A plan by the European Union to hold a 'virtual party' for young people in Facebook's much-vaunted Metaverse fell completely flat after just six people turned up.

The EU Commission's foreign aid department spent £332,000 on the virtual event, which officials hoped would act as a 'global gateway' to get young people interested in the bloc's policy announcements with a night of 'music and fun' .

'Are you ready to party?' asked the invitation to the event on Tuesday night, which garnered a pitiful 44 likes despite the bloc boasting over 500k followers across Facebook and Twitter.

The event, which featured its own virtual DJs playing techno music on repeat, was aimed at targeting 'non politically engaged 18-35 year olds' who are active on TikTok and Instagram in an attempt to 'increase awareness of what the EU does on the world stage'.