House of Immersive

In a ‘small-scale revolt against a highly deodorized world and online-dating’, Bompas & Parr are have created their very own speed dating event lol pheromones do attract us to our significant others! 

There are no rules on cleanliness, all odour levels and hairstyles are welcome, however every participant will smell each other before grading their reactions on cards. Tickets are £10 and include entry to the famous Alcoholic Architecture bar and a welcome drink upon arrival. If I was single I would get involved.. :p

I have booked my tickets and I am pretty sure I am already scared lol like actually worried I may poo during this new zombie immersive experience Virtually Dead. At least it may prepare me for Secret Cinema’s 28 Days Later win April/May. 

Anyways this new immersive experience is in a secret east London location for two weeks from 17th March. The experience was stand out to me because it uses virtual reality headsets, these give a 360-degree view of the forbidden land and a cast of 23 creepy zombie actors. What scares me is being in a VR post-apocalyptic world among zombie’s that can touch me!! SHIT! All though I like the idea of being around zombie fighting comrades that can fight them off me. The mission is to save the world. Standard!

Secret Cinema, I can’t believe you are doing a Zombie immersive cinema experience!! This is going to be so bloody scary... Your first ever horror... I/they are proud to say it will be Danny Boyle's critically acclaimed 28 Days Later. As per normal it will be held in a secret London location from April 14th until May 29th. Tickets for the London event will be available at 1pm tomorrow, Thursday, 3rd March, click here to buy.

Plus Secret Cinema are announcing they will be opening up nationwide later this year, in secret cities somewhere in the UK. Apparently you can find the clues on buildings around the country.

You say you want a revolution? Records and rebels 1966-70. Thats this years V&A controversial extremely exciting somewhat immersive exhibition (10 September 2016 – 26 February 2017). The exhibition will explore the optimism, ideals and aspirations of the late 1960s, expressed through some of the greatest music, performances, fashion, film, design and political activism. The sound experience is by Sennheiser and it will transport you to the sixties as you experience (or some will re-live) the spirit and music of that era. Imagine LSD infused light installations and trippy sound effects. If the V&A’s Alexander McQueen exhibition is anything to go off, this should be truly provocative.

Ok this is a little bit of a tease as there is actually no current events on but worth keeping an eye on. The Pale Blue Door is a travelling gypsy restaurant of curious cabaret and magical trinkets. I went to the christmas special, imagine walking through a single door to find a cluttered magical grandmothers bedroom with a twist, I utterly adored it. From drag queens to teas-cosies to dollhouses, it had it all. Created first in the home of set designer Tony Hornecker. 

Backyard Cinema are back again to share a unique immersive cinema experience, Romeo + Juliet. The screening is in a real church (St Mary's Church) with a live choir and key characters. Tickets are around £24 and are currently sold out BUT if you go through the TimeOut link tickets are still avavlible.

I know this sounds weird (amazing) but there is a 75 minute immersive theatre experience of Trainspotting this February at the Kings Head Theatre . Probably not the best one for Valentines Day though. Lol. In fact this show is the sell-out Edinburgh hit. Trainspotting is a punchy, frightening experience that recaptures the passion and controversy of the famous novel and film, but then transforming it into an immersive production. You will be part of this twisted tale.

I think Dans le noir London was one of my first immersive dining experiences before I even knew what immersive was! It’s a true ‘human and sensory culinary experience’. It’s an unbelievable trip of eating and drinking in pitch black darkness. This idea might seem a little strange, but by blocking one sensor, site, you unleash all your other senosors and surroundings. The best part for me was being led by truly confidant blind guides through this epic journey.

The wondrous Waterloo Vaults is again home to a immersive theatre experiences, this time a creepy adaptation of R.L Stine’s spine-tingling Goosebumps Alive. These tales are created for you to explore, with a wacky underworld of sticky goo, neon ghosts and creepy scares. Running time is 90 minutes. The event runs from 6th April 2016 for adults and from 14th May 2016 for kids.

Over the weekend I was in Paris for the Venise Sous Paris event which I had been awaiting since last year. The original concept I signed up for was to experience an immersive venetian masquerade ball in an underground canal with gondolas but due to the very sad recent attacks in Paris they had to cancel it. The event had incredible costumes but alas it was just a masquerade ball in a mansion with an immersive theatre experience in the basement. Personally I think London’s Last Tuesday Society does it so much better but I eagerly await for them to relaunch the event as it was intended.

I absolutely love an interpretation of Alice and Wonderland, I really enjoyed Alice Underground immersive theatre piece in 2014. At the end of last year, 2015 we saw the opening of the National Theatres Wonder.Land and it continues to run through to the start of this year. I recently saw it and although it’s not an immersive theatre piece where the viewer moves through the space it still is completely consuming and filled with exciting modern technology. The show has fantastic production values and is a postmodern twist on the classic tale. I enjoyed the futuristic styling of the classic Alice characters, the incredible Cheshire Cat projection mapping and sculptural sets.

Punchdrunk Enrichment start a new project this week at a care home in South London, as part of Magic Me’s Artist Residencies in association with Anchor. Magic Me is the UK’s leading provider of intergenerational arts activities and Anchor is England’s largest not-for-profit provider of housing and care to older people. Lets set the immersive scene, 'The village of Greenhive Green are forming a committee. Each week they'll gather in the village square, drink tea and take part in activities. All is quiet in Greenhive Green, until an unexpected discovery and an abandoned flower shop cause a bit of a stir…’ The part game, part soap opera project run from January 19th - March 2016.

On the tube this morning I so a poster for the UK premiere of the Magical Lantern Festival in the beautiful Chiswick House Gardens in London. The festival looks visually spectacular but how will it compare to the recent London Lumiere light festival?! The festival is full of lantern installations of beautifully sculpted life-size and giant animals, wildlife, buildings and so on. Happy Chinese new year, it’s year of the Monkey!

Over the years Secret Cinema has absolutely upped it’s game with ‘Back to the Future’ and ‘Star Wars’. The incredible sets, realistic dessert heat waves and immersive theatre experiences truly heighten each cinema experience. Immersing yourself into the films constructed world for at least 5 hours. As always it’s ‘tell no one’, so I do wonder what this new Secret Cinema will bring for us, I am very intrigued by it’s X rated ticket options for 18+. Tickets are expensive but from my experience always worth it although I do miss the good old original Secret Cinema @ £20 but I herd roomers it maybe back this year!

I am so happy this incredible collection of light art is in London, the installations for Lumiere London are in Piccadilly, Regent Street and St James's,Trafalgar Square and Westminster, Mayfair, and King's Cross. The festival will run from 6.30pm to 10.30pm each evening, 14 to 17 January 2016. Download the free map to find the installations or download the free London Official City Guide app. This is a must see for all!

You Me Bum Bum Train are extending the show into 2016, this is honestly the best news ever. Tickets will be available and sold via a ballot system… Fingers crossed the site does not shut down again! You can register now by clicking the dog on our homepage.  Registration closes on Thursday 4th February at 4pm and successful people will be notified on the 5th February. Those who are successful will have 24 hours to purchase tickets before their link expires and another applicant is drawn. DO NOT MISS OUT this is hands down the best immersive theatre experience I have ever been to!!!

Interactive Theatre International is a traveling theatre group putting on not one but two immersive theatre dining experiences, Faulty Towers The Dining Experience with tickets from £52 and The Wedding Reception tickets from £29.25 in different London locations. Sounds pretty amusing has to much been given away on the youtube videos and knowing the locations? Although they have been a Edinburgh Fringe sell out show 2008-2014!