After much anticipation, the Trocadero, in the heart of London’s West End, has undergone a £5 million transformation, with the award-winning Crystal Maze LIVE Experience opening its doors and welcoming existing fans and new visitors to play its 32 brand new games.
The Crystal Maze LIVE Experience originally opened in March 2016 in Islington and has since gone from strength to strength. It received investment via a crowdfunding campaign, raising £500,000 in just eight days. The attraction has hosted several celebrity guests including Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis, as well as hosting a Crystal Maze TV special presented by Stephen Merchant.
With continued demand, The Crystal Maze LIVE Experience opened a second maze in Manchester’s Granada Studios in April 2017. The site, which is double the size of the Islington attraction, found demand for tickets was just as high. This encouraged parent company Little Lion Entertainment to source a larger new London attraction.
The Trocadero, which has a history dating back to 1744, was selected as the maze’s new London home. The building, which began life as a tennis court and vaults has, over the years, also been a theatre under numerous names, a boxing hall, The Argyle Subscription Rooms, The Trocadero music hall, and Segaworld.
Co-founder and Director of Little Lion Entertainment Tom Lionetti-Maguire said, “We are delighted to have moved the maze to an iconic building like the Trocadero. We are bringing theatre to life in this new flagship immersive playhouse and interactive events attraction.
“From a regeneration perspective, we’ve created close to 200 jobs in the area and 75% of the games and set budget has been spent on small creative firms based in London, alongside specialist independent businesses throughout the UK, to help make this dream a reality.”
The new venue is able to host triple the number of players than the former venue in Islington and boasts a new bar, where customers can wind down and chat about their experience in the maze whilst overlooking the bustling Shaftesbury Avenue.
