Seattle ‘Stranger Things the Experience’ brings Netflix series to life

If you are a fan of the Netflix series ‘Stranger Things,’ you have to check out Stranger Things: The Experience in Seattle.

I was able to snag four tickets and brought my little family to opening night in SODO.

For those of you who don’t know, Stranger Things is set in the 1980s, centering around the residents of the fictional small town of Hawkins, Ind. as they are plagued by a hostile alternate dimension known as the Upside Down after a human experimentation facility opens a gateway between it and the normal world.

The invite said to come dressed in 80s style so we did — and we weren’t the only ones. We were excited and showed up 22 minutes early and before we knew it, the place was packed with fans ready for the unknown.

At first, I was worried this was going to be lame, but soon, we were all laughing, acting, and screaming at the appropriate places.

First things first, when you check in, you get assigned a bracelet — yellow, blue, or red. There’s a reason for the color coding.

Next, you stand in line waiting to enter Hawkins’ sleep study. The actors are very convincing and interactive. I was asked a few times about my sleep patterns. Before you know it, you are fully immersed in an episode of Stranger Things interacting with CG characters. Forty-five minutes later, you make your way out of the Upside Down and walk back into reality. That’s where I met Isis Arias, the marketing person for Netflix Experience.

“So we developed this with the Duffer Brothers (the show’s creators) as a way to bring Stranger Things to life in a really new and exciting way and allow fans to immerse themselves in the world, but also have their own adventure and interact with their favorite characters,” Arias said.

But this isn’t like other TV show experiences.

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“In order to really bring this to life, it is immersive in a very unique way where you’re interacting with people that are a part of this experience, and making you feel like you are jumping right in. You’re walking into these iconic set spaces,” Arias said. “And when the actors interact with you, you’re in it.”

Everything you experience is just like what you see on the show. It’s thrilling, it’s exciting, and fun!

“We’ve got a really amazing team of people who actually, our effects have been done with the teams that do work on the series,” she said. “So it’s incredibly authentic to bring these parties together to bring this experience to life and make sure that we could do it in a variety of ways using immersive and exciting technology.”

The 45-minute event is age restricted, meaning those under the age of 5 will not be admitted, and anyone under the age of 14 must be accompanied by an adult.

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“It is a full-on adventure. It is going to put you in the [Stranger Things] world,” Arias said. “And hopefully you go back and revisit this series. But we definitely think that everyone can come and have a really great time while they’re here at the experience.”

The event’s exit area is made up of some of the show’s iconic locations like Surfer Boy Pizza and Scoops Ahoy. Enjoy the Byer’s living room and take pics on the epic couch, and do what I did and grab some pretty awesome merch! Groups are welcome and the organizers will even host your birthday at Scoops Ahoy.

Tickets start at $29 and you can click here for more information.

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