Review – Stranger Things: The Experience London

If you are a Stranger Things fan, then you might have heard that there is a Stranger Things immersive walk-through adventure co-produced by Netflix and Fever which is open in London.  This review of the Stranger Things Experience London, will tell you if it’s worth it and what you can expect.

Our two children are huge Stranger Things fans, so when they found out that they could actually visit Hawkins, they were literally counting down the days as this was one of their must visit attractions in 2022 and it certainly didn’t disappoint.

Don’t let the location for your journey into the Upside Down put you off.  Set in an old retail building on an industrial estate in Brent, North London, its exterior and setting belies the experience inside.

The first of many photo opportunities we had was at the entrance where a surfer boy pizza van was located along with the large Stranger Things signage.  The girls were so excited to get inside, the looks on their faces was priceless and worth the entrance fee alone, which might seem expensive but its comparable to what you would pay at a UK theme park.

Once inside, there are two lines dependent on the ticket that you purchased – a standard entrance ticket will set you back from £52.00 per adult and from £39.00 for children (5-17) and the VIP admission is at a much higher cost from £84.00 per adult and £60.00 for children.

When we visited, the wait time on the standard line was not much different to the quicker priority access VIP line but the VIP ticket does come with additional benefits such as a Stranger Things goodie bag, collectable lanyard and a complimentary drink in the Upside cocktail bar.

As soon as we stepped inside the building, it instantly felt as though we had been transported to Indiana and the small town of Hawkings.

This immersive experience is split into two parts – an interactive actor led experience inside the Hawkins Lab followed by a self-guided experience called the Mix-Tape, filled with some of the show’s most famous locations.

Until a Stranger Things themed area opens in a theme park like what Universal Orlando did with Harry Potter, this is the closest you will get to actually stepping inside a Stranger Things TV series.

The quality of acting here was superb and really fun, with some of the Hawkins staff hired solely to stare at you as you queue and make you feel uncomfortable, jotting down notes every time you speak or glance at them.

A highlight was when they picked on my husband who was using his phone and started questioning what this device was and if it was a vanity device (given that smartphones didn’t exist in the 1980’s).

Hawkins Sleep Study

As we made our way to the entrance, Hawkins Lab staff start questioning you about your sleep habits.  After some uncomfortable but fun questioning, which is all part of the experience, people are split up into colour coded groups of approx 10 people where you are invited to take part in their sleep study to help the residents of Hawkins.

Each group was assigned with their own special powers, ours was intelligence and Holly was chosen as our group leader, the look of delight on her face was priceless.

We started our experience in the Hawkins Lab, the theming inside is superb and felt as though we were actually within the lab, as is the acting and gave us goosepimples as it really did feel we were in the TV set.

I won’t give too much away about this first part as no filming or video was allowed in this hour long experience  but it can be best described as a mix of an escape room with a theme park.

Along the way you get to solve a series of tasks and interact with members of the show (Dustin, Mike, Max, Erika, Lucas and Eleven) through a clever mix of pre recorded videos which are integrated with special effects and live action actors along your journey.

The quality of the sets, actors and the interactive elements during this unique storyline developed by the show’s creators was well worth the entrance fee, the kids are still talking about how good it was.

The Mix-Tape Area

Once you escape the lab you end up in the ‘Mix-Tape’ area which is a throwback to the 1980’s Starcourt Mall with lots of Stranger Things locations recreated and memorabilia to look at.

You are free to explore this area on your own and after a photo-op in front of the huge Stranger Things sign that catches your attention as you enter we made a beeline for Scoops Ahoy.

Scoops Ahoy

It was just like the series, staff wearing Scoops Ahoy outfits, perfectly themed and it even sold the same sweat treats you would get in Hawkins with Chloe opting for Eleven’s favourite of vanilla ice cream with sprinkles and whilst pricey it did taste great. A single scoop priced at £4.00 and a double scoop priced at £7.00.

Vecna

There were so many selfie and photo opportunities in the ‘Mix-Tape’ and one not to miss is being able to get up close to the huge statue of Vecna – all of which were Insta-worthy for the kid’s social feeds.

Joyce Byer’s Living Room

We loved being able to sit in the Byer’s living room with the infamous wall of twinkling Christmas lights behind us, the attention to detail in each of these sets which have been perfectly recreated is outstanding.

Using our VIP ticket lanyard we redeemed the token to get our limited edition tote bag and Stranger Things gift (worth approx. £30) before visiting the Upside cocktail bar to have our complimentary drink, another bonus of paying extra for the VIP ticket.

Drinks at the Upside

We chose the mocktails (£8 if buying individually) going for the Starcourt Special and The Eleven which were great plus they came in their own keepsake souvenir cup but alcoholic cocktails priced between £12-£15 were also included with the VIP package including the Demogorgon at £15.00.

Throughout the ‘Mix-Tape’ you’ll find numerous props and costumes from the show, our favourites being Steve’s baseball bat and the Christmas lights from Joyce’s living room.

Surfer Boy Pizza

For lunch, we couldn’t resist the pizzas at Surfer Boy Pizza, the pizza boxes were themed perfectly and more importantly the pizza was delicious. Pizza flavours were cheese or pepperoni and were £5.00 per slice or £23.00 per pie.

The Palace Arcade

The Palace Arcade was great fun containing retro gaming machines from the 80’s such as Space Invaders and Holly’s new gaming favourite Joust.  Next door we were able to explore the Family Video store where Robin and Steve work and once more the theming and attention to detail here was incredible.

Where the first part of the experience was timed, you can spend as much time as you like in the Mix-Tape and we did spend over 2 hours in here.

More in character actors wander around this area and we were interviewed by a reporter from the Hawkins Post, if you are lucky they will even give you a collectors edition of their newspaper.

There is also a fun QR code scavenger hunt to complete to test your Stranger Things knowledge and on completion we received a small surprise at the end. With the eighties music playing, it was like being in a disco back in the eighties, with some guests dressing in eighties costumes, it made the experience authentic and memorable.

Stranger Things merchandise

As you would expect in an attraction like this, there are lots of themed stores here to tempt you to spend your cash, from the Rink-O-Mania where you can buy their pink jackets to being able to purchase Eggo’s at the Hellfire Club store.

As you would expect prices are high but you won’t find any other store in the UK with such a wide range of Stranger Things merchandise to buy.

Overall

We headed out of this unique experience with plenty of memories, pictures and keepsakes from our Hawkins experience and it’s one that we would highly recommend.

Availability is limited, so its worth checking ticket availability each day as this can change. Tickets are available to purchase via the official Netflix Stranger Things Experience website.