Welcome to this month’s round-up of Extraordinary Experiences across all experience sectors and around the globe. 

Things are taking a dreamy, surreal turn around the globe this August, with the Burning Man festival in Nevada channeling Alice in Wonderland with its ‘Curiouser and Curiouser’ theme and Boomtown Festival in the UK reawakening its immersive world under the theme “Revolution of Imagination“.

The organisers have honed in on fostering feelings of curiosity and wonder not just for their feel-good factor, but also due to their ability to act as pathways to neuroplasticity that help the brain rewire itself, changing the way we think; something art therapy has also been found to do. 

Events like these are about more than kicking up dust in the desert: studies have found that they offer the chance for transformative experiences leading to lasting positive behavioural changes due to the heightened feelings of universal connectedness that they create.

The concept of lucid dreaming is also being put under the microscope at Fondation Beyeler in Basel this month at an exhibition inspired by the latest advances in the neuroscience of dreaming. It seeks to create lucid flying dreams among its attendees by introducing sound, sight and somatic stimulation during 60-minute sleep slots. 

Meanwhile Professor Brian Cox (of D:Ream fame) is also seeking to expand minds this month at a series of Royal Opera House concerts in London. Fusing music and science and featuring an 86-strong symphony orchestra and huge LED screens, the gigs explore what it means to live a finite, fragile life in an infinite, eternal universe.

It’s a winning formula, as inspiring feelings of awe has been found to expand our perception of time, making it feel more abundant and helping us to feel more connected to the present moment. As Einstein said, “The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art.” 

22. ECLIPSE by NONOTAK

Open: 30 August – 8 December
Location: London, UK
Experience Sector: Immersive Art, Immersive Experiences

Lumen Studios is partnering with light and sound artist duo NONOTAK – made up of artists Noemi Schipfer and Takami Nakamoto – for their first solo London show at 47 Tanner Street in Bermondsey. Visitors will experience three light and sound installations: HIGHWAY, DUAL, and HIDDEN SHADOWS, as well as a handful of live performances on selected dates. “We want people to feel the power of light combined with sound and space and create a journey out of it,” NONOTAK told The Art Newspaper.

NONOTAK have previously displayed their kinetic and immersive experiences at Art Basel Miami Beach, ARTECHOUSE in Washington DC, and the Tate Britain, among others. Meanwhile Lumen Studios has a global network of over 400 artists, including Refik Anadol and Sougwen Chung, for whom it curates digital art installations the world over. “We want to demonstrate it is possible to use exhibitions as a platform to drive awareness of digital art and to scale our non-profit organisation, which is focused on the acceleration of art and technology,” Lumen Studios says. The WXO team will be heading to the preview show soon – stay tuned for our thoughts.

21. Boomtown Festival

Open: 7-11 August
Location: Hampshire UK
Experience Sector: Live Events, Immersive Experiences, Festivals

More than one WXO Member has been involved in the previous iterations of this immersive, theatrical festival in the UK countryside, which returns this year under the theme “Revolution of Imagination”. Boomtown describes itself as “a music festival, but not as you know it”, blending spectactular music performances with an ever-unfolding storyline taking place across several districts and where participants can choose to play along and even affect the outcome.

With two magnificent Opening and Closing Ceremonies, a hardcore commitment to sustainability, and 75,000 people to shepherd, it’s a masterclass in delivering immersive entertainment at scale (and one our Head of Content Olivia will be giving her thoughts on after the event). To read more from Boomtown crew past and present on how to build a world, check out Graham Macvoy’s 3 Worldbuilding Lessons From Wake The Tiger, Ramsay Wood’s Keep It Fake: Kayfabe, Taylor Swift & The Lies Of Unfiction, and Martin Coat on The Surprising Joy Of Pivoting Online.

20. Dream Hotel Room

Open now until 11 August 2024
Location: Basel, Switzerland
Experience Sector: Immersive Art, Functional Experiences

If you’ve ever wanted to delve deeper into the concept of lucid dreaming, get yourself down to this trailblazing summer show at the Fondation Beyeler in Basel, where you can book an hour-long sleep slot inside one of the exhibits. Created by Carsten Höller and Adam Haar, Dream Hotel Room takes inspiration from the latest advances in the neuroscience of dreaming, focusing on the idea of dream engineering and creating lucid flying dreams by introducing sound, sight and somatic stimulation during sleep.

Recent research has found that the brain continues to listen, feel and see during sleep; a discovery that has opened up channels to communicate with the unconscious mind in exciting new ways. Inside the exhibit you’ll see spinning toadstools floating above the bed lit by a red light set to the wavelength that’s meant to induce lucid dreams. On entering the bed, you’ll be hooked up to a monitor to measure your heart rate and breathing speed.

Once you’ve reached the half-awake state needed for guiding dreams, the bed will begin rocking to encourage you to dream of flying. Bed rocking has been shown to promote deep sleep, while changing the physical sensations in a sleeper’s body can direct their physical experiences in dreams and create sensations including flying. After your nap, visitors are asked to share their dreams with the project to see if the experiment has worked and lucid dreaming has been achieved. 

19. Taylor Swift Storybook Trail

Open now until 9 September 2024
Location: London, UK
Experience Sector: Museums, Fan Experience

Having lit up London during her sparkling summer tour, Eras, for those experiencing Taylor Swift withdrawal we bring you the happy news that the problem can be swiftly fixed with a trip to the V&A museum, which has launched the Taylor Swift Songbook Trail. Taking you on an immersive journey through the singer’s glittering career, the trail, made up of 13 stops, celebrates the creativity of her costumes, lyrics and music videos, from her collaboration with Tim McGraw to her latest album, The Tortured Poet’s Department Anthology. 

On display are costumes and props Taylor has worn or used onstage or in videos over the past 18 years, including the iconic black ruffle dress from her recent Fortnite video and debut-era custom cowboy boots from 2007. Coinciding with Swift’s return to London for a five-night stint this month, the exhibition features instruments, awards, storyboards and previously unseen archive footage exploring Swift’s childhood and recording legacy, making it a must for all diehard Swifties. 

18. Traitors Murder Mystery Cruise

Opens: 10-16 August 2024
Location: Croatia
Experience Sector: Immersive Travel, Competitive Socialising

If you’ve just binge watched series two of the American version of The Traitors and have been left with a Traitors-shaped hole in your life then you’re in luck, as Cruise Croatia are putting on a seven-night, Traitors-inspired voyage where you can play the game while on board. Departing from Dubrovnik on 10 August, the Murder Mystery Cruise, hosted by breakout Traitors UK star Wilf Webster – who nearly fooled the Faithfuls in season one – will take a similar format to the BBC show, in which a few passengers will be chosen as traitors and will seek to kill off all the faithful players with their wit and cunning in a bid to be crowned the winner.

The goal of the faithful players is to sniff out who the traitors are and have them thrown overboard. The winners will be announced at the end of the cruise and we’ve been assured that the voyage won’t take an Agatha Christie-like turn; there will be no death on the Adriatic. The game metrics have been put in place so everyone can join in from the start to the finish. There will also be plenty of time to explore a number of Croatia’s scenic islands, including Slano, Korcula, Vis, Hvar and Trogir via walking tours, wine tastings and welcome dinners. We love this interactive take on the cruising model.

17. Fanatics Fest

Opens: 16-18 August 2024
Location: New York, US
Experience Sector: Sport, Live Events, Fan Experience

If the Paris Olympics wasn’t enough, the summer of sport is ramping up a gear with the launch of Fanatics Fest in New York, a three-day sporting extravaganza that helps fans meet their heroes. Taking places at the Javits Center, the event takes in everything from basketball and American football to boxing and wrestling, and will include live appearances from dozens of pro athletes and celebrities, including NFL star Tom Brady, some of whom will participate in panels and activations.

We’re particularly excited about the revival and reimagining of rapper Jay-Z’s iconic 40/40 Club, which will be open to an invite-only list of athletes, celebrities and Fanatics Sportsbook VIP customers. New York stars including Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges, Henrik Lundqvist, Sabrina Ionescu, Carmelo Anthony, Hideki Matsui and Andy Pettitte are all confirmed to attend, as is boxing legend Mike Tyson, who will make a cameo at the event ahead of his fight with Jake Paul at the AT&T Stadium in Texas.

The sporting Mecca will also play host to live music performances. Attendees will have the chance to hunt for rare cards and memorabilia, score exclusive drops, shop for limited edition sports merch, and participate in interactive experiences such as running the 40-yard dash, an MLB Home Run Derby, NHL Slapshot Competition and Penalty Kick Challenge.

16. Hotel Dracula

Open now
Location: Paris, France
Experience Sector: VR, Horror

If you’re a fan of things that go bump in the night and find yourself in the City of Light this summer for the Paris Olympics, then a visit to the spooky new Hotel Dracula is a must. Guaranteed to break you out into a cold sweat on a hot summer night, the virtual reality horror experience is currently in full swing at Galeries Montparnasse. The hotel has been designed as a metaverse where you get to experience a waking nightmare via a first-person story that’s big on scares, making it suitable for those over 10.

During the 30-minute experience you’ll don a free-roaming VR headset  with integrated sound and explore the spine-tingling hotel that seeks to freak you out, thanks to cutting-edge tech and immersive narration. Expect startles aplenty as you follow instructions and make your way through the haunted hotel until you come to the final terrifying room full of starving giants looking for their next feed. Thanks to the high-tech headset, the experience is fluid.

15. Gone Wild Festival

Opens: 8-11 August (Norfolk), 22-25 August (Devon)
Location: Norfolk & Devon, UK
Experience Sector: Live Events, Festivals

TV adventurer Bear Grylls doesn’t like to sit still. This month you’ll find him in Norfolk and Dorset hosting his Gone Wild festival, a family-friendly event that encourages kids to get back to nature and explore the great outdoors. Featuring a packed line-up of bands, acts, and speakers, we’re most excited about the various different experiences on offer, which include an assault course, archery, abseiling, survival skills, axe and spear throwing, tree climbing, raft building and races, shelter construction, fire lighting, wild swimming, and a 50-foot mudslide. 

Taking place at Holkham Hall in Norfolk (8-11 August), and Powderham Castle in Devon (22-25 August), among the singers due to perform in Norfolk are Sam Ryder, McFly, Example, Reef, Scouting for Girls, and The Cuban Brothers, while James, The Feeling, Jake Shears, Ocean Colour Scene and Ash will complete the line-up at Gone Wild Devon. Grylls himself will be speaking at both events, as will explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes, who led the first north-south surface circumnavigation of the world in 1979-1982. Mr Motivator will make a cameo too. 

14. LUM

Open now until 15 August 2024
Location: Mexico City, Mexico
Experience Sector: Immersive Entertainment

Lighting up Mexico City this summer is LUM, an interactive, immersive experience at InSpace that takes visitors on a colour-drenched fantastical journey. Lasting approximately 45 minutes, the experience is formed of five immersive installations that transform into luminous landscape environments created by artists from Mexico, Colombia and Belgium.

As you walk through the space you’ll be enveloped in vibrant colours and dreamy visuals to the sounds of a bespoke score created specifically for the event. Stimulating all of your senses, LUM aims to help you connect more deeply with yourself, and help to spark creativity through the power of light. Reviewers have described the well executed experience as ‘magical’, ‘mysterious’, ‘introspective’ and ‘like walking through a living artwork’. 

13. The Reset

Opens: 10-11 August (North Carolina), 24 August (Colorado)
Location: Charlotte & Denver, US
Experience Sector: Wellness, Audio Experience

As anyone who attended our recent World Experience Summit in NYC will know, we love a good sound bath – so we’re delighted to hear that ‘magician of the soul’ Davin Youngs will be taking his The Reset sound healing experience across the US this summer. The first stop on the tour is the Booth Playhouse in Charlotte, North Carolina, which will be transformed into a sonic container for restoration and discovery. Fusing music and wellness, the immersive experience takes place on the floor, so attendees are asked to bring yoga mats with them to enjoy the sound bath in comfort. 

In Charlotte, yoga classes are being offered before the experience to dial up the good vibes. The experience promises to foster a feeling of community via exercises that draw participants into deep connection with themselves and each other. Integral to The Reset is an electro-acoustic immersion in sounds. Attendees can expect an hour-long ambient concert experienced lying down, which invites healing, while guided breathing and meditation practices bring participants into a full awareness of space, body and sound.

12. Aquascope

Open now
Location: Poitiers, France
Experience Sector: Themed Attractions

Meow Wolf and Moment Factory seem to have started a trend for immersive water parks, as news reaches us that a shiny new one has opened just outside the French city of Poitiers in time for the summer holidays. Called Aquascope, the €57m venue is the brainchild of French theme park Futuroscope, and features eight waterslides, including three giant slides, and four themed indoor universes created by Moment Factory called Les Abysses de Lumière designed to stimulate the senses through projection mapping, lighting and sound effects, and choreographed water effects.

Set across 6,000 square metres, the park boasts a ‘Sensations’ space for thrill-seekers featuring eight waterslides, while the ‘Kraki Rift’ is a colourful world for children with aquatic play experiences, five waterslides and interactive games. In the 4,500-square-metre outdoor area guests can enjoy a lazy river, a swimming pool and a beach during the summer months. Inside you’ll find Europe’s fist aquatic cinema that takes you into the heart of a wave, a cove featuring images of flora and fauna mapped onto the walls, a cave featuring an illuminated chasm, and an ocean overlooked by a starry sky where you can trip the light aquatic. 

11. Immerse LDN

Open August 2024
Location: London, UK
Experience Sector: Experience Anchors, Experience Districts

Is this the UK’s answer to AREA 15? London’s just got its own version of the Experience Districts trend we wrote about last year, with the long-awaited launch of Immerse LDN, part of the ExCel district in London’s Royal Docks. The 160,000sqft space is “set to be the UK’s largest immersive entertainment district, offering new afterhours and hospitality opportunities for the events industry,” launching with two big-ticket experiences, The Friends Experience and Formula 1: The Exhibition (see more below), alongside F&B offerings from street food collective KERB London.

Immerse LDN is part of a wider £300-million-pound investment programme into ExCeL’s venue campus and will become a major contributor to the wider Royal Docks regeneration plan, bringing an additional 2.5 million visitors to the area every year, as well as hundreds of new jobs. This is just stage one of its development, with new experiences, food and drink offerings, and post-event activities in the pipeline. We also hear that a little event called the World Experience Summit might be popping up there for its third edition next April-May…

10. The Friends Experience

Opens: 12 August 2024
Location: London, UK
Experience Sector: Themed Attractions, Fan Experience

Fans of Friends old and new can now get their fix in Blighty, as a new experience dedicated to the show opens in London this month. Expect nostalgia central and interactive set recreations at The Friends Experience: The One in London, which will take over ExCel. Visitors can step inside the action and mooch about on set, pose beside Rachel and Monica’s iconic purple door, lounge in Chandler and Joey’s recliners, and chill on the legendary orange couch. 

Fans will also get to enjoy exclusive behind-the-scenes insights from the show’s creators and storytelling from the costume designer for an immersive journey into the world of the show. Honouring its location, the UK version of the global experience will allow fans to walk through a recreated scene of Ross’s London wedding at a semi-demolished church and engage with a 3D interpretation of Joey’s London map. To top it off, you can end with a latte at Central Perk then swing by the gift shop to get your hands on some exclusive Friends merch. 

9. Formula 1: The Exhibition

Opens: 23 August 2024
Location: London, UK
Experience Sector: Themed Attractions, Fan Experience

The next experience to hit Immerse LDN is an immersive reimagining of the history of Formula 1 racing, and promises to “lift the curtain on one of sport’s greatest stories… with extensive contributions from F1’s greatest teams and drivers.”

Six rooms tell the story of the sport: Once Upon A Time In Formula 1 takes visitors on a journey through the sport’s defining moments, Design Lab offers a glimpse into how F1 teams develop the elements for each car, Drivers & Duels features interactive games and historic memorabilia, Revolution By Design showcases some of its most memorable cars, and The Pit Wall is a “six-minute extravaganza of light and sound that immerses visitors in the sensational 74-year story of Formula 1”.

8. Uzumasa Edo Sakaba

Opens: 24-25 August 2024
Location: Kyoto, Japan
Experience Sector: Live Events, F&B

Step back in time this August to Edo era Kyoto at a two-day festival dedicated to Japanese food and culture, involving oodles of sake. Attendees will feel fully immersed in the Edo era atmosphere via paper lanterns, live actors in period costume banging drums, ghost story readings, an ikebana salon, painting workshops, a casino playhouse, immersive mission ‘Where’s Ryoma’, and an ominous-sounding torture house. There will also be food and drink aplenty at the samurai bar, izakaya bar, noodle shop, shaved ice shop, beer and wine stands. 

The festival goes big on sake and a host of Kyoto-based sake breweries will gather at Studio Park to pour their wares. Special ochoko sake cups will be sold for 3,000 yen during the event, allowing visitors to compare the various sakes on show. For those keen to get into character yukatas (summer kimonos) can be hired especially for the festival to help transport you back in time. Food stalls will be serving dishes from some of the best restaurants in Kyoto, which you can enjoy while marvelling at the mysterious manoeuvrings of the samurai and geishas. 

7. Balloon Story

Open now until 24 August 2024
Location: New York, US
Experience Sector: Themed Attractions

New Yorkers wanting to indulge their inner child this month should hot foot it to Balloon Story at the Armory on Park Avenue, where 600,000 balloons have been turned into works of art. The exhibition features a series of large-scale inflatable sculptures and installations created by 200 contemporary artists, each telling a different story. Among the explored themes are iconic monuments from around the globe, an Americana display celebrating 4 July, a space installation, an Antarctica-like wonderland, and a room dedicated to ocean animals. 

No inflatable exhibition would be complete without a ball pit, which is present and correct, as is a balloon maze and ‘selfie square’ featuring a dozen installations that guests can take pictures inside. “This exhibition is a celebration of art and imagination,” says creative producer Erica Domesek. “Each installation is designed to evoke joy and wonder, providing a magical experience for visitors of all ages.” The show’s most impressive element is the mind-blowing artistry involved in recreating landmarks like the Statue of Liberty and Eiffel Tower. 

6. Nike Art Of Victory

Open now until 11 August 2024
Location: Paris, France
Experience Sector: Sport, Museums

Kicking off the Paris Olympics in style, Nike will be taking over the Centre Pompidou for a fortnight-long celebration of sport and culture. The Art of Victory exhibition will retrace the history of one of Nike’s most decorated innovations, Air, and its impact on the world of sport. The gallery will transport visitors into Nike’s vision of the future by showcasing the endless possibilities of Air and the next frontier of innovation, bringing together the world’s best athletes and Nike innovators alongside cutting-edge tech. 

Alongside the exhibition, Nike will turn the museum’s façade into a canvas that will host a series of immersive sport experiences, including videos and animations highlighting famous athletes and some of the masterpieces within the museum’s walls. Meanwhile, French artist Raphael Zarka and architect Jean-Benoît Vétillard’s skateable sculpture Cycloid Piazza invites the public to engage with a less traditional Olympic sport that has gained a lot of attention since its debut at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago. Heaven is a halfpipe… 

5. Hong Kong Contemporary Art Fair

Opens: 28 August until 8 September 2024
Location: Hong Kong
Experience Sector: Immersive Art, Live Events

The Hong Kong art scene has just got that little bit more interesting with the launch of the first edition of the Art021 Hong Kong contemporary the month, which will feature projects across multiple venues. Formed of five sections in collaboration with iconic art locations in town, the Galleries section will be in West Kowloon; Videos will be hosted in the Asia Society Hong Kong Center; Sculpture will be shown at Victoria Park and the Fringe Club; and the Expansion section sees special exhibitions, live performances and forums organised with the Fringe Club. 

Last but not least, the Greater Bay Area Art Week section is a platform for galleries, museums, and institutions in the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macau area that seeks to connect and promote visibility. The Art021 Group has been running the Art021 Shanghai Contemporary Art Fair for over a decade, so we’re excited to see what sort of creative conversations they’ll be bringing to Hong Kong at the show, which will see Hong Kong turned into an interactive art hub through a series of events set to be staged across the city. 

4. Brian Cox Symphonic Harmonies

Open now until 4 August
Location: London, UK
Experience Sector: Concerts, Live Events

If you like the idea of spending some time with one of the greatest minds on the planet, then don’t miss Symphonic Horizons at the Royal Opera House this month, where professor Brian Cox (of D:Ream fame) will join forces with conductor Dan Harding in a ground-breaking mash-up of music and science that includes an 86-strong symphony orchestra and huge LED screens. Bringing together extraordinary imagery and some of the greatest orchestral music ever written, Cox examines cosmic ideas and creates the links between cosmology and music by Mahler, Strauss and Sibelius.

Reminding us of what it means to be human, the concert will intersperse the likes of Richard Strauss’s ‘Also sprach Zarathustra’ with Cox’s mind-melting musings. “I start the show by saying: what does it mean to live a finite, fragile life in an infinite, eternal universe?’ Cox told Time Out. “Nobody knows the answer. I strongly believe that music, and for that matter, literature and the arts, are all sorts of different lights you can shine on the same problem of existence.”

3. Dreamskape

Open now
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Experience Sector: Immersive Entertainment

Helping to brighten up the dark nights of the Australian winter is Dreamskape, Australia’s new, hyper-futuristic multi-media sensory entertainment complex at District Docklands. Utilising immersive light, sound and movement inside an augmented reality environment with no visual aids, visitors will discover new worlds and experiences and will be invited to play, watch and interact with cutting-edge tech that will see them venture into outer space, under the sea and into a prehistoric jungle, providing people with plenty of Insta-worthy shots. 

The journey into the augmented reality entertainment complex begins with being greeted at the door by a robot, who welcomes you over the threshold into a new reality. The complex features six activity zones with more than 100 games and 50 different immersive experiences, and is the first of its kind in the country. No headsets are required here as everything is visible to the naked eye. The family friendly space includes multiple game rooms, a 540-degree cinematic experience, an augmented reality rollercoaster and lashings of contemporary art.

2. The Eiffel Tower Effect

Open now
Location: Paris, France
Experience VR, Immersive Entertainment

Keen to be down with the kids, Paris landmark the Eiffel Tower has launched a virtual-reality adventure experience charged with suspense and excitement called Eiffel Tower Effect on its first floor in time for the Olympic Games. Designed by experience start-up Mira, the journey begins when teams of two to four people are fitted with virtual reality headsets and are transported to a parallel world aboard a Zeppelin flying around the tower. 

There you’ll discover that your mission is to resolve a series of space-time loopholes, finding the lost fragments of the tower on each floor and repairing these glitches to preserve its past and present. Tasked with being the timekeepers of the landmark, at the end of the experience, if you complete the mission you’ll win the chance to take part in a night flight around the illuminated Eiffel Tower. The experiences is recommended for children aged 11 and over. 

1. Burning Man

Opens: 25 August until 2 September
Location: Nevada, US
Experience Live Events, Immersive Art

Burning Man is back with a bang this year, and will see thousands of revellers gathering in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert to create Black Rock City, a temporary metropolis dedicated to community, art, self-expression and self-reliance. Within this crucible of creativity and commerce-free society where all are welcome, over 80,000 people will convene and camp out in the desert, which this year will feature an alien-themed ski resort.

The theme for this year is Curiouser and Curiouser, inspired by Alices Adventures In Wonderland. Revellers will be encouraged to embrace the power of wonder through the irrational and the absurd, the thinking being that we learn, grow and create best when consumed by curiosity. This year festival-goers will see more environmentally conscious art than ever, as many of the artists taking part are powering their projects sustainably.

The centrepiece of the festival will be the Burning Man temple, a space for contemplation and reflection designed by artist Caroline Ghosn with help from Kamai Studio. Combining elements of Gothic church architecture with Lebanese weaving techniques, her 70 foot Temple of Together structure will be lit on fire at the end of the event. Brace yourself for a transformative experience in the desert, which will take you down the rabbit hole and may lead to heightened feelings of connectedness. In the words of the festival’s former Head of Tech Heather Gallagher at this year’s World Experience Summit: “The Struggle Is Real”, but worth it…

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