THE phrase “you have to see it to believe it” could have been invented for Wake The Tiger.
The huge “world’s first amazement park,” inside an old warehouse on an industrial estate on the outskirts of Bristol, is like nothing I have ever, or will ever experience again in my life.
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Well… except for the fact that they have a second site opening in London on October 15.
It’s described by them as “Europe’s largest immersive art experience,” which usually would turn me off completely, but I was extremely curious after seeing several reviews on social media in the last few years.
Thank goodness I ignored my basic cultural instincts, because it was a truly out of this world experience that both my seven year old and I found equally fascinating.
The experience starts at a construction site, where a mysterious tree has halted building work and then you step through a metal door into Meridia – an alternate world facing a huge ecological and societal crisis.
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But you absolutely do not need to follow that high-brow plot to enjoy it.
In essence, it’s a trippy, bizarre, fantasy world with more than 40 different rooms featuring secret doorways, hidden magic cupboards, underground train portals a space ship, a plane and so much more.
It feels like an amalgamation of Stranger Things (without the scariness), The Neverending Story, Labyrinth and a bunch of other surreal 1980s-style films and TV shows.
“Amazement Park” sounds like some wishy washy name dreamed up by a marketing guru that sells things like Willy Wonka Experience in Scotland, but it absolutely hits the nail on the head in this case.
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It’s like 50 of the world’s most talented set designers were given unlimited absinthe and let loose to create their wildest dreams.
Every corner of every room has a hidden detail that can hold your attention for ages – one of our favourites was a 30cm x 30cm glass box depicting a control room manned entirely by miniature pigeons.
Also in our top five was the secret library that could only be accessed by a hidden door, that had to be opened by pulling a certain book in the wall.
There were several of these secret doors throughout the experience.
You’d open a wardrobe and find a giant gremlin-type creature in a flowing robe staring back at you, or open a cupboard and find an entire room lit up with hundreds of fairy lights.
Or turn the corner and find yourself in a cave lit by glowing mushrooms.
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Once we reached the end, we walked all the way back to the beginning twice, just so we could experience the magic again and spot little details we’d missed – and I saw several families we’d started the journey with doing the same thing.
This is 100 per cent a family-friendly experience for young kids upwards, but you could easily have a great time without children and the Bristol venue puts on adults-only nights, which they’ll also be doing in their new London site.
If you haven’t been and are tempted, book tickets – you won’t be disappointed. I defy anyone not to be amazed by the world’s first amazement park.