General admission is $29, while annual passes cost $150. Really serious fans can buy a lifetime ticket for $10,000. Meow Wolf’s new locations will include the same immersive art elements as the original, but offer different experiences. Area15 in Las Vegas, for example, which is scheduled to open this year, will resemble a futuristic shopping mall.
Christine Zardecki made the trip to Santa Fe from her home in Jersey City, New Jersey, because she “enjoys weird art experiences.” What partly piqued her curiosity was the involvement of Martin, whose books are the basis for the HBO series that kicks off its final season Sunday.
“I’m not a ‘Game of Thrones’ fan at all, but knowing that somebody of his stature was willing to go all-in on it was definitely a draw,” said Zardecki, 47, whose favorite part was climbing through the hidden passageway in the refrigerator. “The experience sort of comes to life.”
Spending on experiences has grown almost four times faster than on goods over the past three years, a 2017 report from McKinsey & Co. found. Millennials and their social media habits are big contributors to that, said Sophie Marchessou, one of the authors.
Social media “puts such a focus on showcasing and the quest for likes,” she said. “Sometimes showcasing an experience is more appealing.”
With 20,000 square feet of purple hallways flanked with neon branches and fish hanging from the ceiling, a fireplace that doubles as a secret passageway and enormous rooms filled with colorfully glowing sea anemone-like structures, the House of Eternal Return provides plenty of opportunities for unique Instagram posts.
More established companies are also looking to cash in on the “quest for likes.” Disneyland’s highly anticipated Galaxy’s Edge expansion is scheduled to open this year and will allow visitors to experience the “Star Wars” world in an Instagram-friendly environment, interacting with exotic aliens, building their own droids or accepting missions from shady smugglers.
This article was provided by Bloomberg News.