The inside of “The Alice: An Immersive Cocktail Experience” during a previous stop. The “Alice in Wonderland” themed pop-up attraction is now open at the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library in Indianapolis through April 30.
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Central Indiana residents are going to want to fall down the rabbit hole for this one.
Inside the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library in downtown Indianapolis, Wonderland has emerged. Guests are invited to craft their own cocktails, solving riddles and unlocking ingredients as they go. They can play croquet with flamingos and paint the roses red, just like Alice.
Put together, it’s a completely unique opportunity you’d be mad to miss.
“The Alice: An Immersive Cocktail Experience” has come to Indiana, bringing with it the sights, sounds and flavors inspired by Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland.”
Organizers hope to add a touch of whimsy and wackiness to the Midwestern winter in a way that’s not been done locally before.
“The idea was to create a beautiful and enchanted Wonderland that people can step into and forget the world for 90 minutes, whilst immersing themselves into some fun,” according to a statement from Aden Levin and James Farrell of Hidden, the interactive company that created the experience.
“The Alice” is a pop-up event that has been featured in cities across the United States and around the world since debuting in Sydney, Australia. Hidden, which describes itself on its website as a marketplace for all the most exciting live and virtual events, has hosted over 2,500 experiences in more than 30 cities around the world.
Among those are pop-up events such as “The Wizard’s Den,” a fantasy and magic-themed adventure; “Beyond Cinema,” an immersive journey blurring the lines between film and reality; and “Tinseltown,” a holiday-centric space that came to Indianapolis in 2022.
In designing “The Alice,” artists transformed the Vonnegut Museum space into a magical lounge, filled with imagery from the Wonderland stories, according to a statement from Hidden.
Visitors will come face to face with the Cheshire Cat, the Queen of Hearts and, of course, Alice herself. Leading the adventure will be the Mad Hatter.
Touches, such as playing croquet with flamingos, painting roses red and sampling an “Eat Me” cookie, are further designed to evoke “Alice in Wonderland.”
The experience blends a 90-minute cocktail hour with an escape-room type puzzle.
“The Alice is a cocktail experience, so cocktails will be created during their time at The Alice. It is also kind of like an escape room, where you have to solve riddles and clues to unlock ingredients to your cocktails,” according to a statement by Levin and Farrell.
“The Alice” opened in Indianapolis on Jan. 19, and is slated to run through April 30. Tickets are $47, which includes entry to “The Alice,” as well as the 90-minute experience. People will be able to make two personalized cocktails or mocktails during the session, which can be purchased separately before the session.
Though the experience is being housed there, admission to the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library is not included with tickets.
IF YOU GO
”The Alice: An Immersive Cocktail Experience”
What: A 90-minute “Alice in Wonderland”-themed event that allows visitors to make two Wonderland cocktails, solve riddles and challenges and take part in other unique activities.
When: Through April 30
Where: Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library, 543 Indiana Avenue, Indianapolis
Cost: $47 per person
Tickets and information: explorehidden.com/city/indianapolis/list
