Welcome to this month’s round-up of Extraordinary Experiences across all experience sectors and around the globe.
November is here, and those of us in the UK were reaching for our bobble hats and heading out to enjoy a night of fireworks to celebrate Bonfire Night. Printworks in Manchester flipped the script this year with an indoor digital firework display, which recreated the explosive brilliance of real fireworks through vivid 360° visuals.
Over in Lancaster, its light art trail returns this year with an interactive installation called Somnius, whose multiple fluid surfaces respond to the people beneath the work as if tiny tides were pulling the fluid towards them, the movement becoming more harmonious and coherent as the number of people standing under it grows.
This month also sees the launch of a pair of audio experiences that respond to those interacting with them. At Ghibli Park in Japan, music from Studio Ghibli films can be enjoyed at 50 ‘sound nodes’ throughout the park, which react to visitors’ movements. In Paris, those brave enough to enter psychological thriller Echo 42 will perceive unique sounds during the experience depending on their progress through the story.
Sensory deprivation is explored this month in two very different experiences. Vino Sensoria in Belfast sees oenophiles led into a pitch black ‘discomboulator’ to heighten their sense of smell and taste and improve the wine-tasting experience, while at James Turrell’s solo show near Paris, his All Clear pavilion immerses viewers in white LED light causing temporary disorientation as if skiing in a ‘white-out’.
Finally, immersive learning is front and centre this month at a pair of new experiences. At Evolver in Oxford, you’re taken on a VR journey into the breathing body narrated by Cate Blanchett that shines a light on how interconnected humans are with nature. In Madrid, meanwhile, you can tour the first class cabins of the Titanic and listen to the last song played by the orchestra before the ill-fated vessel made the bottom of the ocean its resting place in a poignant immersive experience.
19. Evolver
Open now until 14 November 2024
Location: Oxford, UK
Experience Sector: VR, Immersive Learning
Any collaboration involving experiential artist collective Marshmallow Laser Feast and Oscar-winning actor Cate Blanchett gets our attention, and we love the sound of Evolver, an immersive virtual reality experience that pushes the frontiers of film, technology and medical science. Fresh from a run at the Cannes Film Festival, Evolver has moved to Oxford for its UK premiere and will be on for a limited run at a pop-up space on Little Clarendon Street as part of the Adventures in Consciousness Season, led by the Cultural Programme at Oxford University, which draws on medical humanities to showcase a range of events on the theme of consciousness.
Directed by Marshmallow Laser Feast and narrated by Blanchett, with music from Jon Hopkins, Jonny Greenwood, Meredith Monk and Jóhann Jóhannsson, Evolver takes viewers on an immersive journey through the breathing body and the processes that sustain life. “‘We are seeking to highlight our connection with the wider systems of nature through the experience of art,” says Marshmallow Laser Feast director, Ersin Han Ersin. “The oxygen trees exhale flows into our lungs to feed every cell in our body. Placing the audience in the centre of these nested ecosystems, we aim to bring them closer to an understanding of our interconnectedness.”
18. Light Cycles
Open now until 26 December 2024
Location: Kyoto, Japan
Experience Sector: Immersive Entertainment
The brains behind Moment Factory have lent their own special brand of magic to a new show at Kyoto Botanical Gardens, with a little help from Mitsui Fudosan. Taking place inside its conservatory, Light Cycles is an immersive experience that pays homage to nature through light and music. Launched as part of the garden’s centennial celebrations, plant lovers are invited to visit after dark to explore the flora and fauna on display alongside multimedia activations and cutting-edge projections.
The visitor journey unfolds across four multi-sensory zones that reveal the hidden world and voices of plants. The first zone, Light Will Find You, draws inspiration from the Japanese word ‘komorebi’, which describes the sensation of sunlight filtering through tree leaves. Light Cycles in Kyoto is the third iteration of the installation, which debuted at Adelaide Botanic Garden in Australia and is set to open in Italy and the UK this year. The goal is to inspire a new appreciation for plant life and foster a deep connection with nature among the younger generations.
17. Luna Luna: Forgotten Fantasty
Opens: 20 November unitl 5 January 2025
Location: New York, US
Experience Sector: Themed Attractions, Immersive Art
Having blazed a trail in LA, the world’s first art amusement park, Luna Luna, is bound for the Big Apple this month, where it will be launching its debut show, Forgotten Fantasy. Popping up at The Shed, the show will include an eclectic mix of rides and attractions created by some of the 20th century’s most celebrated artists, including a ferris wheel by Jean-Michel Basquiat, a carousel by Keith Haring, a wave swinger by Kenny Scharf, a wedding chapel by André Heller, an enchanted tree by David Hockney, Salvador Dalí’s Dalídom, and a glass labyrinth by Roy Lichtenstein.
Produced by Michael Goldberg of Something Special Studios and the team at S2BN Entertainment, the New York show will include new commissions, components and performances alongside archival materials that delve into the history of Luna Luna and take attendees through its painstaking restoration process. Visitors will be transported back to the world of Luna Luna as it was envisioned by Viennese artist André Heller in 1987, complete with roving performers and curated music. Swing by the Luna Luna store for exclusive Basquiat, Haring and Lichtenstein merch.
16. The Legend Of The Titanic
Open now until 24 November 2024
Location: Madrid, Spain
Experience Sector: Immersive Learning
Having just put on a sell-out Tutankhamun show, immersive exhibition centre Madrid Artes Digitales (MAD) has given the Titanic the immersive treatment in a world premiere of the show, which explores the history of the ill-fated vessel and what happened during its voyage to the coast of Newfoundland that led to its sinking on the night of 14 April 1912. The experience invites visitors to board the historic ship and discover first-hand the event of the shipwreck through the latest cutting-edge tech.
Going beyond films and documentaries, visitors follow the progress of the ship from its construction and setting sail to the iceberg collision that led to its demise. Set across 2,000 sq. m, including a virtual reality room, during the experience you can tour the third and first class cabins and see the contrasting living conditions of the different social classes, listen to the orchestra playing its poignant final song as the ship sank and explore the depths of the Atlantic through 360º projections to find the shipwreck.
15. Ghibli Park Acoustic World
Opens: 2 November until 17 November 2024
Location: Honshu Island, Japan
Experience Sector: Audio Experience, Themed Attractions
To mark its second anniversary, Ghibli Park in Japan’s Aichi Prefecture is hosting a special audio experience for visitors and fans of Studio Ghibli’s animated films. Called Ghibli Park Acoustic World, on arrival visitors are given special earphones and bags equipped with Global Navigation Satellite System tech to discover the sounds and music of Studio Ghibli films at 50 ‘sound nodes’ placed throughout Ghibli Park and the surrounding Expo 2005 Aichi Commemorative Park area.
Produced by musician Taisei Iwasaki, the event is designed to be a co-creative immersive experience that reacts to guests’ movements and actions rather than being a passive experience of playing music and sounds effects on a loop from speakers. The event will be running from 2-4 and 15-17 November at the park, which opened in Nagakute in 2022 and celebrates the animated films of Studio Ghibli.
14. The World Of Studio Ghibli Exhibition
Open now until 2 February 2025
Location: Singapore
Experience Sector: Themed Attractions, Immersive Entertainment
You wait all year for a Studio Ghibli event and then two come along at once. Singapore’s ArtScience Museum is playing host to The World of Studio Ghibli exhibition this month in one of its biggest shows of the year. Exploring the animation studio’s glittering film legacy, the travelling show has landed in Singapore after successful runs in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Bangkok. Stepping inside the museum, visitors will be thrust into the Studio Ghibli universe and can get up close and personal with their favourite film characters and cinematic moments.
The exhibition features 16 large-scale sets across more than 25,000 sq. ft of space that bring scenes from iconic films like Spirited Away and My Neighbour Totoro to life, as well as installations that offer a rare glimpse into the animators’ creative processes. The Singapore iteration of the show features the highest number of frames from the films to be transformed into large-scale graphics, as well as film items brought to life as real objects for the first time. It also includes a number of in-gallery educational activities inspired by some of the films.
13. Vogue: Inventing The Runway
Opens: 13 November until 26 April 2025
Location: London, UK
Experience Sector: Exhibitions, Immersive Entertainment
Innovative art space Lightroom in London’s King’s Cross is putting fashion under the microscope at its latest show. Called Vogue: Inventing The Runway, the immersive exhibition explores the history of the modern runway show, using the space’s four-storey-tall walls as a backdrop. Visitors can experience and interact with era-defining runway presentations up close, and at an unprecedented scale. The production will combine animation, state-of-the-art sound design, and a score of classical and pop music to evoke the iconic shows that have helped to shape the cultural landscape.
Extending from the couture salons of early 20th century Europe to the mass-media extravaganzas of today, Inventing the Runway connects the past to the present and future of fashion, making the most of Vogue’s extensive archives and contributor network to create an experience that unites the industry’s leading creative voices. First hand testimonies from fashion’s big guns will be featured in the show, from Alexander McQueen, Marc Jacobs and Balenciaga to Chanel, Comme des Garçons and Dior. The exhibition shines a light on how fashion shows became the ultimate statement of a designer’s vision and a walking expression of their identity.
12. Let’s Fly
Opens now until 16 March 2025
Location: Los Angeles, US
Experience Sector: Themed Attractions, Immersive Entertainment
Flying high from successful runs in Rome, Paris, Milan and Madrid, the Balloon Museum will be landing in Los Angeles this month for a limited run of its show; Let’s Fly. Inside the interactive exhibition all of the artworks are designed to be touched, moved around and engaged with. Taking place at Ace Mission Studios, the museum features installations by 21 artists including: Filthy Luker, Tadao Cern, MyeongBeom Kim, Max Streicher, Karina Smigla – Bobinski, Michael Shaw, Roman Hill, Quiet Ensemble, Rub Kandy, Sila Sveta, Camilla Falsini, Hyperstudio, and Mauro Pace.
It also marks the debut of Balloon Museum’s newest work, Mariposa. Designed by Oakland-based LED artist Christopher Schardt, Mariposa is illuminated with over 39,000 colour LEDs. Each edition of the Balloon Museum is unique and influenced by the host city’s artistic community and culture, but connected through the shared central medium of air. Viewers are placed squarely at the centre of the experience as artists investigate the opposition between heaviness, darkness and gravity, juxtaposed against the light, weightlessness and hovering evoked in the inflatable artworks.
11. Poly MGM Museum
Opens now
Location: Macau, China
Experience Sector: Museums, Themed Attractions
A shiny new cultural experience powered by innovative technologies is opening at the MGM Macau resort this month. The Poly MGM Museum is a collaboration between MGM China and Poly Culture; the art and culture development entity of China Poly Group. It is the first museum within an integrated resort in the Greater China region. Inside the 2,000 sq. m venue you can expect to find national treasures alongside modern and contemporary works by Chinese and international artists.
Among the museum’s features are movable LED screens and flexible display panels. Cutting-edge tech used there includes Poly’s proprietary OLED screens for interactive displays and directional audio systems. “Poly MGM Museum is a venue to champion Chinese culture and display the splendour of intangible cultural heritage,” said Wang Bo, chairman of Poly Culture, adding, “it will also serve as a confluence for cultural and artistic exchange, fostering dialogue and mutual enrichment between civilizations.”
10. Light Up Lancaster
Opens: 7-9 November
Location: Lancaster, UK
Experience Sector: Live Events, Immersive Entertainment
Popular light art trail, Light Up Lancaster, returns to the city this month, inviting locals to discover dozens of captivating installations in Lancaster’s streets and squares. This year’s theme is ‘The Art of Science’, and will explore how art and science can be ‘creative twins’. Installations include creative projection and video mapping, music and dance, and multiple magical illusions to trick the eye. Head to The Storey Gardens for The Matter of the Heart, a moving installation portraying the heartbeats of the city’s residents as they beat in unison in the darkness.
Visit the canal where Monad, a giant water screen projection from Norway, captures the perpetual motion of the universe. We’re particularly excited about interactive large-scale light sculpture Somnius, whose multiple fluid surfaces respond to the people below it as if tiny tides were pulling the fluid towards them. Created by Illumaphonium the sculpture increases in physical, rhythmic and harmonic coherence as the number of participants beneath it grows. All of the artworks and installations are free to view from 5-10pm every night and are family friendly.
9. James Turrell At One
Open now until summer 2025
Location: Le Bourget, France
Experience Sector: Immersive Art
Speaking of light shows, the OG of light art, James Turrell will be illuminating the Gagosian gallery in Le Bourget outside Paris this month in an epic one man show. His largest showcase in Europe in over two decades, At One, features over 35 works, including installations, in-wall lightworks, projections, models, photographs, prints and archive material. The landmark show shines a light on Turrell’s innovative exploration of light as both a material and a medium for altering perception, with Turrell believing that: “Light does not so much reveal, as it is the revelation itself”.
Headlining the exhibition are two new large-scale light installations: All Clear, a rounded, all-white pavilion that immerses viewers in coloured LED light, dissolving spatial boundaries and causing temporary disorientation as if skiing in a ‘white-out’ or ascending into the clouds when flying. Either Or, meanwhile, features projected light that interacts with reflective surfaces, pushing the limits of visual depth and dimension. Turrell has been pushing the boundaries of light and human perception since the ‘60s via works that explore the limits of seeing and induce meditative states.
8. The Empire Strips Back
Open now until 1 December 2024
Location: Los Angeles, US
Experience Sector: Live Events
LA-based Star Wars fans are in for a treat this month, as burlesque parody The Empire Strips Back rolls into town. Taking up residency at The Montalbán Theatre, the saucy show features tongue-in-cheek parodies of all of the classic Star Wars characters, including sexy female Stormtroopers, taking the audience to a galaxy far, far away, and creating a memorable interpretations of the beloved franchise. Directed by Russall S. Beattie and produced by Foster Entertainment and Neil Gooding Productions, the cheeky show includes a unique blend of seduction and sci-fi.
Look out for an enticing Boba Fett, a lady-like Luke Skywalker, a gold bikini-clad Princess Leia dancing to Nine Inch Nails, R2D2 making it rain dollar bills and Han Solo gyrating to Smooth Criminal. It’s a must for both diehard fans and those seeking a sexy twist on the space saga. The Empire Strips Back celebrates a resurgence of burlesque, while delivering a fun and rowdy experience for fans of the art form as well as the classic film series. Ariana Bindman of SF Gate said the “dark and sexy” show was “one of the most memorable and impressive live performances” she’s ever seen.
7. The Park Playground At Park Allgäu
Open now
Location: Leutkirch, Germany
Experience Sector: VR, Immersive Entertainment
Successful franchise The Park Playground’s VR system is now in full swing at Center Parcs Park Allgäu in Germany. The new system includes an 8×8 meter free-roam VR field and a dedicated space for Carnival Showdown, The Park Playground’s new series of VR minigames, which made its debut at IAAPA Expo Europe in Amsterdam. The competitive multiplayer VR experience brings the joy and familiarity of amusement park games to life in a series of immersive minigames and is already available to customers at The Park Playground’s Ghent and Antwerp locations in Belgium.
Marking The Park’s first partner venue to provide the experience as a standalone attraction, visitors to Center Parcs Park Allgäu can extend their VR experience or play the Plank Experience. “The Park VR System has allowed us to enrich the guest experience, offering entertainment options that can be different each time they visit,” said Erwin Lochtmans, director of operational support at Center Parcs. “The Park’s VR offering is the perfect fit for our family-oriented facilities and we’re thrilled to be able to offer this ever-evolving entertainment option to guests at our Park Allgäu village.”
6. Printworks Digital Firework Display
Open now
Location: Manchester, UK
Experience Sector: Live Events
For those seeking something a little different this bonfire night, head to Printworks in Manchester for a firework display with a difference. The forward-thinking venue will be hosting a series of digital firework displays throughout the night, from 5-8pm. Printworks’ digital ceiling – the largest of its kind in Europe – will transform into a moving masterpiece of colour and light, capturing the grandeur and the drama of a traditional fireworks show in a more environmentally-friendly way.
Harnessing the latest project-mapping tech, the digital display will recreate the explosive brilliance of real fireworks through vivid visuals. The free event will appeal to those looking to avoid large crowds while getting to enjoy all the excitement of a live show from the comfort of an indoor venue. The event includes campfire stories for kids, a live DJ set of pop classics from 6pm, a chillout zone complete with beanbags and warm blankets, and, best of all, free toffee apples and fibre optic wands.
5. Brooklyn Pop
Open now until 28 December 2024
Location: New York, US
Experience Sector: Exhibitions, Immersive Entertainment
The trendy New York neighbourhood of Brooklyn and its impact on popular culture is being put under the microscope this month at an exhibition at Industry City. The immersive art experience is the brainchild of local artist Michael ‘Kaves’ McLeer, who delves into the influence of the borough on film, music, television, sports, art and his life. Spread across an 11,000 square-foot space, Brooklyn Pop takes visitors on a journey through the cultural history of the borough, which is brought to life through films, artifacts, installations, compelling storytelling and innovative visual displays
“This is about Brooklyn’s influence on pop culture through a three generational autobiography, including plays, movies and exhibits that celebrate the borough,” said McLeer, who saved a large amount of memorabilia for the exhibit. Among the curios are: an old train station influenced by the film The Warriors; a dance floor with Lenny’s Pizza signage; a John Travolta picture paying homage to Saturday Night Fever; and a recreation of Sal’s Pizza from Do The Right Thing. Adding to the time warp feel, actors perform key characters from Brooklyn-based films.
4. Vino Sensoria
Opens: 22-24 November
Location: Belfast, Ireland
Experience Sector: F&B, Immersive Entertainment
German retailer Lidl has launched a pop-up sensory experience for wine lovers in Belfast. Called ‘Vino Sensoria’, the event will take over the Belfast Exposed art gallery where punters can partake in wine tastings in pitch black. Hosted by Lidl’s Master of Wine, Richard Bampfield, the experience includes a ‘discombobulator’ to heighten the senses, and a ‘scent safari’, and will see budding wine enthusiasts “embark on a journey to deconstruct the experience of visually appraising wines”.
The wine tasting aspect of the experience will involve sipping through a curated collection of Lidl wines in the dark. “The aim of Vino Sensoria is to dispel some of the myths surrounding the buying and serving of wine,” Bampfield said. “By tasting in total darkness with no distractions, people can concentrate fully on the wine in the glass and reach a better understanding of their own tastes and palate.” He hopes visitors will leave feeling inspired and challenged, with their taste buds having been reawakened.
3. Echo 42
Open now
Location: Paris, France
Experience Sector: Scare Experience, Immersive Entertainment
Sculpteurs de Rêves has joined forces with IO Studio and Start-Rec to explore the powers of spatialised audio in Montparnasse. Appealing to fans of horror and suspense, Echo 42 is halfway between a psychological thriller and a haunted journey, and transports its participants (who have become mediums) to an abandoned Paris of the 1940s where disappearances defy reason. Equipped with 3D audio headsets, visitors are enveloped in a terrifying soundscape that plays with perceptions and creates an atmosphere of palpable tension amid upcycled cinema sets.
The adventure invites you to unravel the unsolved mystery of the disappearance of an entire Paris district in 1942, which vanished overnight. Decades later, workers attempting to renovate the area are falling into a state of dementia, claiming paranormal phenomena. The mediums must explore these deserted alleys, abandoned cafés and subways, while being guided by mysterious sounds, distant voices and auditory distortions. Each player perceives unique sounds depending on their psychic powers and progress in the story, making every experience different.
2. 58th Street
Open now
Location: London, UK
Experience Sector: Live Events, Immersive Entertainment
Londoners in the market for a night of escapism – and who isn’t right now – should take a trip down 58th Street; The Lost Estate’s latest immersive entertainment experience. Transporting guests back to the glitz and sweltering glamour of Harlem in the 1930s, the night includes copious Champagne and an electrifying soundtrack led by star vocalist Ayesha Pike and backed by some of London’s hottest jazz musicians. You’re in Belle Livingstone’s world now, beloved emcee and hostess of the 58th Street.
Brought to life by West End legend, Yvette Robinson, the Queen of the Speakeasies runs her club like she lives her life: dangerously and deliciously. Getting as close as you can to a 1930s New York jazz club without a time machine, you can kick back as the nightclub comes alive around you through music, theatre and food. Designed by Darling & Edge, the space is a stunning Art Deco reimagining of an original speakeasy. The drama unfolds in a trio of 45-minute sets of jazz interspersed with a dining experience that harks back to the golden age of New York high society.
1. Grand Egyptian Museum
Open now
Location: Giza, Egypt
Experience Sector: Museums, Immersive Learning
Good things come to those who wait, and, 11 years later than planned, the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza has finally opened its doors to the public. Not all of the rooms are free to roam yet but the main hall and all its treasures are now on show. When it fully opens, the Grand Egyptian Museum will be the largest archaeological museum in the world dedicated to a single civilisation. It will house a collection of more than 100,000 artefacts across 3,000 years of ancient Egyptian history.
Highlights of the sprawling 500,000 sq. m museum near the pyramids, which has been 20 years in the making, include the Tutankhamun collection, which will have its own exhibition space to showcase all 5,600 objects retrieved from the pharaoh’s tomb. Visitors can see pharaonic statues, sarcophagi and a host of mummified bodies in the 12 galleries that are open to the public, giving them a glimpse into how Egypt’s elite prepared for the afterlife. Egyptian artefacts dating from 700,000 BC to the fourth century AD, arranged around themes of kingship, society and beliefs, are also on show.
