The creators of Boomtown festival expanded their Bristol theme park and it blew our minds

Tucked away in an industrial estate in south Bristol lies Wake the Tiger, an interactive museum launched by the creators of Boomtown festival. Frequently featured as one of the best Bristol attractions, you must’ve seen this exhibition on your Instagram at least once. Although this insanely popular attraction has only been up and running for two years now, it has been expanded to include an entirely new labyrinth of freaky and fantastic worlds.

A year in the making, the dimension-transcending OUTERverse opens its doors today as a futuristic dive into the depths of your psyche in true Boomtown style. Think trippy visuals, interactive quests and minute attention to detail.

As a Boomtown veteran (rah), I just had to pop down and see if it lives up to expectations. Spoiler, it does.

To get the full OUTERverse experience I first explored the original part of Wake the Tiger, the mysterious land of Meridia. An abandoned paint factory in a society which has been destroyed by climate breakdown and mass consumerism, Merida uses the power of fungi to restore its ecosystems.

I can’t exaggerate enough the attention to detail in creating this exhibit. Interactive phones, miniature caves, mushrooms growing absolutely everywhere. Meridia is a visual feast I got completely lost in. So far it’s off to a good start.

Walking through the fire, water, earth, and air dimensions, I was particularly enraptured by the room of doors. Pull the lever, put in a code, and press a big button and one of the four doors will swing open, offering a seat with just enough space for two. Once the doors shut it genuinely feels like you have been transported to a magical world. For all the criticism interactive museums get, Wake the Tiger provides pure escapism, and for that it can’t be faulted.

The storyline feels just like the silliness of Boomtown, but the quality of the set will completely engage you with ideas of mystical worlds, portals, and a higher consciousness without feeling like you have to pretend.

It takes about 40 minutes to complete the first section where, at the end, you will reach a train station to transport you to the OUTERverse. With even a vending machine of “thought soup” and space suncream, it does all feel very real.

As the doors slide open to enter the OUTERverse reception, it feels like stepping into the Crystal Maze gameshow of the 90s, albeit without the slightly discerning face of Richard O’Brien.

Once was greeted by the robot receptionist, I stepped through the double doors into an aeroplane equipped with VR headsets- this journey just gets weirder and weirder, I know. Having never used VR before, I found it insanely cool to virtually fly over galaxies, “landing” in the OUTERverse where, honestly, I couldn’t contain my amazement.

Without spoiling too much, the OUTERverse is a huge room with 15 smaller offshoots including a slide, secret tunnels, and loads of visual effects. It feels like the best adult playground ever but with a genuine message. We have to live in harmony with both the natural world and each other. Gosh, it does sound like I’ve been enlightened.

It took about 40 minutes to fully explore the OUTERverse, crawling through tunnels, shooting down slides and answering cryptic phone calls. You could definitely have a lot of fun here with a group of friends.

The vision behind Wake the Tiger was to be the world’s first “Amazement Park”, with co-founder Graham MacVoy stating: “We wanted to combine connection, memories and spirituality into a journey that will blow people’s minds, where every moment promises breathtaking visuals and awe-inspiring concepts beyond imagination.”

Wake the Tiger certainly blew my mind. If you’re looking for some escapism, an activity to brighten your mood, or something to remind you of good times at summer festivals, I definitely recommend visiting.

An off-peak adult ticket costs £14.50 which is pretty decent value for money, especially as you can take as long as you like wandering through the exhibit. There is also a bar and gift shop if you want to make a day out of it.

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