Winter is setting in in the Harbour City, and things are getting chilling in more ways than one. As a former penal centre, Cockatoo Island is one of Sydney’s most spooky sites at the best of times, and this winter they’ll be amping up the chill factor, with the launch of two immersive ‘Tunnels of Terror’ and a heap of other spooky experiences. It’s all kicking off on Friday, June 13 (the spookiest date of them all), with ‘Fear Island’ taking over Cockatoo Island all weekend long – here’s what to expect.
From Friday through Sunday, Sydney’s brutalist industrial island will play host to spooky food stalls, a pumping bar serving up blood-bag cocktails (delicious) and a team of scare actors bringing the spooky stories of the island to life. There will also be makeup artists on site to get you looking scary, dance classes teaching Micheal Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ dance and an outdoor cinema screening scary movies under the stars.
But the main event is taking place in the long, dark tunnels that run through the centre of the island. Dubbed the Tunnels of Terror, the two concrete tunnels that run through the island will be transformed into terrifying immersive scary experiences. Details on what to expect from the Tunnels of Terror are thin on the ground, but if you ask us, the names say it all. First up, ‘The Haunted’: we’re pretty sure we can do the maths on what that one might look like. The second tunnel experience, The Asylum, is named after one of Cockatoo Island’s former functions. In the late 1800’s, the island was used as an asylum for orphaned girls, and the organisers have promised that the boundary between the living and the dead will be blurred with live effects, actors and spine-chilling energy.
If you’re keen to bring the family but not sure on the scare factor, come along for the family-friendly sessions – running from 4pm until 5pm on Saturday and Sunday. Feeling brave? The 'terrifying' sessions will run from 7pm-8.30pm on Friday, 7.45pm-8.30pm on Saturday and 6pm-7pm on Sunday.
Adult tickets start at $40, and you can grab yours over here.
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