Immersive experiences in London, from playing a life-sized version of an iconic board game to stepping into a famous painting, are hugely popular. Get ready to dive in…
The best immersive experiences in London
The Twist Museum
Situated on Oxford Street, London’s main shopping thoroughfare, the Twist Museum (the name is an acronym of The Way I See Things) was developed in collaboration with artists, neuroscientists and philosophers. An immersive and absorbing experience, the museum takes you through a series of mind-bending optical illusions and puzzles that will leave you questioning what’s real and what’s imagined. It’s full of photo opportunities, so keep your camera handy.
The Crystal Maze
Fans of the much-loved 1990s game show The Crystal Maze can immerse themselves in nostalgia by playing the real-life version. Guided by the ‘maze master’, teams are put through their paces across four themed zones – Aztec, Industrial, Futuristic or Medieval – tackling a series of fiendish challenges, puzzles and tests of daring. You’ll even get the chance to don the iconic satin bomber jackets from the show for the full immersive experience.
Faulty Towers The Dining Experience
Celebrating its 15th year in the UK, Faulty Towers The Dining Experience, based on the much-loved BBC TV series, puts you at the centre of the action. This madcap tribute is one of the best immersive experiences in London. The audience become diners in the ‘Faulty Towers’ restaurant. Hilarity ensues as Basil, Sybil and Manuel attempt to keep the show on the road and diners have a front-row seat of the comically chaotic scenes.
Monopoly Lifesized
For decades, Monopoly has been the nation’s favourite board game, and now you can recreate this race to riches on an altogether different scale. Hosted by the iconic Monopoly ‘tokens’, players compete against the clock on a 15m x 15m Monopoly board, undertaking fun challenges and escape room-type puzzles for the chance to win properties at famous Monopoly addresses. Just be sure to stay out of jail…
Mamma Mia! The Party
Mamma Mia! is the ultimate feel-good film, and now you recreate the experience of a sun-soaked Greek summer in not-so-sunny London. At Mamma Mia! The Party, guests are transported to the isle of Skopelos, taking their seats at Nikos’ family-run taverna to enjoy a four-course Greek feast as the story of family life in the taverna unfolds around them. It wouldn’t be a Mamma Mia! tribute without Abba, and the finale is a fabulous disco, where guests can be glittering Dancing Queens for the night.
Frameless
Experiential is the new buzzword in art – why look at a picture on a wall when you can step into it for a multi-sensory experience? Frameless in Marble Arch features four galleries in which you can see some of the world’s greatest works of art from a new perspective. In ‘Beyond Reality’, Salvador Dalí’s Surrealist works become even more so as oversized clocks melt down the walls, while ‘The Art of Abstraction’ offers a head-spinning take on the colourful works of Kandinsky and Klimt.
frameless.com
Outernet Global
The Outernet District on Tottenham Court Road is an ‘immersive entertainment district’ amid the buzz of the West End. This subterranean entertainment venue has, at ground level, an immersive space with vast audio-visual displays projecting everything from mesmerising Magic Eye-style patterns to Renaissance paintings. The best bit? It’s open to the street and completely free, so you’ll often see shoppers or commuters here taking a pause from the London whirl.
Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter
Follow in Harry Potter’s footsteps by visiting the Warner Bros Studio Tour, an immersive journey through the making of the iconic films. Go behind the scenes to see familiar sets, from the Forbidden Forest to Diagon Alley, as well as authentic props and original costumes worn by the actors. A highlight is Gringotts Wizarding Bank, a world rich with Galleons, Sickles, Knuts and goblins. Hogwarts in the Snow (until 14 January) sees the Great Hall lined with Christmas trees, a festive feast laid out on the long tables and the Hogwarts Castle model dusted with snow.
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