auctioned object in this manner “cannot be accepted under current social norms” and was “in conflict with human dignity.”

The commercial was the most disputed advertisement of 2025 and one of the most controversial campaigns ever handled by the organization, with the number of complaints being a record for the organization.

Many people considered the timing of the commercial deeply insensitive due to its perceived link to recent cases of violence against women and femicide dominating the news. The campaign appeared shortly after the murders of 17-year-old Lisa from Abcoude and 24-year-old Bouchra from Almere, cases that fueled a national discussion on the safety of women in the Netherlands.

Groups including WOMEN Inc. condemned the advertisement, arguing that “femicide is not a marketing gimmick.” According to the organizations, portraying violence against women as entertainment or part of the scenery was deeply inappropriate at a time when the country was grieving.

Walibi said in a statement that the footage “could be perceived as sensitive given the current societal context.” While emphasizing that inclusivity remains a fundamental value for the park, the company chose to discontinue the campaign entirely in light of the circumstances.