London can be a place of curiosities and the occasional strange detour – but this autumn, things are about to get decidedly weirder as Wake the Tiger launches Absurd City at Westfield London, inviting you inside a parallel ‘city’ where imagination sets the rules.
Devised by the creative team behind immersive music festival Boomtown Fair and the world’s first Amazement Park, Dream Factory, which has attracted more than half a million people since opening in Bristol in 2022, Absurd City is Wake the Tiger‘s biggest project to date.
Located in Shepherd’s Bush and occupying 80,000 square feet beneath a giant dome, it will bring together five distinct districts to create what the company describes as Europe’s largest immersive art experience.
As a ‘Daytripper’, you’ll step through a portal into a city shaped by climate collapse, corporate control and an underground resistance. With more than 100 spaces to explore, from the hyperactive shopping precinct of Bloom Street to the technicolour world of Imaginopolis, each district has its own character and way of life.
Hundreds of artists and multidisciplinary creatives have worked alongside robotics experts to bring the experience to life, blending art and storytelling with environmental sustainability and social responsibility to create something that sits somewhere between an art installation and a living playground.
‘We believe culture and storytelling have the unique power to reshape how we see our future,’ explains CEO and co-founder Graham MacVoy. ‘Absurd City is an invitation to rediscover hope and community through a creative lens. We are here to challenge convention, spark curiosity and prove that a different kind of world is possible and worth building together.’
Suitable for all ages, there’s no set route or time limit, so you can easily spend a few hours following your curiosity wherever it leads you.
There’s also a café and bar serving meat-free dishes and locally sourced beverages – you can even drop in for something to eat or drink without an experience ticket.
Whether you’re strolling the streets, hunting for hidden rooms and secret passageways or actively joining the resistance, there’s no wrong way to experience Absurd City. And for any adults who are keen to experience it in a more grown-up setting, After Hours sessions will eventually run every Thursday and Friday night, as well as Halloween on 31 October, and will be exclusively for over-18s.
