One of the cool things I checked out in the summer that I was really excited for was this new exhibit in Toronto, “Immersive King Tut: Boy, King, Hero”. As a kid I loved learning about ancient Egyptian mythology and history, including King Tut so when I found out that the people behind Immersive Van Gogh were behind this, I was immediately intrigued. In this blog post, I will share my honest thoughts about the exhibit, pics, info, and even some tips if you do plan on going. Before you read below, make sure to check out (and hopefully follow) on social media (Tiktok, Instagram, and Facebook) for more exhibits, pop-ups, and events that happen in Toronto! For POV of inside & visual teaser of what you can expect see the video below!
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About and Location
This immersive exhibit is brought to you by Lighthouse Immersive Inc who have done other immersive exhibits such as Van Gogh, Frida Kahlo, Bob Marley (review coming soon), and more! It is located at 1 Yonge St, Toronto, ON which is a bit of a busy area and traffic can be a little hard but there are some paid parking options near there including near Queens Quay. In terms of the exhibit, the purpose is to learn more about King Tut’s life on earth and more specifically, during the immersive component, about his journey in the afterlife.
Tickets & Tips
The tickets were decently priced because we got our premium tickets through Groupon for $40 each after tax (you also get a poster and not sure if the cushion was for these tickets or for everyone) for a Sunday. This is a discounted price because on the site, it is pretty much $100 before tax. I believe if you do go during the week you can get it for as low as $25 but not 100% sure. I would suggest getting your tickets through Groupon, but use Rakuten to get cash back! Note: You do need to print out your order from Groupon and show them so they can take that and provide with actual tickets/barcodes to enter the exhibit. Also, we were late because of traffic so we did have to wait until the next time slot as there is someone that will provide a brief introduction before you actually go into the immersive experience.
Duration and Experience
In terms of the duration and experience, there is different sections overall. The first thing you would notice when entering the exhibit is a “pre-show” exhibit with different activations and features to educate you about King Tut’s history and Ancient Egypt. Then you will sit down and enjoy the immersive component which is the main part. Finally, as you exit you will see some exclusive Immersive King Tut merchandise. Overall from entering the building to exiting it, I’d say I spent an hour total.
Pre-Show Exhibit
I will say this was my favourite part of the whole experience. As you saw in the pictures in the prior section, there were different activations you can interact with as well as some interesting facts all around. However, right before you enter the immersive experience there is a small section where you need to wait but you won’t be bored because you can learn so much in this area. The first thing you will notice is the King Tut discovery timeline as his tomb was discovered 100 years ago and then on the right of that, is a beautiful golden scarab beetle (I believe it represents rebirth/regeneration and some say when it is on jewellery it is supposed to protect the wearer). Something that was fascinating (might be creepy for some) was that they had a really detailed replica of the mummy and middle coffin of Tutankhamun (King Tut).
Immersive Experience
In terms of the immersive experience, I didn’t enjoy it fully if I am being completely honest. I think the visuals were absolutely incredible and the sand on the floor was a great touch. I think the concept about exploring the journey through the underworld and that they talked about Ra (Creator & Sun God) was great. However, I found that the story was a bit hard to follow (I think that was a main reason for why it didn’t feel as immersive to me” and I would’ve preferred if they went a bit deeper into King Tut in the beginning and talked more about ancient Egypt history. Another reason why I found it a bit hard to follow is because you had to look at every corner as some were different throughout, resulting in my neck hurting a bit by the end of it. I think if the animations were displayed in a 270 view instead of 360, it would’ve been better. The overall immersive component was around 40 minutes.
Gift Shop
Like any other exhibit at Lighthouse Immersive you can always find the gift shop when you exit and there was a designated section for this exhibit along with merchandise from the other exhibits. Personally, I didn’t get anything but they did have some nice souvenirs such as books and magnets but it was more on the pricey side.
Overall
All in all, I thought the exhibit was okay. It’s awesome that they are exploring Egyptian history and mythology through an immersive experience. Although there were some things that resulted in the immersive component being less enjoyable, I still had a decent time and I don’t regret going at all. I do wish they talked more about King Tut during the immersive component. Therefore, I would recommend it if you are looking to check out something interesting to do where you can still learn a few things but as stated in the earlier section, get your tickets at the best deal for you! If you have been here before or plan on going in Toronto or another city, please let me know your thoughts in the comments below or on social media by following on Tiktok, Instagram, and Facebook!
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