Wishmas: London’s new festive immersive experience

I know. Although the weather is on the turn, summer is barely over – nobody wants to be thinking about Christmas now, in September.

Except, unfortunately, there are plenty of straight arrows out there who are, which means when you finally do get round to trying to book tickets to Kew Garden’s illumination, the Christmas Panto or any other of the myriad festive events, you’ll find yourself scrabbling for the worst tickets on the worst nights for the lamest events.

The adventure starts at the Old Bauble Factory, a magical portal to the enchanted world of Wishmas. (Image: James Croft)

So do your festive self a favour and get on top of it, and get into the sprit of things, in September, and take a look at Wishmas: A Fantastical Christmas Adventure.

Created by the immersive experience specialists behind Secret Cinema and directed by Elgiva Field, former Associate Director of the trail-blazing and mind-blowing Punchdrunk theatre company (please see The Burnt City before it finishes), Wishmas is a fully immersive festive experience, suitable for kids and adults.

Running from November 14 to January 7, at The Old Bauble Factory under Waterloo Station, the immersive experience will spread the merriment and cheer to visitors who pass through.

Watch your wishes take flight aboard the train to Wishmas. (Image: James Croft)

An “alternative to Winter Wonderland”, Wishmas is set in a magical world which takes about 60-minutes to walk through, meeting Wishkeepers, robins, Father Christmas and magical rooms along the way. You’ll also have to paly your part to ensure no wish is ever forgotten too.  

It is a whimsical, fantastical story all about wishes which you become part of, and Elgiva Field describes it as this: “Looking after wishes is a complex operation and it starts with a Sorting Office.

Play your part to ensure that no wish is ever forgotten. (Image: James Croft)

“You arrive at this secret dispatch – where robins arrive with the world’s wishes, stored safely in their red bauble breasts – and the Wishkeeper attendant readies those baubles for safe transportation to Wishmas. You’ll board a specially chartered conveyance that will whisk you and the wishes on your journey to Wishmas.

“ We are filling the space with fun and festive experiential installations that bring the world of Wishmas to life. Audiences will flow from one space to the next, each room a playful contrast to the previous one, all inventively inspired by the Christmas canon. Discover where your wishes go and why robins are so important to Christmas!” 

Tickets start from £29  and are on sale now at wishmas.co.uk

Take a look at the trailer below.