[title]
Theatre
The blockbuster
Punchdrunk are the gods of immersive theatre, their intense, gloomy, hyperdetailed epics making most other immersive theatre shows look like glorified fancy dress parties… which to be fair, they basically are. After a long absence from the UK, Punchdrunk returned in 2022 with their gargantuan Trojan War epic ‘The Burnt City’.
One Cartridge Place, Woolwich. Until Apr 16 2023. From £56.50.
The Insta fave
Party like it’s Prohibition with a visit to the immersive version of F Scott Fitzgerald’s novel. Guests are encouraged to fully embrace the 1920s vibe with flapper-style clothing and plenty of bootleg booze. London’s longest-running immersive show, it finally leaves town early in 2023 as its building is being redeveloped, though a comeback is possible.
Immersive LDN. Until Jan 7 2023. From £41.
The niche one
The Vaults has carved out an unexpected niche as a home for queer immersive dinner theatre fabulousness. ‘The Witches of Oz’ sees the team behind improbable smash ‘Mulan Rouge’ – that's a mash-up of ‘Mulan’ and ‘Moulin Rouge!’ – join forces for a brand new show riffing off Frank L Baum’s ‘Oz’ books that follows the adventures of Dorothey in an enchanted kingdom.
The Vaults. Booking to Jan 14. From £20, or £45 dining.
Art
The blockbuster
‘Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience’
From ‘The Starry Night’ to those joyful sunflowers, this 360-degree VR experience takes you inside some of the world’s most famous paintings and gives you an insight into the artistic genius who created them.
106 Commercial St. Ongoing. From £19.90.
The Insta fave
Yayoi Kusama: ‘Infinity Mirror Rooms’
The global queen of immersive art returns to Tate Modern with two of her most spectacular infinity mirror rooms. Disappear into a galaxy of tiny lights before marvelling at a vast expanse of rotating crystal chandeliers.
Tate Modern. Until Jun 11 2023. £10.
The niche one
Immersive work can have a conscience too: Richard Mosse’s ‘Broken Spectre’ is an immersive video installation based on three years of the artist documenting environmental crimes in remote parts of the Brazilian Amazon.
180 Studios. Oct 12-Dec 4. £15, £10 concs.
Film
The blockbuster
No one does immersive like Secret Cinema. For its latest extravaganza, it’s taking audiences inside ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’. Take a side seat and watch the action unfold, or step right into the heart of it like the comic-book hero you are.
Secret location. Until Dec 4. From £47.
The Insta fave
Go kitsch or go home with a visit to Backyard Cinema, a specialist in Insta-perfect filmgoing experiences. This autumn its Wandsworth home reopens its door from October 1 with a programme of kitschy retro films for grown-ups and kids. For those brave enough there’s a busy and varied Halloween programme running from the second half of October.
2-4 Armoury Way, SW18. From Oct 1. From £20.
The niche one
Ever wondered what ‘True Romance’ would taste like if it were a pie? Neither did we until Taste Film came along. It pairs food with cult-classic movies, in a multi-sensory experience that’s both witty and delicious. Its next event is a Halloween run for ‘American Psycho’.
‘American Psycho’ runs Oct 24-Nov 4 at Parlour, Kensal Green. From £75.
Games
The blockbuster
‘Sherlock’: The Official Live Game
Created by the makers of the BBC’s ‘Sherlock’, this escape room challenges you to crack puzzles as the clock ticks down.
West 12 Shopping Centre. Ongoing. From £35.
The Insta fave
In this brand-new multisensory immersive experience, play around with mirrors, bubbles and a giant popcorn machine before collapsing in a happy heap of fizzing endorphins.
79-85 Old Brompton Rd. Ongoing. From £17.50.
The niche one
DNA VR combines arcade game and escape room in one nerdy package. Defend an orc invasion or fend off the impending zombie apocalypse.
Various locations. Ongoing. From £22 per person.
Food
The blockbuster
Pay a visit to Nikos Taverna, the Greek café on Skopelos where ‘Mamma Mia!’ was filmed, for sunshine and singalong hits.
The O2. Until Feb 26 2023. From £99.
The Insta fave
A six course Latin-inspired tasting menu and a disused Victoria line tube carriage from the 1960s. Two totally different concepts that, smashed together, somehow make sense.
Walthamstow Pumphouse Museum. Until Dec 17. From £57.
The niche one
Kitchen Theory’s bespoke events immerse you in a multi-sensory experience. Previous events have featured jellyfish and mushroom sponge.
Unit 9a Alston Works, Falkland Rd. Ongoing. £190 per person.
Booze
The place A western-themed bar for sipping drinks with outlaws.
The drink Bootleg cocktails like the Seville Orange Old Fashioned. (Real cowboys drink whiskey.)
28-30 Houndsditch.
The place A below-the-railway-arches bar where you get to play scientist.
The drink Molecular cocktails concocted
by guests dressed in lab coats. Soak it all up with rather-less-techy sourdough pizza.
18 Bohemia Place.
The place A code-cracking ’40s-themed bar with bespoke drinks.
The drink Personalised cocktails created by professional mixologists responding to your top-secret preferences.
459 King’s Rd.
How London went gaga for everything immersive.
Punchdrunk, the OG of immersive theatre, is back with its first show in eight years.