Welcome to this month’s round-up of Extraordinary Experiences across all experience sectors and around the globe.
June is in full bloom and we’re gearing up for an incredible month of sport, with the FIFA World Cup set to kick off in Mexico City on 11 June. If you can pry yourself from your TV sets then there’s a whole host of incredible experiences to enjoy this month. At Somerset House in London, Holy Pop explores the phenomenon of celebrity fandom and idol worship, while in San Francisco sacred experience Nākaloka aims to fill the religious void in our secular society.
Magic is also on the menu this month, in two very different forms. On the Danish island of Zealand, witches from around the globe will unite for four days of spells, campfire rituals, forest walks, dream evocation sessions, initiation rituals and tarot and palm readings. Over in London The Magician’s Table has a new home at The Vaults in Waterloo and a reimagined concept featuring extended routines, new magicians, tableside tricks and quirky cocktails.
Brand experiences are also in the spotlight. Hot on the heels of Café Lacoste in Paris comes the Louis Vuitton Hotel pop-up in London’s Mayfair boasting an Art Deco café serving desserts with LV monograms and a speakeasy bar in the basement hosting live DJ sets. In the Big Apple, Prada has taken over the Hotel Chelsea with its immersive, multi-day experience called Satellites II, turning guest rooms into micro TV studios hosting original performances.
And if that wasn’t enough there’s a packed roster of immersive art experiences going on around the globe. In Mexico City surrealist artist Leonora Carrington’s fantastical worlds have been brought to life by Cocolab, while Argentinian op artist Julio Le Parc gets a well-deserved retrospective at London’s Tate Modern. In LA, Refik Anadol’s long-awaited AI art mecca, Dataland, will open its doors with an olfactory experience co-created with L’Oreal Luxe.
18. Holy Pop
Open now until 9 August 2026
Location: London, UK
Experience Sector: Fan Experience
From Elvis and the Beatles to Marilyn Monroe and Princess Diana, putting public figures on pedestals so we can idolise them like gods is nothing new. But in our increasingly secular age, celebrity has become the new religion and stars are worshipped with as much fervour as a born again Christian worships Jesus. So much so, that ‘parasocial’ (a one-sided emotional connection between a fan and a celebrity) was Cambridge Dictionary’s official word of 2025. Perfect timing then for Somerset House’s free exhibition, Holy Pop, which looks at the quirky world of contemporary shrines, fan memorabilia, and how idolising pop stars and screen sirens has become a modern form of devotion. Set across three rooms, the show explores how being a superfan shapes our identities and unites us in acts of collective worship.
Its first space, The Personal Spark, explores the intimate nature of devotion and what draws us to the figures we idolise. The Communal Mourning space looks at how strangers come together in moments of grief to share memories and commemorate public figures, while Domestic Shrines shines a light on the extreme fan practice of creating spaces of worship for their idols using everything from fridge magnets to magazine posters. Look out for shrines dedicated to Dolly Parton and Prince, and Nina Simone’s chewing gum in the show’s final room, rescued from the Royal Festival Hall’s stage floor by musician Warren Ellis in 1999 during what would turn out to be her last UK performance. Through artworks, videos and fan merch, Holy Pop highlights the importance of connection and community in our digital age.
17. Superman Experience: Defenders Unite
Open now
Location: Los Angeles, US
Experience Sector: Themed Attractions
Whether yours was the Christopher Reeve, Dean Cain or Henry Cavill era, you can live out your Superman fantasies at a new walkthrough experience at the Warner Bros. Studios lot in Hollywood. Called Superman Experience: Defenders Unite, the live gameplay attraction gives DC fans the chance to unlock their super powers. Inside you’ll get to enjoy the feeling of flying alongside Superman with the help of next-generation motion capture technology, 3D glasses, and high-definition audio. Inspired by James Gunn’s 2025 film Superman, the experience features an original storyline in which players are recruited by Superman and receive Kryptonian abilities to aid the superhero in an epic battle against DC villain, Darkseid.
The experience features interactive props, a doghouse of solitude mini game where fans can play catch with Krypto; a two-player puzzle where guests can activate the Phantom Zone Projector, and Instagram-worthy photo opps including a life-sized audio animatronic of Gary, Superman’s Kryptonian robot companion. “Superman Experience: Defenders Unite gives guests the chance to step into the world of DC’s storytelling in a fun and immersive way, allowing fans to create memories while celebrating the world’s greatest super hero,” says Danny Kahn, vice president of Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood. The experience is a separate ticketed attraction from the studio tour and is sold as an add-on.
16. Witch Summer Camp
Opens: 4-8 June 2026
Location: Bidstrup Skovene near Hvalsø, Denmark
Experience Sector: Collective Ritual
If you think you might be in possession of magical powers then why not put them to the test at the world’s first Witch Summer Camp near Hvalsø on the Danish island of Zealand. The four-day experience will see you venture deep into the forest where you’ll convene with an international coven of fellow witches to cast spells, dance barefoot around the fire in the moonlight, and call in the unseen with ancient rituals. Organised by the Copenhagen Occult Club, the summer camp includes magic workshops, campfire rituals, forest walks, dream evocation sessions, initiation rituals, sunrise yoga, breathwork sessions, tarot and palm readings, a séance, and a death and rebirth closing ceremony.
Promising the chance to forge new connections and feel a sense of belonging, the women-only event has been designed for ‘practicing witches who are already immersed in their craft’. Its workshops and rituals reflect that level of experience and aim to challenge, deepen, and expand participants’ understanding of magic and the occult. Expect collective movement, chanting, offerings, visualisation, and spellwork rooted around Scandinavian witchcraft traditions. And while magic will very much be on the menu, we’re happy to report thatthere will be no animal sacrifices or summoning of dangerous entities. The goal is to bring people together, awaken awe, and inspire transformation through group rituals.
15. Monopoly Steakhouse
Monopoly Steakhouse, Mexico
Open now
Location: Monterrey, Mexico
Experience Sector: Immersive Dining
If you like your sirloin with a side of competitive socialising then the world’s first Monopoly Steakhouse in Mexico is worth the detour. The brainchild of Timeless Brands and Hasbro, the quirky dining concept was inspired by the classic property board game and aims to set a new benchmark for premium licensed dining experiences. Located in San Pedro Garza García in Mexico’s affluent Monterrey district, the restaurant promises a high-end culinary experience that immerses diners in the aesthetic of the Monopoly universe. Expect whimsical interiors full of clever hat-tips to the game. The menu includes lobster rolls, beef carpaccio, pork ribs, and a choice of seven prime cuts, from fillet and rib-eye to and New York and porterhouse.
Don’t miss the ‘high stakes croissant’ for dessert and the restaurant’s 15 signature cocktails, which include the Moonshine, made with London Dry Gin, pineapple juice and Angostura bitters. Before or after dinner you can head to the bar for a live music performance then swing by the in-house boutique to stock up on official Monopoly merch. “Monopoly Steakhouse is not just a restaurant; it’s an experience where luxury and nostalgia meet,” says Adrián J Romero, CEO of Timeless Brands. “We’ve created something that feels both unexpected and instantly familiar: a destination where fans can step into the world of Monopoly, enjoy a great meal, and make lasting memories,” adds Matt Proulx of Hasbro.
14. Quentin Blake Centre For Illustration
Open now
Location: London, UK
Experience Sector: Museums
Best known for his memorable drawings within Roald Dahl’s books, national treasure Quentin Blake has been honoured in London through the opening of the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration in Clerkenwell, the world’s largest space dedicated to illustration. Featuring a library, creative studio, gardens, café, and a gift shop, the space will host a rotating roster of exhibitions shining a light on illustrators past and present. Located in a restored waterworks, the centre will open with three exhibitions: Quentin Blake: Performance, Queer as Comics, and Murugiah: Ever Feel Like. From acrobatics and Greek comedy to Shakespearean drama, Quentin Blake: Performance offers a rare opportunity to explore Blake’s theatrical influences via 100 original works.
Included in the show are rarely-seen illustrations from opening night performances, such as his depiction of Laurence Olivier’s iconic turn in The Entertainer (1957) and original drawings for Roald Dahl’s The Enormous Crocodile (1978), inspired by the crocodile from Victorian Punch and Judy shows. Queer as Comics, meanwhile, celebrates 80 years of LGBTQIA+ comics, showcasing original works by more than 60 artists from around the world. The show traces comics, strip cartoons, graphic novels and zines that have represented LGBTQIA+ perspectives since the 1940s, from the UK’s first gay comic strip to the first gay superhero. Highlights include drawings from Tove Jansson’s 1954 Moomin cartoon strip for the London Evening News and works by Kate Charlesworth, Rupert Kinnard and David Shenton.
13. The Edge At Hudson Yards
Open now
Location: New York
Experience Sector: Immersive Entertainment
Not to be confused with U2’s lead guitarist, The Edge at Hudson Yards in Manhattan has had a summer glow-up. New York’s highest outdoor sky deck has expanded its experience, moving it beyond its breath-taking views. The journey begins before you step out onto its glass floor 1,100 feet above the city. Design firm Journey, multimedia studio Moment Factory and NYC-based design outfit SOFTlab have reimagined the indoor journey, turning it into a multisensory experience that runs from the ground floor right up to the 100thfloor. Even the lift journey that whizzes you up to the viewing deck has been turned into an immersive environment, making what could be a non-event into a memorable cinematic experience.
The result is a series of installations that feel like part of a connecting dream sequence. In the Pulse room New York’s characteristic high energy is represented in waves of light, colour and sound that move around you. In the Crystal Cave, a glowing landscape of jewel-like forms shifts with the sun, meaning it will be a completely different experience depending on the time of day you visit. Infinite City breaks the skyline into fragmented, luminous towers, making you feel like you’ve stepped inside a kaleidoscope version of Manhattan. The redesign, which includes new food, cocktails, and a permanent incarnation of outdoor live DJ space the Marquee Skydeck, makes the attraction more of a place to linger and revisit.
12. KAWS: Art & Comix
Open now until 27 September 2026
Location: Vienna, Austria
Experience Sector: Immersive Art
If you’re a fan of internationally renowned American artist and designer KAWS then head to the Albertina Modern in Vienna, which is hosting a retrospective of his works. Called KAWS: Art & Comix, the show explores the intersection of fine art and popular culture, delving into the universal language of comics, cartoons and graphic storytelling, and showcasing the iconic works of KAWS alongside a selection of contemporary artists. Born Brian Donnelly in 1974, KAWS is famous for blurring the boundaries between fine art, popular culture, and commercial merchandise. He first emerged in the ‘90s as a graffiti artist, painting over public advertisements with his signature skull-and-crossbones motif.
His practice has expanded to include larger-than-life figurative sculptures made from bronze, wood, and inflatable materials, which are often melancholic in nature. Look out for pieces such as Time Off (2021) and Space (2023), which will be on display alongside works by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, Joyce Pensato and Peter Saul that demonstrate how comics and animated storytelling have transcended national and social boundaries. Other highlights include Katherine Bernhardt’s Pink Panther paintings, Magdalena Suarez Frimkess’ ceramic figures, and Isolde Maria Joham’s manga-inspired canvases. The show places KAWS in conversation with artists who share his playful yet critical approach to high and low culture.
11. Louis Vuitton Hotel Pop-Up
Open now until 27 September 2026
Location: Vienna, Austria
Experience Sector: Immersive Art
We recently wrote about French sports brand Lacoste opening a café in Paris where you can buy stripy green croissants and desserts shaped like its iconic tennis shirts. And now luxury powerhouse Louis Vuitton is in on the act with the opening of a pop-up hotel in London. Allowing fans of the brand to step inside the Louis Vuitton universe, the Mayfair pop-up was created to mark the 130th anniversary of its iconic monogram, created in 1896 by Georges Vuitton both as a tribute to his father and as a way of combatting counterfeits. While you sadly can’t actually stay overnight, the hotel includes a restaurant, bar, repair shop, and a series of immersive rooms inspired by some of the brand’s most recognisable creations.
With LV monograms adorning everything from fireplaces to newspaper adverts, at the Keepall Lobby a concierge offers repairs and restoration services to any guests who need it. On the first floor you’ll find the Art Deco-inspired Café Alma, modelled on LV’s Alma handbag, (launched in 1934), where you can sip Champagne and feast on lobster rolls and truffle fries followed by an apple and hazelnut praline dessert topped with LV’s floral monogram. The Speedy Room features a hidden ‘safe room’ showcasing the colourful Speedy P9 designs by men’s creative director Pharrell Williams, while Bar Noé on the lower ground floor is a cosy, Prohibition era-inspired space serving Champagne cocktails and hosting live DJ sets.
10. Nākaloka
Opens: 3-12 June 2026
Location: San Francisco & New York, US
Experience Sector: Immersive Audio, Wellness
As we mentioned earlier, we’re living in an increasingly secular world, but we still want something to believe in. Immersive sacred experience Nākaloka is here to fill that void. With events in San Francisco and New York this month, the experience aims to awaken the senses and take participants on a shared journey of inner reflection through candlelight, song, mystic storytelling and recitation. The brainchild of Månika Dogra and Victorien, nonprofit Nākaloka’s intention is to guide attendees towards universal truths that transcend dogma. Its often free events offer a path towards inner transformation and communal upliftment.
The experience at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco lasts two hours and, to make it inclusive to all, can be paid for with donations and gifted free tickets. In collaboration with Urban Angels SF, the concert raises funds to give hope to children facing homelessness in the city through year-round educational support. The event ends with a ‘closing circle’ featuring light snacks and herbal teas. Nākaloka’s founders are on a mission to create a bridge between immersive sacred experience and global philanthropy “to help build a new world where people live in harmonious contribution towards the greater good”. Amen to that.
9. Coldplay: A Film For The Future
Opens: 5 June 2026
Location: Paris, France
Experience Sector: Immersive Entertainment
British pop-rock sensation Coldplay has released a film to accompany their new album, Moon Music. Called Coldplay: A Film for the Future, a 360-degree version with spatialised sound is being screened this month at Atelier des Lumières in Paris. Devised by Culturespaces, the 45-minute film allows fans to step inside Coldplay’s world. Described by executive producer Ben Mor as: “a kaleidoscopic multimedia tapestry”, the visual accompaniment to Moon Music was created by over 150 visual artists from 45 countries. Each artist was given a handful of snippets from Moon Music and asked to create their own visuals inspired by the music.
They were given no guidelines and had no knowledge of other artists’ creations. The result is a 360° immersion where sound and image merge to create a hypnotic audio-visual experience filling every wall, floor and ceiling of the Atelier des Lumières with explosions of colours, minimalist poetry and song lyrics. Somewhere between a group listening session and an art installation, the experience blurs the lines between music and contemporary art. “We’re grateful to all the amazing artists who lent their visual genius to this film. They’ve made something very beautiful and we’re extremely proud of it,” Coldplay said.
8. The Magician’s Table
Opens: 4 June 2026
Location: London, UK
Experience Sector: Immersive Entertainment
One of London’s most sought-after immersive nights out, The Magicians Table on Tanner Street has done a disappearing act, popping up this month at its new home: The Vaults in Waterloo. Telling the story of Dieter Roterburg, a legendary magician and carnival owner whose recent death sets the stage for an unforgettable evening, the experience unfolds as a piece of immersive theatre, with actors and magicians interacting with the audience and performing illusions at their tables, where inventive cocktails can be ordered.
The new Waterloo venue will introduce an expanded format featuring extended routines, new magicians joining the rotating cast, a new cocktail menu, a permanent cocktail bar, late-night show sessions running until 2am and new weekend matinée shows. The opening week will include a series of special performances and guest appearances, giving audiences the chance to experience the show at its most ambitious. “The Vaultsopens up a whole new range of creative possibilities for the show, making it more magical and more immersive than ever,” says executive producer Tom Greenwood-Mears.
7. Prada Mode New York Satellites II
Opens: 3-7 June 2026
Location: New York, US
Experience Sector: Brand Experience
We’ve got the Louis Vuitton pop-up hotel in London, and across the pond in New York, Italian fashion house Prada has created an immersive, multi-day experience called Satellites II, the 14th iteration of Prada Mode, atthe iconic Hotel Chelsea. Masterminded in collaboration with Danish film director Nicolas Winding Refn and Japanese game creator Hideo Kojima, the project expands on Satellites (2025), an exhibition exploring love, language, and creativity. Satellites II unfolds across the architecture of the hotel, spanning public, domestic, and intimate spaces. A spatial narrative reflects the balance between private environments and collective accessibility, while a science fiction aesthetic reimagines the historic setting.
Open to private members on 3-4 June, select guest rooms will function as micro television studios, hosting original performances for invited guests. The same spaces open up to the public from 5-7 June, shifting perception and use. Site-specific works extend throughout the hotel and across New York, centering on Refn and Kojima’s ongoing exchange of ideas, images, and obsessions. The result is an expansive reflection on connection, imagination, and shared artistic vision. A series of talks, concerts, screenings, performances, and reinterpreted broadcast formats accompanies the exhibition, alongside curated dining experiences.
6. Leonora Carrington: Magical Labyrinth
Open now until 30 August 2026
Location: Mexico City, Mexico
Experience Sector: Immersive Art
British-born, Mexico-based Surrealist artist Leonora Carrington is the latest painter to get the immersive treatment in her adopted home of Mexico City. The brainchild of Cocolab and developed in collaboration with the Consejo Leonora Carrington, the 45-minute experience is built around 11 original monumental sculptures by the artist set within immersive surreal environments. Sound, texture, light, scent, and scale allow you not only to observe them, but to step inside her kooky dream world filled with symbolism and fantastical beings. The show includes original engravings, lithographs, and personal objects belonging to Carrington.
One of the most important artists of the twentieth century, Carrington painted labyrinths throughout her life to make a philosophical statement: only those willing to get lost have the chance to find themselves. Magic Labyrinth transforms that metaphor into reality. Inside you can explore an immersive labyrinth where surrealism comes to life through monumental sculptures, art, and immersive spaces inspired by the artist Surrealism’s founder André Breton called ‘the ambassador of the other side endowed with visionary powers’.
5. Julio Le Parc
Opens: 11 June until 3 May 2026
Location: London, UK
Experience Sector: Immersive Art
Before AI and immersive art installations there was for Julio Le Parc, the OG when it comes to participatory kinetic artworks that use light, movement and mirrored surfaces to surprise and draw in the viewer. The still active, 97-year-old Argentinian artist was a key figure of the Kinetic and Op Art movements of the 1960s. Quite rightly, he’s been given a major, year-long retrospective at the Tate Modern that celebrates his visionary seven-decade career, spanning from his arrival in Paris in the late 1950s to his resurgence in the 2010s, with over 60 colourful, immersive works that will make your Instagram feed pop.
Turning passive visitors into active participants, the works are at turns playful and mesmerising. Featuring his striking interactive installations, shimmering light sculptures, and large-scale geometric paintings, the show spans an extraordinary career. A pioneer of making art for everyone to enjoy, Le Parc wants his artworks to be a conversation with the viewer, whose experience of and interaction with them brings them to life. The show explores the depth and diversity of Le Parc’s output via trailblazing installations, canvases and works on paper that experiment with colour combinations and dynamic visual effects.
4. National Geographic Museum Of Exploration
Opens: 26 June 2026
Location: Washington D.C, US
Experience Sector: Museums
The hotly anticipated National Geographic Museum of Exploration in Washington D.C. will finally open its doors this month on 26 June. Spanning 100,000-square-foot, the museum will host curated interactive exhibitions and immersive and educational experiences powered by cutting-edge tech. In addition to exhibition spaces, the US$300 million venue includes a state-of-the-art theatre, an expansive international food hall called Explorers Eatery, and a retail outlet. Highlights of the museum include The Archives, which celebrates the National Geographic Society’s legacy of storytelling, and the Rolex Explorers Landing experience.
The museum will be home to a permanent exhibition called ‘In Focus: Photographs of National Geographic’, a curated display of NG’s most powerful and enduring images. The opening show in the exhibition gallery, Photo Ark: Animals of Earth, features portraits by photographer Joel Sartore and encourages visitors to take action to protect local wildlife. Other attractions include a 400-seat theatre that surrounds visitors in audiovisuals from National Geographic films and stories, and an outdoor nighttime experience featuring projection mapping, interactive media and soundscapes. We’re on the next flight to D.C.
3. James Turrell: As Seen Below – The Dome
Opens: 19 June 2026
Location: Aarhus, Denmark
Experience Sector: Immersive Art
American light artist James Turrell has created his most ambitious Skyspace to date, which is currently on display in Aarhus in Denmark. Called As Seen Below – The Dome, it forms part of the ARoS collection, Denmark’s largest art collection outside Copenhagen. The large-scale artwork, Turrell’s 100th Skyspace, invites visitors to slow down and perceive the world anew. “The architecture brings the sky close, so you realise that the very act of seeing is the artwork itself,” Turrell says of the architectural space with an opening to the sky.
In Open Sky mode, the domed chamber appears limitless with an open view of the sky, removing familiar points of reference and allowing the sky to appear as a pure field of colour. In Colour Shift mode, the opening to the sky is sealed, transforming the viewer experience. It’s no longer the sky that takes centre stage, but light and colour. Attention focuses on the structure itself: walls dissolve into light, and the space appears to shift. Light is revealed as something tangible: a material that both shapes and permeates the space around you.
Colour Shift mode takes place every hour during the museum’s opening hours from May to August. For the rest of the year, they occur every second hour between sunrise and sunset. In Twilight, the aperture is open to the sky, and the light within the Skyspace gradually changes colour in tandem with the sun rising or setting. Turrell, a central figure in California’s Light and Space movement of the 1960s, has worked with light, space and the sky for more than half a century. Having trained as a pilot, his aerial encounters inspired his artistic vision.
2. In Other Worlds
Open now until 6 September 2026
Location: London, UK
Experience Sector: Immersive Art
Filmmaker and speculative architect Liam Young’s bold new exhibition at the Barbican invites you to step into the future. Young’s imaginary worlds take over various locations across the venue, asking visitors to imagine what the future of humanity could look like. Through an immersive experience created in collaboration with leading voices from film, TV, literature and science, In Other Worlds brings together films, audio stories, tapestries, soundscapes and costumes by Ane Crabtree who designed for The Handmaid’s Tale, in a series of imagined futures for our planet rooted in real technology and climate-based possibilities.
Young’s first major UK solo exhibition, the show features the voices of Diego Luna, Richard Ayoade, Jeffrey Wright and Maxine Peake. Visitors get to see, hear and interact with different potential future worlds, each anchored by a film developed by Young’s studio in LA. The artworks explore the consequences of the decisions we make: Young wants us to step away from dystopia and imagine a hopeful future. The exhibition takes attendees on a journey through six possible future worlds featuring immersive soundscapes, projections, movie miniatures and speculative artefacts. “Our relationship to the future has always been shaped by the medium of imaginary worlds. It’s an extraordinary shared language,” Young says.
1. Machine Dreams: Rainforest
Opens: 20 June until 31 January 2027
Location: Los Angeles, US
Experience Sector: Immersive Art
Refik Anadol’s long-awaited AI arts Mecca, Dataland in LA, has teamed up with L’Oréal Luxe to create a sensory art experience for its inaugural exhibition, Machine Dreams: Rainforest. Co-founded by Anadol and Efsun Erkılıç, the museum is set to open on 20 June in downtown LA. To kick things off, L’Oréal has created a dozen unique ‘olfactive imprints’ that visitors will experience as ‘living scents’. Drawing from Anadol Studio’s Large Nature Model (LNM), created after spending time in 16 rainforests, nature-inspired scents will be emitted through the venue’s smart-diffuser devices, which respond to the artworks and visitors movements.
Among the scents you’ll be able to sniff as you wind your way through the forest are the smell of humid earth after the rain, and, slightly more surreally, the scent of ‘data’, which aims to replicate the algorithmic pulsation of code in olfactory form. “By combining artworks with a unique fragrance model, we are no longer just visualising data, we’re breathing life into it,” Anadol said. “Together with L’Oréal Luxe we’re pushing the boundaries of what art can be.” Machine Dreams: Rainforest unfolds across Dataland’s five galleries, serving as a narrative of a deepening relationship between machine intelligence and the natural world.
